The Toronto International Film Festival presented its awards Sunday (NZ time). Damien Chazelle’s La La Land (pictured, top), which arrived in Toronto with lots of buzz following screenings at Venice and Telluride, took the festival’s audience award.
Among the other prizes, Chinese director Feng Xiaogang’s I Am Not Madame Bovary took the FIPRESCI Prize for Special Presentations.
Steve James, here a couple of years ago for Doc Edge, was named runner-up for the Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award for ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail.
The festival wraps today (NZ time) with mixed opinions on its success this year. Few films have debuted at Toronto and garnered the sort of responses that kickstart awards season momentum. Despite reports of discussions about several titles, few sales have been announced.
La La Land
The Toronto International Film Festival ran 8 – 18 September. The award winners were:
Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film
Mutants, Alexandre Dostie
Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film
Imago, Raymund Ribay Gutierrez
Honourable Mentions:
Anna, Or Sinai
The White Helmets, Orlando von Einsiedel
City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film
Old Stone (Lao shi), Johnny Ma
Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves (Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n’ont fait que se creuser un tombeau), Mathieu Denis and Simon Lavoie
FIPRESCI Prize for the Discovery programme
Kati Kati, Mbithi Masya
FIPRESCI Prize for Special Presentations
I Am Not Madame Bovary, Feng Xiaogang
NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere
In Between (Bar Bahar), Maysaloun Hamoud
Toronto Platform Prize
Jackie, Pablo Larraín
Special Mention toHema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait (he-mà he-mà), Khyentse Norbu
Grolsch People’s Choice Award
La La Land, Damien Chazelle
Runner-up: Lion, Garth Davis
Second Runner-up: Queen of Katwe, Mira Nair
Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
Free Fire, Ben Wheatley
Runner up: The Autopsy of Jane Doe, André Øvredal
Second Runner up: Raw, Julia Ducournau
Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award
I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck
Runner-up: ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail, Steve James
Second Runner-up: Before the Flood, Fisher Stevens
Dropbox Discovery Programme Filmmakers Award
Jeffrey, Yanillys Perez