Lights, camera, Doors Open: Visit some of the city's top film locations this weekend
We often catch glimpses of Toronto in film and television while it masquerades as Washington, D.C., or depression-era New Jersey or the dystopian republic of Gilead.
This year's Doors Open Toronto is your chance to enter and learn more about the places in the city that often act as Hollywood's backdrop. The free annual event takes place this weekend and is opening the doors to some of Toronto's most popular filming locations.
Here are a few to visit:
Bay Lower Subway Station
Closed to the public since the 1960s, the TTC station has starred in a number of Hollywood productions, with the likes of Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis and Mark Wahlberg walking its platform. Most recently, it has been featured in Hulu's adaptation of the popular Margaret Atwood novel, The Handmaid's Tale.
Visitors will be provided a brief history of the location and allowed to tour the station, which will be dressed with movie posters and props from films shot inside.
Distillery District
Whether it stands in for Charlottetown in Road to Avonlea or a concentration camp in X-Men, the Distillery District's distinct features have played many parts on the silver screen. Films shot in the area include Cinderella Man, Blues Brothers 2000, Chicago and more.
Visitors can take guided or self-guided tours of the district's filming locations, in addition to learning about the distilling process and exploring the still tanks in an area rarely open to the public.
University of Toronto, Scarborough - Andrews Building
The Andrews Building has made appearances in films, television shows and music videos, including The Shape of Water, Fahrenheit 451, Defiance, Covert Affairs, Private Eyes, Designated Survivor and the video for The Weeknd's Secrets.
Tour guides will give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the location, explaining what was filmed where and which celebrities have visited.
Assembly Hall
Visitors will be directed on a self-guided tour of the hall, as well as the historic grounds, buildings and underground tunnels of Humber College's Lakeshore campus.
Animated stations on the tour will reveal film secrets, behind-the-scenes insight and location details. Among the films and television shows to be highlighted are cult-classics Police Academy and Strange Brew and recent hits Suicide Squad and The Handmaid's Tale.
R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant
Built in the 1930s, this water treatment plant continues to provide clean water to Toronto and York residents. It has been used as a location for many films, including Orphan Black, Undercover Brother, and Strange Brew.
Through a self-guided tour, guests can explore the architectural features of the two largest buildings at the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant and plant staff will be available to answer questions about the treatment process and the building itself.
Along with highlighting buildings that have been featured in television and film, this year's Doors Open Toronto includes access to more than 100 other buildings, film screenings, exhibits, walking tours and more.
