Destination Toronto’s Travel Ad Is a Split-Screen Love Letter to the Canadian City

Toronto’s tourism marketer Destination Toronto continues its travelogue campaign 'You Gotta See What We See' with two of the city’s proudest creators. Toronto-born Julien Christian Lutz, an iconic music video director professionally known as Director X, has worked with Drake, Rihanna, Rosalia, and Kendrick Lamar, among many more. He conceptualized and directed the short film, inviting Mustafa, a Juno Award-winning poet, singer, and songwriter from Toronto to lend his distinctive voice and prose to the spot, describing the city as a 'doorway to identity.' Using a split-screen technique, the film pairs complementary perspectives of the city’s offerings and heritage.  

Together, through their personal lens they share their hometown pride. “Toronto is a special city,” says Julien. “We have a truly multicultural city. We live WITH each other, not just beside. Our friendships, experiences, and lives are mixed in ways other cities are not. The people who live here love this place and we want the people who visit to love it too. I made this film speaking to that love and duality.”

Toronto-based Fela, which Lutz co-founded with partner Taj Critchlow, produced the film. A culture-defining brand that celebrates inclusion and diversity, Fela specialises in making cutting-edge content including music videos, commercials, documentaries, and films. Their core strength is having the innate ability to tell cultural stories authentically while being a voice for the unheard and underrepresented.