The Toronto International Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend with director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave scooping the coveted People’s Choice Award. Following in the footsteps of films such as American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire and Silver Linings Playbook that also won this award on their way to Oscar glory, it’s no surprise McQueen’s was chuffed with the win.
Read more about the Festival, plus check out my highlights for the week...
The Toronto International Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend with director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave scooping the coveted People’s Choice Award. Following in the footsteps of films such as American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire and Silver Linings Playbook that also won this award on their way to Oscar glory, it’s no surprise McQueen was chuffed with the win.
"At a festival that has shown so many brilliant films, I cannot be more thrilled to receive this award," McQueen said in a statement following news of his award.
12 Years a Slave tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York state who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. The film boasts an impressive cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt to name a few.
First runner up in the People’s Choice award was Stephen Frear's Philomena starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, and second runner up was Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The People's Choice documentary award went to Jehane Noujaim's film The Square, which looks at recent unrest in Cairo and the first runner-up was Canadian director Alanis Obomsawin's Hi-Ho Mistahey!
Excitingly, second runner up was the New Zealand documentary Beyond the Edge that tells the story of the ascent to the summit of Mt Everest by Sir Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, directed by Leanne Pooley.
Here are my highlights for the week.
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark DuPlass, Jake Johnson
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Premiering: Saturday 21st September, 8.30pm
This quirky low budget indie provided one of the most unpredictable and memorable film endings of the year. An unusual mix of dry romantic comedy and DIY science fiction, this story about three cynical journalists in search of the author of a classified ad was overly ambitious, illogical and plain loopy. It was also, thanks to smart, witty performances and the gentle blurring of reality and fantasy, an utterly charming, original and heartfelt adventure that convinced you that it is better to believe in something rather than nothing at all.
Starring: Sami Bouajila, Denis Podalydes
Directed by: Roschdy Zem
Premiering: Tuesday 17th September, 8.30pm
Based on a true story, Omar Killed Me is the moving story of Omar (Bouajila), a gardener of Moroccan descent arrested and convicted of murdering one of his clients in the South of France in 1991. With an alibi, it’s clear from the start of this drama that Omar’s arrest is matter of convenience but it’s not until journalist Pierre-Emmanuel Vaugrenard (Podalydes) writes a book about Omar’s case that the legal system revisits his case. Omar Killed Me premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival 2011 and is an engaging, accessible drama driven by a moving performance by Sami Bouajila.
Starring: Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr. and the people of Aberdeenshire
Directed by: Anthony Baxter
Premiering: Thursday 19th September, 8.30pm
Those who watched Donald Trump’s The Apprentice know Trump can work the camera. Take him away from that contrived world though and suddenly Trump’s media moves are revealed for what they are - shallow PR spin. This David and Goliath documentary follows Scottish locals attempting to stop Trump building a golf course on their unique coastal wilderness area.
Anthony Baxter (arrested while shooting this film) is not the only director to feel the full force of a powerful multinational company on Rialto Channel this month. Swedish director Gertten takes on American food giant Dole in Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (Friday 20th September, 8.30pm). Dole used PR scare tactics, lawsuits, dirty tricks and bullying to try and prevent him releasing this film about Nicaraguan workers affected by pesticides used by Dole on their plantations. Both documentaries screen in Rialto Channel’s Double Exposure Documentary series.