Chloé Zhao’s latest film, Hamnet, just stole the spotlight at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), grabbing the prestigious People’s Choice Award. This big win boosts its shot at the Oscars, as Variety reports.
Zhao made history as the first director to snag this award twice—her first came in 2020 with Nomadland, which went on to win Best Picture. Since the Academy expanded the Best Picture category in 2009, TIFF People’s Choice winners have proven to be strong predictors for Oscar success. Think Green Book in 2018 or Nomadland in 2020, both of which took home the top prize. Even films like The Fabelmans in 2022 played a huge role in awards season. The only flop? Where Do We Go Now? in 2011, which missed out on a Best Picture nod.
The People’s Choice category kicked off back in 1978, and seven of its winners have claimed Oscar gold for Best Picture. Five of those triumphs happened in the last 20 years alone, making it a hot ticket for awards buzz.
In the running, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein came in as first runner-up, while Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery landed third. For documentaries, Barry Avrich’s The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue took the audience prize.
On the international front, Park Chan-wook’s South Korean thriller No Other Choice won the People’s Choice, beating out Joachim Trier’s Norwegian film Sentimental Value as runner-up.
TIFF’s 50th edition turned out to be one of its most star-packed yet, drawing crowds and celebs from around the world.
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