The Toronto Film Festival is second only to Sundance in terms of high-profile North American film festivals. However, unlike most prestigious events on the cinematic calendar, it is not competitive, instead being a fully public festival (there are some jury and critic awards, mostly reserved for Canadian productions).
In the absence of a major jury award, voting for the best film of the festival is entirely in the hands of the festival goers themselves. This year powerful slavery drama 12 Years a Slave has emerged as the people’s choice. The film - based on Solomon Northup’s 1853 autobiography about his 12 years enslaved on a Louisiana plantation - premiered to extremely enthusiastic reviews.
12 Years a Slave is directed by Steve McQueen, previously responsible for Hunger and Shame, and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch. The film is due out in the UK & Ireland in January.
The Toronto audience award is regarded as a good barometer of both awards and commercial potential. Other recent recipients include Silver Linings Playbook, The King’s Speech, Precious and Slumdog Millionaire, all of which went on to enjoy significant success at both the box office and Oscars. However, 2011's recipient - Lebanese drama Where Do We Go Now? - failed to make either critical or commercial waves.
Acclaimed drama Philomena (starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan) and forthcoming Hugh Jackman / Jake Gyllenhaal thriller Prisoners were runners up for the main prize. Prolific Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono walked away with the ‘Midnight Madness’ award for his wild action film Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, while The Square - an examination of the civil unrest in Cairo, focused on the city’s Tahrir Square - was voted best documentary.
(Image: TIFF / Fox Searchlight)
