Natalie Portman turns heads at TIFF charity event

TORONTO, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Natalie Portman turned heads ahead of the Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old American actress wowed in an embellished floral dress at the first annual TIFF Soirée. The charity event replaced the usual TIFF Gala, but also raised funds to further the organization's programming and exhibitions.

Portman's new film, A Tale of Love and Darkness, will compete in the Special Presentations section at the festival. The movie marks the actress' directorial debut, and premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in May.

"I do feel that there's a lot of conversation right now about female directors, and why there aren't more of them," she told the Toronto Star on the red carpet. "I think the conversation is pushing studios to hire more women and also for women to start getting more inspiration and support."

Portman will next appear in Knight of Cups with Christian Bale, and is scheduled for Planetarium with Lily-Rose Depp, Jane Got a Gun with Ewan McGregor and the Jacqueline Kennedy biopic Jackie. The Toronto International Film Festival kicked off Sept. 10.