Photographer captures most Toronto moment as pigeon takes over TIFF red carpet
Among all of the famous faces in town for the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one unlikely character has managed to completely steal the show on at least one of the distinguished event's red carpets: a local pigeon.
Though not the official animal mascots of the city, our common pigeons come in close second, regularly and belovedly anthropomorphized as they tactfully ride our transit, steal our food, and befriend their fellow residents (or even serve as pets).
Unfortunately, they're often misrepresented and misunderstood, considered by some to be little more than dirty pests. But one member of the Columbidae family took it upon themselves to buck that reputation this week and try their hand at the high life at a posh, star-studded premiere.
If you've been following this year's TIFF happenings on social media, you may have seen the speckled mystery pigeon that arrived at one of the festival's red carpets on Sept. 5, exhibiting a level of confidence that put it on par with the big names it was brushing shoulders — er, wings — with.
Local photographer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Carlos Osorio was thankfully at the opening to snap some hilarious candid shots of the absurd scene, which he later shared on Instagram. Of course, the photos quickly went viral, racking up more than 4,000 likes, 100+ comments, dozens of reposts and some 2,200 shares as of Friday morning.
People quickly jumped in to jokingly inquire about what designer the impromptu VIP was wearing and who her agent was.
As Osario, who was in the middle of his first day of covering the fest for Reuters, explained to us over direct message, the bird "wasn't just any pigeon" — which is, he believes, part of why the post has captured so much attention.
"Its black-and-white plumage made it look like it was dressed in a beautiful gown or tiny tuxedo, perfectly styled for the event," he told us.
"I think the photo resonates because it's unexpected, offbeat, and blends TIFF’s glamour with a bit of humour — it's the kind of image that speaks to both birders and pop culture fans alike."
In all, he says he managed to make the most of only a few seconds with the bird, getting more than a dozen now-iconic shots of what he calls "a striking, graphic moment [of] a lone 'celebrity' pigeon on the red carpet."
It may not be the glittery shots he or anyone else was expecting to blow up the most from the event, but Torontonians are definitely here for it.
The 10-day TIFF 2025 wraps up this weekend, with its final screenings and festivities taking place on Sunday, Sept. 14.
Fareem Karim/blogTO|Carlos Osorio/Reuters
