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Who were the lucky ones on Wednesday night?

Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams qualify; after the premiere of their film, The Lucky Ones, the actors looked social and completely at ease at Blowfish. Mr. Robbins noshed on nigiri while Ms. McAdams, dressed in a marvellous metallic maxi, conversed with a glass of wine in hand. Only after I left did I realize I'd seen Montreal hottie Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) dancing to the King Street boîte's stellar beats.

People minding their own non-business at Ultra may have considered themselves lucky when Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo (fresh from their red carpet run for What Doesn't Kill You) stopped in for a celebratory drink. They were joined by Mr. Robbins, who clearly wanted to savour his big night.

But those who witnessed a live performance from Patti Smith at the Gardiner Museum will insist that they are the lucky ones. And I would agree. Stargazing has nothing on this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer whose a cappella Because the Night represented one of many folk-meets-fashion-meets-film moments to tuck away in the record books. The U.S. poet and grande dame of punk rock breezed into Toronto for a très private, non-TIFF screening of Patti Smith: Dream of Life, the Steven Sebring-directed documentary that took 11 years to make.

So between bites of mini BLTs and chef Jamie Kennedy's famous frites, guests such as the Drake Hotel's Jeff Stober, Tie Domi and actress girlfriend Kelly Carlson, local actors Matt Austin and Michael Facciolo and countless style setters devoutly listened to Ms. Smith and then unself-consciously chimed in.

Looking strong and beautifully weathered, Ms. Smith noted that her recent return from Russia had put her into a "total state of culture shock."

"I can't imagine what culture I'm a part of," she said, before explaining why she was wearing a Berlin film festival guitar strap. "It's not a statement. It's that Berlin gave me a guitar strap and the Toronto festival did not."

Still photography is the first cousin to moving pictures and the medium plays an indirect, though no less important, role in the festival's scene. I've been meaning to mention the Ron Galella installation in the Bloor Street flagship store of Roots. The grandmaster paparazzo hosted an afternoon gathering Saturday attended by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Jacqueline, for those who don't know, issued an injunction against Mr. Galella in 1972. So imagine the just deserts when Bobby Jr. wanted to snap a picture of Mr. Galella.

Sometimes TIFF has less to do with luck than an unexpected golden moment.

See tomorrow's Review section for more from the festival