Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow presented Academy Award winning filmmaker Sarah Polley with a key to the city Saturday night to honour her contributions to cinema and advocacy for Canadian stories and voices.
Polley received the honour from Chow at the annual xoTO House event, which celebrates Toronto’s role as a hub for film production.
“It means a great deal obviously to be honoured in Toronto, the place that has shaped every part of my life,” said Polley at the event.
“A home I’ve never considered leaving even for a moment. It’s also a place that provides endless opportunities to meditate while caught in traffic, whatever your mode of transportation.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Polly is best known for her films Away from Her, Women Talking, and Stories We Tell.
In 2023, she won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking, a film about women in an isolated religious community revealing a secret about the men there.
“Sarah Polley’s work has touched audiences around the world while always remaining true to Toronto and Canadian stories,” Chow said.
“Her films challenge us to reflect, to care, and to imagine better futures.”
While accepting the key, Polley also spoke out about the need to fight for the rights of unhoused people in Toronto and for the people of Gaza.
She highlighted the work of Glia, a London-based medical organization that provides 3D-printed devices to hospitals in Gaza.
“This is a city with a proud history of protests and almost revolutions. Now more than ever, I believe we need to make ourselves heard, be loud and declare ourselves,” she said.
Sarah Polley, who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2023, received a key to the City of Toronto. (Global News)
Polley is the second filmmaker to be presented with a key to the city in recently months, after Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was given the honour in July in recognition of his long-standing creative relationship with the city.