The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, has loomed large at the Toronto International Film Festival, located thousands of miles from the UK. Celebrities and filmmakers at the Toronto International Film Festival shared their thoughts on the late Queen as tributes poured in from all over the world.

It has given festival organisers, filmmakers, and artists a chance to consider the life and contributions of a queen whose reign stands as the longest in her nation’s history. This is partly because Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth, but it’s also because the festival is an international A-list event and draws eminent film personalities who had frequently interacted with the queen personally.

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Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, September 8, the first day of the festival, at the age of 96, at her summer residence in Scotland. She ruled for 70 years.

Ben Kingsley, who was present at the festival to promote his portrayal of Salvador Dali in Daliland, recalled performing The Taming of the Shrew for the queen and her family while he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and having a “very intimate lunch at the palace” with her on other occasions.

“She was a tremendous force of goodwill, kindness, and wisdom — one who will leave an enormous void in the world,” said Kingsley. “And I am confident that his majesty, Charles, will fill and close and ease that wound in my beloved country.”

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Eddie Redmayne, the star of The Good Nurse, appeared to be grieving as well.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he told Variety. “I thought she was an extraordinary woman who exemplified extraordinary resilience and duty.” And those are two qualities that are really stunning and something to aspire to. I was in London at the time, and it feels like the entire country is in mourning.”

Redmayne stated that his grandmother, who is turning 101, received a letter from Buckingham Palace on her 100th birthday, as is customary in the United Kingdom. — which she keeps beside her bed.

The queen’s death was announced on the same day that TIFF began its programme, prompting festival director Cameron Bailey to pay tribute to the monarch in his opening remarks. “As we gather to celebrate the power of film to move us and illuminate the world around us,” he said, “I want to acknowledge her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s, passing today.” “Our hearts go out to everyone who is mourning her loss here and around the world.”

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Olivia Colman of “Empire of Light” had one of the most unusual interactions with the House of Windsor of any celebrity at Toronto this year. She did, after all, play Queen Elizabeth in the middle of her reign for two seasons of Netflix’s royal phenomenon “The Crown,” a role she will shortly hand off to another renowned British thespian, Imelda Staunton.

She said, “she made a promise as a young woman and she absolutely kept it with such dignity, What she achieved has left us all incredibly impressed,” we’re all incredibly impressed by what she did.”