The People’s Choice Award (presented by Rogers) from the just-wrapped 2024 Toronto International Film Festival has gone to The Life Of Chuck, First Runner-Up is Emelia Perez, Second Runner-Up is Anora. The Documentary Award goes to The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, and the Midnight Madness winner is The Substance.
Both runners up Emelia Perez and Anora were big winners at Cannes in May (the latter taking the Palme d’Or) but Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation The Life Of Chuck was a TIFF World Premiere and a suprise winner of this award. Tom Hiddleston stars in the film based on King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. It is an unusual winner here for this award as it currently is looking for distribution and has no set release date which means it could be the first People’s Choice winner in recent memory to not be currently considered a contender in the 2024 Awards Season race. It has been called “an apocalyptic version of It’s A Wonderful Life“, and no doubt this award will speed a distribution deal for the movie which is atypical of King’s bread and butter but closer in spirit to the likes of movies like Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption which both went on to Best Picture Oscar nominations.
Voted by audience members since 1978 and often considered a harbinger for the Best Picture Oscar, the TIFF People’s Choice Award has been won by such eventual Best Picture Academy Award winners as Nomadland, Green Book, 12 Years a Slave, The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, American Beauty and Chariots of Fire. Among those that went on to Best Picture nominations include last year’s winner American Fiction, as well as The Fabelmans, Belfast, JoJo Rabbit, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Room, La La Land, The Imitation Game, Silver Linings Playbook, Precious, Life Is Beautiful, Places in the Heart and The Big Chill.
Here is a complete lineup of all TIFF’s winners today:
| The 47th edition of TIFF’s People’s Choice Awards, presented by Rogers, has been distinguished as the audience’s top title at the Festival as voted by the viewing public. All feature films and series in TIFF’s Official Selection are eligible.
People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers is: The Substance, dir. Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom/USA/France People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers is: The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, dir. Mike Downie | Canada People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers is: The Life of Chuck, dir. Mike Flanagan | USA |
| Short Cuts Awards are for Best International Film and Best Canadian Film. Each of the two winning films will receive a bursary of $10,000 CAD. The 2024 jurors for the Short Cuts Awards were Luis De Filippis, Micah Kernan, and Shane Smith.
Short Cuts Award for Best International Film: Short Cut Jury’s statement: “By subverting narrative expectations at every turn, while adding layers of insight and potent emotional truths that evocatively illustrate the tensions between motherhood and desire, this deeply moving film enthralled the jury, staying with us long after we’d watched it. Helmed by a gifted filmmaker, skillfully eliciting an exceptional performance from her lead actress, in service of a nuanced, heartbreaking story, the jury is thrilled to present the award for Best International Short Film to Deck 5B, directed by Malin Ingrid Johansson.” Honourable Mention: Short Cut Jury’s statement: “In its three-minute runtime, this inventive animation does exactly what the best shorts do: make us ask big questions in little timeframes. The work tackles the timely issue of the cost of human invention and innovation on our tired planet. In a world where going viral has become synonymous with success, it asks if perhaps the real virus is us and our unquenchable need for more. The jury is pleased to present an honourable mention to the filmmaking team of Job, Joris & Marieke for their short Quota. We also applaud the filmmakers for practicing what they preach by choosing not to attend the Festival this year as a way to limit their carbon footprint and stay within their ‘quota.’” Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: Short Cut Jury’s statement: “This filmmaker was able to capture a moment in life with such authenticity in an effortless way. The jury was inspired to join these characters on a heartful expedition through decisions that were scary, funny, challenging, and ultimately real. The exploration of familial bonds and how they shift during adulthood resulted in an emotional journey from start to finish. The jury is thrilled to award the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film to director Bec Pecault for Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?” |
| The FIPRESCI jury is awarding the Prize of International Critics, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, to a debut feature film having its World Premiere in TIFF’s Discovery programme. The 2024 FIPRESCI jury members are Li Cheuk-to, Pierre-Simon Gutman, Azadeh Jafari, Saffron Maeve, and Wilfred Okiche.
FIPRESCI Award: FIPRESCI Jury statement: “Mother Mother, directed by K’naan Warsame depicts a humanistic approach towards a revenge narrative set in a country haunted by violence and grief. The film is remarkable in its non-sensationalist treatment of contentious politics through its parallels of the human and the natural world. Warsame’s feature debut, through its compelling formal attributes and charismatic acting, conveys a sense of hope and healing after tragedy.” |
| Presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, the NETPAC Award recognizes films specifically from the Asian and Pacific regions. The jury consists of three international community members selected by TIFF and NETPAC, who award the prize to the best Asian film by a first or second-time feature director. The 2024 NETPAC jury members are Hannah Fisher, Dr. Vilsoni Hereniko, and Kerri Sakamoto.
NETPAC Award: NETPAC Jury statement: “The 2024 NETPAC jury award goes to The Last of the Sea Women, for its moving and illuminating portrayal of the lives of the haenyeo, a group of elderly female divers on Jeju island, off the coast of South Korea. These women are sea warriors struggling against global warming and ocean pollution to keep a unique cultural practice alive. It is rare that a filmmaker would choose to highlight, elevate, and celebrate the daily struggles of women in their 60s and 70s, especially those from marginalized communities far from the centres of power. Director Sue Kim depicts the lives of these warriors on land and in the sea with beauty, humour, and compassion. It is a story that inspires and calls us to action.” |
| BEST CANADIAN DISCOVERY AWARD |
| Back this year after being on hiatus since 2019, and with a new name and new criteria, the Best Canadian Discovery Award celebrates works of emerging filmmakers who contribute to enriching the Canadian film landscape. All first or second feature films in Official Selection by Canadian filmmakers are eligible for this award. The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000. This year’s jury members were Estrella Araiza, Chelsea McMullan, and Randall Okita.
Best Canadian Discovery Award: Jury’s Statement: “After an incredible year of films featuring a wildly diverse range of talent, heart and innovation, we are honored to present the Best Canadian Discovery Award to a film that boldly charts its own course through a poetic exploration of heart, home and human connection: the absurdly funny, sweet and soulful Universal Language.” Honourable Mention: Jury’s statement: “We would like to first give an Honourable Mention to You Are Not Alone, a film that entranced us with its outstanding performances, meticulously constructed tone, and wonderfully fresh approach to genre.” |
| BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD PRESENTED BY CANADA GOOSE |
| Canada Goose has always played a supporting role in the magic of filmmaking. TIFF continues to celebrate the unique craft and storytelling within Canadian cinema with the Best Canadian Feature Film Award. All Canadian feature films in Official Selection — excluding first or second features — will be considered for the award. The winning filmmaker will receive a $10,000 cash prize. The 2024 Best Canadian Feature Film Award is presented by Canada Goose.
Best Canadian Feature Film Award: Jury’s statement: “Among the many beautiful films showcased in the program this year, Shepherds rose above with its electrifying performances and staggering world-building that gave us a window into a harrowing journey of ambition, idealism, and what it means to live a full life.” |
| PLATFORM COMPETITION AWARD |
| The Platform Award is an award of $20,000 CAD given to the best film in the competition selected by an in-person international jury. This year’s jury members were Atom Egoyan, Hur Jin-ho, and Jane Schoenbrun.
Platform Award: Platform Jury statement: “They Will Be Dust was the unanimous choice for this year’s Platform Award amongst a very strong selection. Director Carlos Marques-Marcet has assembled a superb cast, with heartbreaking performances from Alfredo Castro and Ángela Molina. From the very first shot of the film, the jury knew it was in masterful hands. The film’s ability to mix moments of extreme pathos with humour was unique and completely convincing. This emotionally loaded story was told with great formal daring, a breathtaking sense of visual panache, and a deep sense of humanity.” Honourable Mention: Platform Jury statement: “The jury also wished to acknowledge the exceptional artistry of Sylvia Chang’s brilliant and extremely multilayered portrayal of a conflicted mother in Huang Xi’s film Daughter’s Daughter. This great actress has delivered one of her finest performances, and we are pleased to give this legend of Taiwanese cinema the most honourable of mentions.” Last Sunday, the following were honoured with TIFF 2024 Tribute Awards, with Sandra Oh as Honorary Chair of the sixth annual fundraising gala: Amy Adams: TIFF Tribute Performer Award Angelina Jolie: TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media Cate Blanchett: TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award Clément Ducol & Camille: TIFF Variety Artisan Award David Cronenberg: TIFF Norman Jewison Career Achievement Durga Chew-Bose: TIFF Emerging Talent Award Jharrel Jerome: TIFF Tribute Performer Award Mike Leigh: TIFF Ebert Director Award Zhao Tao: TIFF Special Tribute Award Awards descriptions including eligibility can be found here: tiff.net/awards |
