There are plenty of places to party at TIFF this year, whether you're looking to swill some fancy cocktails or just play a giant game of chess. There's no guarantee that your favourite actor will be at any of those spots, but last night, I headed to where the stars gather year after year - the member's-only Soho House on Adelaide - for a pre-premiere party for Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal's new film, which was set to screen for the first time later that night at the Elgin.

The first floor of the English library-like club (think lots of leather chairs, moose antlers, and a faint smell of rich mahogany) was closed off for the party, and rammed with about 150 guests - somehow, the freak September humidity rolling through the wide-open door only seemed to enhance the party vibe.

The famous faces were in short supply early on - the party was populated mostly by local society types, "are they famous?" lasses in knockout dresses, and a smattering of bushed-looking reporters (including, very probably, yours truly). Grey Goose brought the cocktails and guests snacked on Soho's killer meatballs on sticks and tiny kale salads (memo to party planners: that's an embarrassing food-in-teeth scenario waiting to happen).

As for Gyllenhaal himself? The man of the evening rolled in halfway through the two-hour shindig, quietly through a side entrance, and spent an hour pulled up in a quiet corner by the bar, chatting with guests, including Nightcrawler costar Rene Russo. (It was a busy day for Gyllenhaal - he'd reportedly swung by King West's Brassaii and a variety of industry events before rolling into the party.)

I'm told other marquee names rolled by Soho House that evening, including Jennifer Garner, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Ellie Goulding, and Eddie Redmayne - but since House rules stipulate that you can't report on what goes on within its walls outside of specific events, you'll just have to trust me.

Thanks to the Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington, for sponsoring our coverage of TIFF 2014.

Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images, courtesy Grey Goose vodka.