The Toronto International Film Festival Grolsch People’s Choice Award is the critical prize in the fall film festival season because it often makes for Oscar gold. Since 2008, ten of the last eleven People’s Choice Winner have gone to score Oscar Best Picture nominations, and four have won, including last year’s double winner “Green Book.” And at the very least, winning the People’s Choice Awards makes you a top awards contender that dominates the field, usually taking home multiple statues.
READ MORE: ‘Jojo Rabbit’: Taika Waititi’s “Not-All-Nazis” Satire Is Naively Idealistic [TIFF Review]
With that in mind, we may already have 2020’s Oscar Best Picture: The Toronto International Film just gave out its awards and Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit” has won the coveted People’s Choice Award. A black comedic satire about a Hitler Youth who finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic, “Jojo Rabbit” won over Toronto but it’s really divided critics and audiences. Many either love it or hate it—our critic wasn’t down for its there are “good Nazis on both sides” argument. But the TIFF People’s Choice winner is generally a crowd pleaser and a movie middle enough of the road to charm most audiences—and find an easy path to Oscar victory.
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“Jojo Rabbit” stars Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Waititi, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Sam Rockwell, and Scarlett Johansson.
Runners up for the prize were two critically acclaimed films, “Marriage Story” by director Noah Baumbach and “Parasite” from South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho. Expect all three to be huge films throughout the fall awards season. Winners as follow below.
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IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Chloé Robichaud for Delphine. The jury remarked, “By presenting its main character’s unique point of view through another character’s perspective, Robichaud’s Delphine boldly utilizes an original narrative device to offer a refreshing twist on the coming-of-age genre. This evocative, mysterious, yet sensitive short film brings up powerful feelings of nostalgia and memory, leaving an impact that lingers with the viewer long after its all-too-short run time comes to a close.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen. The jury awarded an honorable mention to Theodore Ushev’s The Physics of Sorrow for its impressive filmmaking and detailed craftsmanship. IWC SHORT
CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film goes to Lasse Linder for All Cats Are Grey in the Dark. The jury noted, “Blurring the line between narrative and documentary, Linder’s All Cats Are Grey in the Dark simultaneously observes its main character — and its topic — with both empathy and absurdity. This unexpectedly touching, exceptionally composed, and tender tale of a man’s love for his cats (along with the best-employed use of Alexa) surprised the jury with its observational filmmaking and memorable feline performances.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen.
The jury gave an honorable mention to Federico Luis Tachella’s The Nap for its brave exploration of age and sexuality. The Canadian awards below were selected by a panel comprised of Magali Simard, Devyani Saltzman, and Alicia Elliott.
CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century. The jury remarked, “Rankin’s debut feature is superb in its imaginative wildness, taking an otherwise staid historical Canadian figure and propelling him into the heart of one of the most creative, visual, and compelling experiences of the Festival.” This award carries a cash prize of $15,000, made possible by the City of Toronto. CANADA GOOSE ®
AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Canada Goose ® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Sophie Deraspe’s Antigone. The jury said that “Antigone stands out on its own as an electrifying piece of cinema. Tackling with vigor contemporary realities of immigration in Canada through the framework of Greek tragedy, Deraspe created magnificent onscreen humanism. It is imperative to point out Nahéma Ricci’s performance, reminiscent of Renée Falconetti’s Jeanne d’Arc.” This award carries a cash prize of $30,000 and a custom award, sponsored by Canada Goose. The jury gave an honorable mention to Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, and Kathleen Hepburn’s The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.
NETPAC AWARD Selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema (NETPAC), the NETPAC Award goes to Oualid Mouaness’ 1982. Jury members include Chairperson Beckie Stocchetti, Kanako Hayashi, and Albert Shin. The jury remarked that this film was selected “for its adventurous, imaginative style and subtle, confident filmmaking, bravely juxtaposing and framing the universal innocence and charm of youth within a harrowing historical context.”
GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS This year marked the 42nd year that Toronto audiences were able to cast a ballot for their favorite Festival film for the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. This year’s award goes to Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and a custom award, sponsored by Grolsch. The first runner-up is Noah Baumbach’s, Marriage Story. The second runner-up is Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite
The Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award goes to Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform. The first runner-up is Andrew Patterson’s The Vast of Night. The second runner-up is Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum.
The Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award goes to The Cave, directed by Feras Fayyad. The first runner-up is Garin Hovannisian’s I Am Not Alone. The second runner-up is Bryce Dallas Howard’s Dads.
Click here for our complete coverage from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
