Toronto in the movies!!

Over the years, many areas of Toronto have been enriched with cinematic history. For all its activity, it is an exciting city to live in, but perhaps even doubly so when you know that your very own neighborhood has been immortalized in a major motion picture.

The 2008 dance drama How She Move from MTV Films – set largely in the Jane and Finch neighborhood of Toronto – has wrapped production, and in the process left an indelibly positive mark on the area. The film focuses on step-dancing, a form of musical expression popular in this community, and so the production was readily supported and embraced by locals. Jane and Finch is an artistically fertile area, with its long-established music culture and eye-catching public art. It is widely considered to be the most multicultural neighborhood in Toronto, one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

The Parkdale neighborhood comprises one of the hottest real estate markets in Toronto, as people are attracted to its location in relation to the downtown core: it is fairly close to the action, but distanced enough for those who are looking to retain some of the quietude that the core lacks. Parkdale is another impressively diverse neighborhood in the city, and also an area of considerable artistic activity, with its numerous trendy shops, fashion boutiques, and art galleries. The neighborhood is depicted quite extensively in the 2006 black comedy Monkey Warfare , starring Don McKellar. We get an appealing look at much of Parkdale in this film, as its main characters happily ride through its streets on bicycles. The neighborhood is home to a number of beautiful parks, such as High Park, which is actually Toronto’s largest park. Buyers tend to also be attracted to Parkdale for its proximity to Lake Ontario and the Gardiner Expressway. Parkdale has undergone some significant gentrification that has seen its cafes, restaurants, lounges, hotels, and condos steadily improve with multiple renovations. Most of the historic homes in the area are still in great condition, as they have been well-managed by the city over the years.

Owning Mahowny is a crime drama from 2003 about a bank manager with a gambling problem, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Minnie Driver. The film is set primarily in Toronto’s Financial District. This neighborhood is certainly an ideal living location for anyone whose occupation calls for a fiscal environment. Even in difficult weather, the Financial District is easy to navigate thanks to its foundation upon a vast network of underground passageways, known as the PATH. These tunnels are lined with retail stores, making it a major shopping district as well. The formidable glass and steel monoliths that populate the Financial District make it a beautiful urban setting, and many of the buildings boast world-renowned architectural designs, such as Brookfield Place, an office complex, and One King West, a hotel-condo project which has been dubbed by real estate mogul Harry Stinson as "the narrowest building in the world".

Lie with Me is a 2005 romantic drama that explores the troubled relationship between two emotionally damaged young people, and it is set primarily in an area of Toronto known as The Annex. This is a very affluent neighborhood that is home to some of the wealthiest families in the city. Many students and academics also live here due to its proximity to the University of Toronto, which gives The Annex something of an intellectual reputation. The quiet neighborhood primarily consists of charming and attractive residential homes amid tree-lined streets. Some Nineteenth Century houses and mansions also populate the area, though condos, lofts, and apartment buildings are now more prevalent. The Annex offers an excellent shopping district and is home to the famous Honest Ed’s discount store. The cultural and artistic section of The Annex is also well-known, as its various theatres, clubs, and community centers thrive with constant activity. 

Nathan Phillips Square

at Queen West and Bay has been a setting for both political thrillers The Kidnapping of the President (1980) and The Sentinel (2006), starring William Shatner and Michael Douglas, respectively. This square forms the entrance to New City Hall, one of the most distinctive landmarks in Toronto. HBC’s flagship department store, The Bay, is located nearby. Much like Yonge and Dundas, this eventful area is a desirable place to live for those looking to immerse themselves in the vibrancy of the city.