The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has come to a close after two weeks of exciting world premieres and screenings of some of the most anticipated films. TIFF, along with the Venice and Telluride film festivals, is known as the unofficial kickoff to awards season. Many films that win the People’s Choice Award at TIFF gain early momentum for their Oscar campaigns. Last year’s winner, American Fiction, written and directed by Cord Jefferson, went on to win Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars and earned a nomination for Best Picture.
This year, the top honor, the People’s Choice Award, went to Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, a Stephen King adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston.
People’s Choice Award Winners at TIFF: A Gateway to Oscar Success
Over the past 14 years, 12 People’s Choice Award winners at TIFF have gone on to receive Best Picture nominations at the Academy Awards. Four of those (The King’s Speech, 12 Years a Slave, Green Book, and Nomadland) actually won Best Picture. With The Life of Chuck taking home this year’s award, all eyes are on its journey to the Oscars.
In addition to the main People’s Choice Award, the festival recognized two other standout films. Jacques Audiard’s musical crime comedy Emilia Pérez was the first runner-up. This film previously won the Jury Prize at Cannes and saw its three leading actresses—Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez—share the Best Actress Award at Cannes. Sean Baker’s Anora, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, was named the second runner-up, making it one of the rare films to be honored at both Cannes and TIFF. The only other film to achieve this recognition was Parasite, which went on to win Best Picture.
Standout Screenings and Highlights
Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller Babygirl also drew significant attention at TIFF. The film, starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, had its North American premiere in TIFF’s Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Kidman’s performance previously earned her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival, although she was unable to attend the ceremony due to her mother’s unexpected passing.
Other notable films that made an impact at TIFF include:
- All We Imagine as Light, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes
- Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, which is likely to be Brazil’s entry for the Oscars
- Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, featuring a career-defining performance from Pamela Anderson
- Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, which reunites him with actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, star of Secrets and Lies
- Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd’s comedy Friendship, marking the feature film debut of director Andrew DeYoung
Major Award Winners
Here’s a breakdown of the major award winners from this year’s TIFF:
- People’s Choice Award: The Life of Chuck
- First Runner-Up: Emilia Pérez
- Second Runner-Up: Anora
Other prestigious awards handed out at the festival included:
- People’s Choice Documentary Award: The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal
- People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award: The Substance
- Platform Competition Award: They Will Be Dust
- Best Canadian Feature Film: Shepherds
- Best International Short Film: Deck 5B
- Honorable Mention: Quota
- Best Canadian Short: Are You Scared to Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?
- NETPAC Award: The Last of the Sea Women
- FIPRESCI Jury Award: Mother Mother
- Best Canadian Discovery Award: Universal Language
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival offered a diverse selection of films that captivated audiences and set the stage for the upcoming awards season. With several TIFF winners already creating buzz on the international circuit, it will be exciting to see how these films fare as they continue their journey toward the Oscars and other major accolades.
TIFF remains a key event for filmmakers and movie enthusiasts, helping to highlight some of the most creative and innovative works from around the world.
