16/09/2024 - Carlos Marqués-Marcet’s innovative hybrid musical has taken home the festival’s top competitive prize, whilst Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck was the surprise victor of the People’s Choice Award

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has wrapped for 2024, with its main awards ceremony taking place yesterday morning. Carlos Marqués-Marcet’s They Will Be Dust [+see also:
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The Best Canadian Feature Film Award went to Sophie Deraspe’s Shepherds [+see also:
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film profile], a co-production with France, with the prize being up for grabs for all Canadian films in the selection, excluding first or second features. Following a Montréal copywriter who forges a bold new life as a sheep herder in the French Alps, it was described in our review as a “visually beautiful but mostly unmemorable tale that rides primarily on the allure of the pastoral cinematography by Vincent Gonneville”.

Given Toronto’s proud origins as an “audience” festival with less of an industry presence, its People’s Choice Awards were its most high-profile until the Platform competition was introduced. But industry observers have looked to the main People’s Choice Award as a bellwether for the fate of titles in the Oscars race. This year’s winner, horror specialist Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck – a more down-to-earth film for him, adapted from a Stephen King novella – was a surprise in that regard, perhaps owing to public enthusiasm for the director’s Netflix shows and the film’s ever-popular star Tom Hiddleston. More pertinent is that Emilia Perez [+see also:
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interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile], with it taking the prize’s runner-up spot; with Netflix releasing it in many international territories, the movie has successively bowled over audiences with its zesty female performances and unique angle on Mexico’s narco-wars. Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora, the second runner-up, seems as popularly beloved as it is critically praised.

A full list of official and independent awards is below:

Platform Award
They Will Be Dust [+see also:
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Special Honourable Mention
Sylvia Chang – Daughter’s Daughter (Taiwan)

Best Canadian Feature Film Award
Shepherds [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Sophie Deraspe (Canada/France)

Best Canadian Discovery Award
Universal Language - Matthew Rankin (Canada)

Special Honourable Mention
You Are Not Alone - Marie Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien (Canada)

People’s Choice Award
The Life of Chuck – Mike Flanagan (USA)

First Runner-up
Emilia Perez [+see also:
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Second Runner-up
Anora - Sean Baker (USA)

People’s Choice Documentary Award
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal - Mike Downie (Canada)

First Runner-up
Will & Harper - Josh Greenbaum (USA)

Second Runner-up
Your Tomorrow - Ali Weinstein (Canada)

People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
The Substance [+see also:
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First Runner-up
Dead Talents Society - John Hsu (Taiwan)

Second Runner-up
Friendship - Andrew DeYoung (USA)

Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film
Deck 5B - Malin Ingrid Johansson (Sweden)

Special Honourable Mention
Quota - Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw (Netherlands)

Best Canadian Short Film
Are You Scared to Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail? - Bec Pecaut (Canada)

NETPAC Award
The Last of the Sea Women - Sue Kim (USA)

FIPRESCI Prize
Mother Mother - K’naan Warsame (Somalia)