TORONTO -- "Magnificent Seven" director Antoine Fuqua is tipping his hat to Hollywood for giving him the wherewithal to deliver a multi-ethnic cowboy movie, led by Denzel Washington.

"This becomes the new definition of what a western is," Fuqua told a Toronto International Film Festival press conference on Thursday as his international cast of stars sat alongside him.

Among the other marquee names in attendance were Chris Pratt, South Korea's Byung-hun Lee and Mexican actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Their movie officially ushered in the 11-day film festival in downtown Toronto.

"You've got to give the studio credit when they do something like this," Fuqua added about his diverse cast.

"They didn't blink an eye."

The star-studded remake of the 1960 Hollywood western -- itself a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" -- has been in the works for a long time. But it arrives at TIFF during what's widely considered to be a pivotal year in how racial diversity is represented on movie screens.

Washington shied away from linking the film too closely with some sort of cinematic statement.

"It's a movie. It's for people to enjoy," he said.

"What do they want to get from it? It depends what you bring to it."

Washington said when crafting his character he didn't watch the popular Hollywood western its loosely based on, which starred Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen.

"I didn't keep away from it, I just didn't know how it would help me," he said.

Washington did, however, watch the original Kurosawa version which Fuqua screened for the entire cast, and found other inspiration in books about the tough lives of frontier women.

He pointed to Mary Fields, also known as Black Mary, a freed slave who is considered the first black woman employed by the U.S. postal service.

"Black Mary knocked guys out," Washington said with a chuckle.

Fuqua hinted that he's hopeful his new western might be a harbinger for more open-mindedness in commercial cinema.

"You can make a 'Magnificent Seven' with all women," Fuqua proposed.

Haley Bennett, the new film's only female lead, echoed his sentiment.

"I got my hands dirty, which was not something a woman got to do in most of these westerns," she said, noting that often female roles never left the kitchen.

"As a little girl I didn't watch westerns because there (weren't) female characters I could look up to," Bennett added.

Ethnic diversity is expected to be the spotlight throughout this year's 11-day film festival, which is one of the biggest and most diverse showcases of cinema in the world.

Herds of eager moviegoers from across the globe travel to Toronto in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favourite stars, buzzworthy Hollywood films and international cinema that may never get an official release on this side of the world.

Among the most-anticipated mainstream titles is "The Birth of a Nation," set during a slave rebellion, and "A United Kingdom" and "Loving," which both feature interracial couples.

"Moonlight" focuses on a young black man coming to terms with his sexual identity amid a turbulent upbringing.

Other Hollywood films will use the fest as a platform for awards season. Natalie Portman is generating early buzz for her role as former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie," while Oliver Stone's "Snowden" is getting attention for his hot-button take on National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Nearly 400 films from 83 countries are slated to screen at this year's festival, which closes with coming-of-age comedy "The Edge of Seventeen."

A throng of international stars is in Toronto hoping to draw attention to their films on the red carpets.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are expected to appear together for their ode to Hollywood musicals "La La Land," while Mark Wahlberg will be in town to promote his upcoming oil-rig actioner "Deepwater Horizon."

Other big names will be in town this weekend for their latest films like Hollywood actor Matt Damon and fashionista-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford.

Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi will also be visiting Toronto for appearances as part of the film festival's Platform Jury, which also includes directors Brian De Palma and Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.