It didn’t matter how many hyped-up films George Clooney and Ryan Gosling stared in at the 36thToronto International Film Festival (TIFF), two each, neither managed to successfully sway the audience when it came to the top award.
It didn’t matter how many hyped-up films George Clooney and Ryan Gosling stared in at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), two each, neither managed to successfully sway the audience when it came to the top award.
The TIFF is a non-competitive film festival celebrating international and Canadian film, which means the voting is by moviegoers rather than a judging jury, and the top prize is the coveted Cadillac Peoples Choice Award.
This year the prize was awarded to Lebanese director Nadine Labaki for her bittersweet Middle Eastern comedy Where Do We Go Now? It’s about a Lebanese village and a group of sassy and resourceful Muslim and Christian women who go to extraordinary lengths to distract the village men from the racial tensions threatening their peaceful community.
The much anticipated follow-up to her delightful debut Caramel, Where Do We Go Now? was warmly received at Cannes in May when it screened in the Un Certain Regard section, and earlier this month it was announced as Lebanon’s entry into the Best Foreign Film category at the 2012 Academy Awards.
All of which bodes well for Labaki; the top TIFF award is regarded as being a good precursor to Oscar glory. Best picture winners The Kings Speech and Slumdog Millionaire both began their successful Oscar’s campaigns with this award, so with this kind of attention a nomination in the best foreign film category looks likely.
While Labaki is setting the pace for best foreign picture, the race for best picture is still anyone’s guess. There’s been plenty of buzz about potential best picture nominees, such as The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, The Ides of March, J. Edgar, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, War Horse. Surprisingly though, after the Venice, Telluride and now Toronto film festivals, not one of these films has emerged as a strong and likely contender.
It’s actually quite refreshing, where’s the fun in a one horse race?
Other award winners from the 36th Toronto International Film Festival include;
Cadillac People’s Choice Documentary Award: The Island President, director Jon Shenk
Cadillac People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award: The Raid, director Gareth Evans
Award for Best Canadian Short Film: Doubles With Slight Pepper, director Ian Harnarine
Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) - Discovery: Avalon, director Axel Petersen
Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) - Special Presentations: The First Man, director Gianni Amelio
The SKYY Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature: Edwin Boyd, director Nathan Morlando
The runners-up for the Audience Award: A Separation, by Asghar Farhadi, and Starbuck by Ken Scott.