Following an edition that saw the number of stars on its red carpets relatively smaller than in recent years due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes in Hollywood, the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has announced its award winners. One of the most prestigious prizes handed out at the festival is the People’s Choice Award, voted on by the audience, which this year went to the US film American Fiction by Cord Jefferson, starring Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated author and professor of English Literature. Runners-up for the award were The Holdovers by US director Alexander Payne, followed by The Boy and the Heron by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. 

The TIFF 2023 People’s Choice Documentary Award went to Canadian film Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe by Robert McCallum, centred on US-born Canadian children's entertainer Ernie Coombs. The first runner-up was Canadian documentary Summer Qamp by Jen Markowitz, about a summer camp for queer children, and the second runner-up was Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa by Lucy Walker. 

The jury for the Platform section, composed of Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki, and Anthony Shim, unanimously decided to hand out their award to Dear Jassi by Indian director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, citing the film’s “perfect blend of craft, purpose, and faith in its audience.” 

Another Indian film won the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian and Asia Pacific Cinema) award: Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s A Match, described by the NETPAC jury as “an immersive portrayal of life in an Indian village, highlighting its oppressive patriarchal customs.” 

The sole European (co-)production awarded, Kanaval [+lire aussi :
critique
fiche film] by Henri Pardo (Canada/Luxembourg), won the Amplify Voices Award for Best BIPOC Canadian Feature Award as well as an Honourable Mention for Best Canadian Feature Film.

The FIPRESCI jury, meanwhile, selected the Canadian film Seagrass by Meredith Hama-Brown, writing that it “skilfully deals with subjects like masculinity, family taboos, motherhood, and structural anti-Asian racism.” 

The full list of winners is as below: 

People’s Choice Award
Winner
American Fiction - Cord Jefferson (USA)

1st Runner-up
The Holdovers - Alexander Payne (USA)

2nd Runner-up
The Boy and the Heron - Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)

People’s Choice Documentary Award
Winner
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe - Robert McCallum (Canada)

1st Runner-up
Summer Qamp - Jen Markowitz (Canada)

2nd Runner-up
Mountain Queen: The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa - Lucy Walker (USA)

People’s Choice Award Midnight Madness
Winner
Dicks: The Musical - Larry Charles (USA)

1st Runner-up
Kill - Nikhil Nagesh Bhat (India)

2nd Runner-up
Hell of a Summer - Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk (USA/Canada)

Platform Award
Dear Jassi - Tarsem Singh Dhandwar (India)

FIPRESCI Award
Seagrass - Meredith Hama-Brown (Canada)

NETPAC Award
A Match - Jayant Digambar Somalkar (India)

Amplify Voices Awards
Amplify Voices Award - Best BIPOC Canadian Feature Award
Kanaval [+lire aussi :
critique
fiche film] - Henri Pardo (Canada/Luxembourg)

Amplify Voices Award - Best BIPOC Canadian First Feature Award
Tautuktavuk (What We See) - Carol Kunnuk, Lucy Tulugarjuk (Canada)

Amplify Voices Trailblazer Award
Damon D’Oliveira

Best Canadian Feature Film Award
Solo - Sophie Dupuis (Canada)

Best Canadian Feature Film Award Honourable Mention
Kanaval - Henri Pardo (Canada)

Changemaker Award
We Grown Now - Minhal Baig (USA)

Short Cuts Awards
Short Cuts Award - Best Film
Electra - Daria Kashcheeva (Czech Republic/France/Slovakia)

Short Cuts Award - Best Canadian Film
Motherland - Jasmin Mozaffari (Canada)

Share Her Journey Award
Shé (Snake) - Renee Zhan (UK)

Share Her Journey Award Honourable Mention
Gaby’s Hills - Zoé Pelchat (Canada)