TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2019 AWARD WINNERS
The Toronto International Film Festival is delighted to announce its final award recipients. New for 2019, TIFF is revealing the slate of awards and winners via all social media channels. The 44th edition of TIFF wraps up this evening.
Grolsch People’s Choice Awards
Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi
THE GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Winner: Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit
First runner-up: Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story
Second runner-up: Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite
The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by Grolsch.
The Platform
THE GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE MIDNIGHT MADNESS AWARD
Winner: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform
First runner-up: Andrew Patterson’s The Vast of Night
Second runner-up: Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum
The Cave
THE GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Winner: Feras Fayyad’s The Cave
First runner-up: Garin Hovannisian’s I Am Not Alone
Second runner-up: Bryce Dallas Howard’s Dads
International Jury Awards
Martin Eden
TORONTO PLATFORM PRIZE
Winner: Pietro Marcello’s Martin Eden
- Jury remarks: “A politically and philosophically provocative story told with extraordinary cinematic invention and grace, this film reaffirms a faith that is easy to lose in 2019: that the cinema we know is an iceberg with nine-tenths still remaining to be discovered.”
Honourable Mentions: Kazik Radwanski’s Anne at 13,000 ft
- Jury remarks: “A film that creates a horror-movie level of buzzing tension out of a mercilessly close-up, yet deeply compassionate portrait of an unstable young woman, brought unforgettably to life in Deragh Campbell’s riveting central performance.”
Alice Winocour’s Proxima
- Jury remarks: “A beautifully down-to-earth, procedural approach to a story about the lure of space vying with the bonds of home, that is for once told from the point of view of a woman who does not apologize for finding as much joy in her vocation as in her family.”
The Toronto Platform Prize offers a custom award and a $20,000 cash prize.
The Festival welcomed an international jury comprised of award-winning filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari, Berlinale Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, and international film critic Jessica Kiang.
Murmur
THE PRIZE OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZE)
Winner – Discovery Programme: Heather Young’s Murmur
- The Jury remarked that the film was chosen “for its impressive, minimalist, and precise storytelling — both in its structure and its use of static camerawork and framing — and for its empathetic and powerful simplicity in deconstructing the effects of an addictive personality.”
How to Build a Girl
THE PRIZE OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZE)
Winner – Special Presentations: Coky Giedroyc’s How to Build a Girl
- Jury remarks: “Led by a performance by Beanie Feldstein, our winning film is a witty and heartfelt story of an irrepressible teenage girl who breaks into the snooty boys’ club of English rock criticism, loses her soul, and then gains it back again.”
The jury was comprised of Jury President Rita di Santo (UK), Frédéric Jaeger (Germany), Liam Lacey (Canada), Ruben Peralta Rigaud (Dominican Republic), Müge Turan (Turkey), and Claire Valade (Canada).
1982
NETPAC AWARD
Winner: Oualid Mouaness’ 1982
- The jury remarked that the film was chosen: “for its adventurous, imaginative style, and subtle, confident filmmaking, bravely juxtaposing and framing the universal innocence and charm of youth within harrowing historical context.”
The jury, selected from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, included Chairperson Beckie Stocchetti, Kanako Hayashi, and Albert Shin.
Short Film Jury Awards
Delphine
IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
Winner: Chloé Robichaud’s Delphine
- Jury remarks: “By presenting its main character’s unique point of view through another character’s perspective, Robichaud’s Delphine boldly utilizes an original narrative device to offer a refreshing twist on the coming-of-age genre. This evocative, mysterious, yet sensitive short film brings up powerful feelings of nostalgia and memory, leaving an impact that lingers with the viewer long after its all-too-short run time comes to a close.”
The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen.
Honourable Mention: The jury awarded a special mention to Theodore Ushev’s The Physics of Sorrow for its impressive filmmaking and detailed craftsmanship.
All Cats Are Grey in the Dark
IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
Winner: Lasse Linder’s All Cats Are Grey in the Dark
- Jury remarks: “Blurring the line between narrative and documentary, Linder’s All Cats Are Grey in the Dark simultaneously observes its main character — and its topic — with both empathy and absurdity. This unexpectedly touching, exceptionally composed, and tender tale of a man’s love for his cats (along with the best employed use of Alexa) surprised the jury with its observational filmmaking and memorable feline performances.”
The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen.
Honourable Mention: Federico Luis Tachella’s The Nap, for its brave exploration of age and sexuality.
The jury was comprised of Chelsea McMullan, Léo Soesanto, and Andrea Roa.
Canadian Film Jury Awards
The Twentieth Century
CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
Winner: Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century
- Jury remarks: “Rankin’s debut feature is superb in its imaginative wildness, taking an otherwise staid historical Canadian figure and propelling him into the heart of one of the most creative, visual, and compelling experiences of the Festival.”
This award carries a cash prize of $15,000, made possible by the City of Toronto.
Antigone
CANADA GOOSE AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
Winner: Sophie Deraspe’s Antigone
- Jury remarks: “Antigone stands out on its own as an electrifying piece of cinema. Tackling with vigour contemporary realities of immigration in Canada through the framework of Greek tragedy, Deraspe created magnificent onscreen humanism. It is imperative to point out Nahéma Ricci’s performance, reminiscent of Renée Falconetti’s Jeanne d’Arc.”
This award carries a cash prize of $30,000 and a custom award, sponsored by Canada Goose®.
Honourable Mention: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn’s The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.
The jury was comprised of Magali Simard, Devyani Saltzman, and Alicia Elliott.