For close to a decade Jaeger-LeCoultre has established a long-standing connection with the film industry.
From September 4th to 14th, 2014, the Brand will celebrate the best of International and Canadian cinema at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival, as a first time sponsor of the festival.
In addition Jaeger-LeCoultre has announced its support to the TIFF Rising Stars, an initiative that immerses four up-and-coming Canada’s actors in a series of public events and private industry meetings in order to be mentored in the different facets of the industry.

Artistic Director Cameron Bailey with the 2014 TIFF rising stars

Last week, the 2014 TIFF Rising Stars were announced during the Canadian Press Conference in Toronto.
Sophie Desmarais, Julia Sarah Stone, Shannon Kook, and Alexandre Landry are the four emerging talents who will receive intensive professional development with international casting directors, filmmakers, producers and development executives during the Festival. Over four exciting days, TIFF Rising Stars will be a part of the Festival’s ongoing to promoting Canadian cinema and talent on the world’s stage. Previous TIFF Rising Stars included Sarah Gadon (Maps to the Stars, Belle and the upcoming The Girl King), Katie Boland, Tatiana Maslany (two-time Critic’s Choice Award-winner for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Orphan Black), Evelyne Brochu (Orphan Black, Pawn Sacrifice), Megan Park.

“The 2014 Rising Stars are a diverse group of actors, each carving his or her own path in the industry with unique projects. We are thrilled to welcome them to the programme and look forward to charting their trajectory in the Canadian industry and abroad.” Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival

Sophie Desmarais at the Toronto International Film Festival

Sophie Desmarais
Sophie has worked with some of the luminaries of Canadian cinema, including Denis Villeneuve, Denis Coté, Xavier Dolan, and Sébastien Pilote. She garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Sarah, a young runner determined to succeed on the track team in the Toronto International Film Festival hit Sarah Prefers to Run. Directed by Chloé Robichaud, the film secured Sophie a Vancouver Film Critics Award for Best Actress in a Canadian Film, a RiverRun Spark Award, and rocketed her to the top of Indiewire’s “10 Actors to Watch” list at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. She made her English-language feature film debut in the 2004 period drama Head in the Clouds, cast opposite Charlize Theron and Penélope Cruz. Sophie can next be seen in Julie Hivon’s Qu’est-ce qu’on fait ici?, Martin Tallbot’s Henri Henri and Rafaël Ouellet’s forthcoming feature, Gurov and Anna.

Julia Sarah Stone at the Toronto International Film Festival

Julia Sarah Stone
Julia had her breakout performance in the 2011 hit Canadian indie The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom for which she won the prize for Best Performance in an International Feature at the LA Young Artist Awards. In 2013, Julia captivated audiences as a series regular on AMC’s critically acclaimed series The Killing, playing an emotionally troubled teen living on the streets. Julia starred in the Lifetime Movie Network’s The Pastor’s Wife, The Hub Network’s R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, and played a brilliant nerd battling peer pressure in the Canadian indie feature Vampire Dog. Julia currently stars in the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival selection Wet Bum, directed by Lindsay McKay. Upcoming projects include roles in Wim Wenders’ Every Thing Will Be Fine, Werner Herzog’s Vernon God Little, and Charlie Kaufman’s F/X pilot, How and Why.

Shannon Kook at the Toronto International Film Festival

Shannon Kook
Shannon Kook, a graduate of the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada, began his career on the stage at Factory Theatre and at the Citadel Theatre, where he starred in the Dora-nominated production of The Forbidden Phoenix. Shannon made guest appearances on the popular CBC series The Border and Being Erica, Disney XD’s Aaron Stone, and the award-winning HBO series Durham County. He appeared as a new recruit in Global’s hit show Rookie Blue, and starred in the Emmy-nominated series Degrassi: The Next Generation, playing the role of athlete Zane for three seasons. His first major film break came when he was cast in a supporting role in James Wan’s 2013 box-office hit, The Conjuring. Shannon was cast opposite TIFF Rising Stars alumna Cara Gee in Peter Stebbings’ Empire of Dirt, an Official Selection of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Shannon can next be seen in the upcoming adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling 2009 thriller, Dark Places, which also stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks, Nicholas Hoult and Corey Stoll.

Alexandre Landry at the Toronto International Film Festival

Alexandre Landry
Alexandre studied theatre and singing at the National Theatre School of Canada before landing significant stage roles in Montreal productions of Les Aventures de Lagardère, Chambre(s), and Tom à la ferme. Soon after, he appeared in the popular Québec television series Destinées. His major break came when he was cast in a supporting role in his first feature film Gabrielle directed by Louise Archambault. For his performance as Martin, Alexandre garnered critical acclaim and international awards including the Jean-Claude Jean Award for Most Promising Talent at the Dieppe Canadian Film Festival, the Valois Magelis Award for Best Actor at France’s Festival du film francophone d’Angoulême, Best Actor at Spain’s Festival de Gijón, and the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Support Role in a Canadian film. Alexandre can be seen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in a starring role in Rodrigue Jean’s L’amour au temps de la guerre civile.

Source: Jaeger-LeCoultre