For anyone involved in the film world, there are no awards more prestigious than the Oscars. And for many of the lucky ones who climb those stairs, stand behind that podium and receive that instantly recognisable golden figurine, it is a long-awaited destination on a lengthy and often arduous journey. It is little wonder that many who do make it up there end up in tears when trying to give their thanks!

For many academy award-winning actors, actresses, writers and directors, the journey along the red carpet is one with many important pit stops - and as well as struggling with budgets, auditions and climbing the Hollywood ranks, when that one special idea or film comes along there are still a number of pre-Oscar events that can make or break a film and its star. One of the most important examples of these events is the Toronto International Film Festival, where many believe the hype that precedes the Oscars really begins to buzz.

Although obviously far north of Hollywood, the American Oscars owe a lot to their Canadian neighbours in Toronto. Often described as being the second biggest film festival in the world after Cannes, the TIFF sees Hollywood's brightest stars taking over Toronto for ten days, in the hope that they and their film will receive the attention required to catch the eye of the Oscar judges.

In the past, films that have succeeded in gaining this attention by premiering in Toronto and have then gone on to triumph at the Oscars include the classic ‘Chariots of Fire' and the thrilling ‘American Beauty' - both of which won Best Picture Oscars, and ‘Ray', which gained Jamie Foxx enough critical acclaim to earn him a well-deserved award for Best Actor.

Toronto International Film Festival, then, is a significant date in the diary of the entire entertainment world, and often predicts which way the Oscar judges will go in their deliberations. There is maybe no better setting for such an important event than Toronto, which is one of the biggest centres of cultural and artistic movements in the whole of North America.

As well as the TIFF, Toronto is home to the National Ballet of Canada, the country's premier classical ballet school, the innovative Canadian Opera Company, and the historic Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Royal Ontario Museum, a centre for world culture and natural history, the Toronto Zoo, one of the biggest in the world, and the Canadian National Exhibition, the oldest annual fair in the world, can also all be found in Toronto.

With attractions such as these, and augmented with top restaurants, shops and luxury hotels in Toronto, it is little wonder a film festival here is such a success with film fans and stars alike.

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