Today is the last day of the Toronto International Film Festival and as we use the upcoming week to recover from the onslaught of films (not that we’re complaining), the festival has revealed the award winners.
The People’s Choice Award is usually used as a measure for future awards season potential as the past decade alone has found TIFF audiences rewarding the likes of “Amelie,” “Whale Rider,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Precious.”
This year’s winner (and ironically, the one the film the Playlist team managed to miss, argh) is Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech.” We kept hearing strong word about the film from our colleagues at the fest as the film, starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce, tells the story of King George VI who overcomes his stammer with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue. Certainly, the premise sounds bone dry but everything we hear about the film suggests a crowd-pleaser of the the highest order.
The film will receive a limited rollout via The Weinstein Company starting on November 26th and you can bet with a blessing from TIFF, the studio will put the film at the forefront of their Oscar campaign this fall. The full list of TIFF winners is after the jump:
AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
“Les fleurs de l’age” Vincent Biron
THE SKYY VODKA AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
“The High Cost Of Living” Deborah Chow
THE CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
“Incendies” Denis Villeneuve
FIPRESCI PRIZE – DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
“Beautiful Boy” Shawn Ku
FIPRESCI PRIZE – SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
“L’Amour Fou” Pierre Thoretton
CADILLAC PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
“The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper
Runner Up: “The First Grader” Justin Chadwick
CADILLAC PEOPLE’S MIDNIGHT MADNESS AWARD
“Stake Land” Jim Mickle
Runner Up: “Fubar II” Michael Dowse
CADILLAC PEOPLE’S DOCUMENTARY AWARD
“Force Of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie” Sturla Gunnarsson
Runner Up: “Nostalgia For The Light” Patricio Guzman