Actor Hugh Laurie among stars who attended Forest City Film Festival in London, Ont.

Television superstar Hugh Laurie was in attendance for the 10th annual Forest City Film Festival. CTV London's Brent Lale explains why.

Ten days, 112 films, and one television superstar.

The 10th annual Forest City Film Festival (FCFF) drew thousands to London, Ont. — including actor Hugh Laurie, who arrived to surprise his friend David Shore, the latter recognized by the FCFF with a lifetime achievement award.

Laurie was the star of the show “House,” which was created by Shore.

“I can’t believe he did this,” said Shore, when asked about Laurie flying from England to support him. “He is so gracious and it’s so wonderful for him to come out and support me. I was shocked.”

Shore initially thought his friend was going to be attending via Zoom but couldn’t believe it when he walked through the door.

“I don’t think I’ve ever surprised David before after 15 to 20 years,” said Laurie, who joked Zoom would have been a cheaper option.

“That did actually occur to me when I was halfway across the Atlantic on Thursday. I thought, ‘This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, and this just makes no sense at all.’ But I’m so thrilled to be here, and the award is so deserved. The things I owe David are incalculable,” he added.

Shore, a graduate of AB Lucas SS and Western University, now has an award on the Dundas Place Walk of Fame outside the Wolf Performance Hall. Along with “House,” he also created the show “The Good Doctor.”

“It’s always great to have an excuse to come home,” said Shore. “This is pretty exciting, and I’m hoping I’m young enough that I can do it twice. Is that manageable? It’s a lifetime achievement and it’s a little intimidating because I’m hoping I’m not done.”

The FCFF has now wrapped up year 10.

This year they screened 112 films, including some from the biggest and most important film festivals around the world.

Among them was “Nika and Madison,” created by Walpole Island First Nation filmmaker Eva Thomas.

“It’s about two Indigenous women who have an encounter with the law and then they decide to go on the run,” said Thomas, whose film won an FCFF award for technical merit.

She continued, “It feels a little bit like I’m the local hometown filmmaker. That’s why I think I have this big smile on my face because this is the festival where my family is going to come to and I’m really nervous, but, excited to be here.”

Thomas started as an actress but became frustrated with the types of roles available to her. That’s when she decided to learn to write, produce, and direct to be able to give acting roles to Indigenous actors. Her movie was shot in the GTA and used Canadian Indigenous actors.

Nika and Madison has shown at 15 film festivals including an international premiere at Honolulu International Film Festival and following that up with a win for Best Feature Narrative Film at the Santa Fe International Film Festival.

“We’ll head up to Los Angeles in November and we’ve been nominated for a handful of awards there, so it’s great to have this kind of reception,” said Thomas.

The FCFF has come a long way in the past decade. They have added a Lifetime Achievement Award, Indigenous screenings, a Youth Film Festival and Best of the World screenings.

“We started this as a little grassroots thing around my dining room table with a three-day festival and now, 10 years later, we’re a full 10-day festival with multiple venues and a full conference for industry,” said Dorothy Downs, executive director of FCFF.

“It’s a really special event that really shines a light on our city. Through all of Canada, people are paying attention now, and the best years are now ahead of us.”

FCFF 2025 winners:

• The Art of Adventure — Best Feature Documentary
• The Understudy — Best Short Narrative
• Jason MacLean: Boomerang Smile — Best Short Documentary
• Racewalkers — Best Narrative Feature
• Whitechapel Revisited — Best Screenplay
• Gone Baby Gone — Best Music Video
• Amir Bageria — Best Performance
• Interpreting Erik — Impact Award
• Nika and Madison — Technical Merit
• What We Carry — Technical Merit

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