Toronto: The 32nd annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off on Thursday, amid great media hype. Declared by Canadians as one of the biggest film festivals, this year TIFF will be screening 349 movies during the 10-day entertainment gala in over 10 selected venues spread around downtown Toronto.

Celebrities started arriving a day earlier with Paris Hilton stealing the march as the first one on the red carpet followed by Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster and her co-star Terrence Howard who also walked the red carpet much to the delight of the thronging fans who had stood for hours to get a glimpse of the stars.

Eagerly awaiting fans are also hoping to catch a glimpse of more top Hollywood heroes (and heroines) including George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron whose films will be premiering in the festival.

Initial booking costs for tickets were as high as US$250 but even then not all fans were lucky enough to get seats despite a much advanced request and waiting in hours-long line ups for tickets.

Some of the heavy, must-watch blockbuster movies premiering at the Toronto Film Festival include; ‘The Assassination of Jesse James’ starring Brad Pitt; ‘Rendition’ with Reese Witherspoon; ‘Michael Clayton’ starring George Clooney; ‘Battle In Seattle’ starring Charlize Theron and ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’ by Indian director, Shekar Kapur starring Kate Blanchett.