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There’s a little bit of Hollywood touching down in London.
The Forest City Film Festival is honouring London-raised screen legend Victor Garber with a lifetime achievement award at its week-long film festival here later this month, and he’ll bring a little Tinsel Town magic with him.
As part of the celebration, expect Hollywood celebrities to dial in with a live, video connection to pay tribute to Garber, who is beloved in the industry, said film festival executive director Dorothy Downs.
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A brunch on Oct. 27 at London Delta Armouries will feature a video call from Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Paul Shaffer, to name a few. They all starred in the 1972 Canadian theatre production of Godspell.
“That amazing production changed theatre in Canada,” said Downs.
That original Canadian cast from the stage production featured Garber, Levy, Short, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner and Dave Thomas. Shaffer was the music director and Howard Shore, now a multiple Oscar, Globe and Grammy award-winning movie composer, was in the band.
Producer Michael Rubinoff, known for the theatrical production Come From Away, will host the brunch event. It will be followed by a screening at Wolf Performance Hall of Godspell, the 1973 film version that helped launch the careers of Garber and other stars.
“This has been a year and a half in the making,” Downs said of the lifetime achievement award.
The brunch at the Delta is at noon and the movie at Wolf after will be screened at 2:15 p.m. Jayne Eastwood, a Canadian film and TV legend, also will be part of the video call on Sunday.
The festival also will feature a tribute event and party with Garber a day before on the Saturday night, along with a screening of Titanic, in which Garber played Thomas Andrews. There will also be more celebrity live video tributes expected, Downs said.
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The Saturday night Garber tribute will be led by London award-winning documentary filmmaker Janice Zolf, who will host a question-and-answer session with Garber.
“Rather than talk about his acting roles, I want to talk about him as a person. It’s so meaningful for him to come back to this city to get a lifetime achievement award,” Zolf said. “He’s being acknowledged from where it all started. He’s had all these roles and now it’s come full circle.”
The 1972 Godspell theatre production is so well known, director Judd Apatow is producing a documentary about it and a film crew will be on hand for the Sunday event.
“They realize the significance of that production, how important it was and they want to celebrate it,” Downs said.
Forest City Film Festival
When: Oct. 19-27
Where: Wolf Performance Hall, Imagine Cinema and Museum London
Highlights: More than 90 films, most of which have ties to Southwestern Ontario. Will showcase 20 top films from festivals around the world including 10 that were screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Numerous programs will feature industry workshops for filmmakers, a community day honouring South Asian film, an Indigenous program, youth film festival and experimental films.
Lifetime achievement award: Final weekend will honour Hollywood veteran and London native Victor Garber. Festivities will include screening three of his films, throwing a party in his honour and a Sunday brunch with him as the guest. Hollywood actors such as Martin Short and Eugene Levy will be among many who will pay tribute to Garber in a live video hookup Saturday and Sunday.
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