The Toronto International Film Festival prides itself on being a festival for the people. Unlike Cannes, there is no dress code, no restrictions on who can come see films- it's open to everybody. So while the Palme d'Or, Venice's Golden Lion, and Berlin's Golden Bear may hold more weight in the film world, the Grolsch People's Choice Award at TIFF often has a greater impact on the Oscar race. In recent years, films like La La Land, Room, The Imitation Game, 12 Years a Slave, Silver Linings Playbook, and more have won the award, while runner-ups have included nominated films such as Lion, Spotlight, and Philomena. In the last decade, 3 People's Choice Award winners ultimately won Best Picture, but only 2011's Where Do We Go Now? ended up without a nomination. So this afternoon, awards pundits and movie fans waited anxiously to see which film would be certified as a film to watch out for in the race. Many speculated that Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water would leave victorious, but a different film from that very same studio ended up taking home the trophy.
Fox Searchlight's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, left TIFF as the big winner, beating out tough competition to claim the People's Choice Award. The first runner-up was Craig Gillespie's acclaimed biopic I, Tonya, while Luca Guadagnino's gay romance Call Me By Your Name took the second runner-up position. In the Midnight Madness section, Joseph Kahn's Bodied won the top prize, with James Franco's The Disaster Artist and S. Craig Zahler's Brawl in Cell Block 99 finishing in second and third, respectively. Agnes Varda and JR's Faces Places won the Documentary competition. These minor categories are less important for the overall race, but still, it's interesting to see what the ultimate reception was to these films.
But let's circle back to the People's Choice Award. So what does the Three Billboards win mean for the film's awards chances? Well, it means that it's a certifiable crowd pleaser. People love this movie, and it's connecting with a massive audience. Critics already love it, audiences clearly support it, and I have to imagine that Academy voters will follow suit. I, Tonya's excellent finish also certifies that NEON needs to get this movie out there this year, and they need to make a big push for Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, and the film itself. We already knew that Call Me By Your Name was a big player, but this is a nice result for the film. All in all, Fox Searchlight has to be extremely pleased with how the first leg of the festivals played out- The Shape of Water took the Golden Lion, and Three Billboards took the People's Choice Award. It doesn't get better than that.
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, left TIFF as the big winner, beating out tough competition to claim the People's Choice Award. The first runner-up was Craig Gillespie's acclaimed biopic I, Tonya, while Luca Guadagnino's gay romance Call Me By Your Name took the second runner-up position. In the Midnight Madness section, Joseph Kahn's Bodied won the top prize, with James Franco's The Disaster Artist and S. Craig Zahler's Brawl in Cell Block 99 finishing in second and third, respectively. Agnes Varda and JR's Faces Places won the Documentary competition. These minor categories are less important for the overall race, but still, it's interesting to see what the ultimate reception was to these films.
But let's circle back to the People's Choice Award. So what does the Three Billboards win mean for the film's awards chances? Well, it means that it's a certifiable crowd pleaser. People love this movie, and it's connecting with a massive audience. Critics already love it, audiences clearly support it, and I have to imagine that Academy voters will follow suit. I, Tonya's excellent finish also certifies that NEON needs to get this movie out there this year, and they need to make a big push for Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, and the film itself. We already knew that Call Me By Your Name was a big player, but this is a nice result for the film. All in all, Fox Searchlight has to be extremely pleased with how the first leg of the festivals played out- The Shape of Water took the Golden Lion, and Three Billboards took the People's Choice Award. It doesn't get better than that.
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
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