The Chinese may be calling it The Year of the Rabbit, but in Toronto, they re-dubbed it The Year of the Woman, as one of the most influential film festivals on the planet rocked their 2011 version with a generous dose of The Estrogen Factor.
A majority of Hollywood’s most influential women made their way to Canada this week, for the Toronto International Film Festival 2011, from the force of nature known as Chloe Moretz to the cinema goddess herself, Jane Fonda (in “Peace Love and Misunderstanding”).
They came to talk about their work both in front of and behind the camera, with themes so divergent, only one common thread could be derived from it all: women have arrived in the biz, and they are taking their new importance very seriously. 
With Kathryn Bigelow successfully adding a woman’s name to the list of Oscar-winning directors, her sisters are now stepping forward to helm more movies—and capturing an impressive list of leading ladies (and gents!) to fulfill their visions.
Perhaps the most notable of these to walk Toronto’s red carpet was her Madgesty, the ever-radiant Madonna, there to talk up her film, W.E.. The evocative take on the King Edward VIII/Wallis Simpson scandal stars Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough and James D’Arcy.
The Festival’s Programmer’s Notes state: “Riseborough, as Wallis Simpson, is a revelation, displaying vulnerability and bravado, street smarts and emotional depth — winning qualities that mirror those of her director.”
The list only begins there. Other notable women acknowledged in TIFF-Land this year were:
Sarah Polley, whose Take This Waltz features a script, and a cast, as gorgeous as she (Michelle Williams, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby).
Andrea Arnold, the visionary behind a new, deeply cinematic version of Wuthering Heights, hailed by many, including AwardsDaily.com as “a wondrous feat of visual composition.”(Starring the stunning Kaya Scodelario as Bronte’s doomed Catherine Earnshaw.)
Tanya Wexler, directing one of the year’s most talked-about pictures: Hysteria, which explores the invention of the vibrator in Victorian London. Wexler convinced the luminous Maggie Gyllenhaal and the drool-worthy Hugh Dancy to lace themselves up for the leads.
It seemed if someone wasn’t there to promote their directing gig, they were there to discuss an astounding variety of efforts in front of the camera. (Seriously: was there anyone left in Hollywood this week?) The galaxy of gorgeous girl-power seemingly stretched to Vancouver, and included everyone from Angelina Jolie, on hand to support her man’s new flick (Moneyball), to the stunning Tilda Swinton, who turned heads (yet again) in a riveting performance of the mother of a murderer in We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Keira Knightley dazzled everyone in her peach frock on the red carpet, along with an equally stunning performance in A Dangerous Method, and everyone was abuzz about the ageless Heather Graham in The Flying Machine, being chatted up as the most inspirational blend of classical music and cinema since Fantasia.
The bowler hats were tipped in unison to Glenn Close, who went stunningly transgender in Albert Nobbs, for which she won an Obie in the 1980’s (and just may add an Oscar to her credits for the role, as well).
Other stars in the Toronto firmament included Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea), Bryce Dallas Howard (50/50), Megan Fox (Friends With Kids), and more names to make every limousine service, florist, and bartender in the city in delirium for months to come.
The Year of the Rabbit? Only if it’s Jessica Rabbit, babe. The ladies are in the house, Hollywood style.