MUMBAI: With 335 films from 64 countries, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) opens today with a star-studded array of guests. Opening the 10-day cinematic event will be Creation that stars Paul Bettany as Charles Darwin and his real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly, as Mrs. Darwin.

The Toronto festival marks the unofficial opening of the festival year and is also seen as an awards-season barometer - the winner of the festival‘s 2008 People‘s Choice award was Slumdog Millionaire that went on to win best picture at the Academy Awards.

TIFF can also serve to strangle films in their cradle: "All the King‘s Men" with Sean Penn was shown in 2006, and essentially left the festival on life support.

Expected celebrities to grace the event are George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Colin Firth, Colin Farrell, Michael Douglas, Michael Sheen, Michael Cera, Michael Caine, Naomi Watts, Ellen Page, Woody Harrelson, Mariah Carey and Viggo Mortensen.