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.
“TIFF 2019 was a stellar year,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF Co-Head and Artistic Director and Joana Vicente, TIFF Co-Head and Executive Director. “The films and talent featured in this year’s Festival have left us inspired, awestruck, and excited for the future of cinema.” The short-film awards below were selected by a jury comprised of Chelsea McMullan, Léo Soesanto, and Andrea Roa.
IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Chloé Robichaud for Delphine. The jury remarked, “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. The jury awarded an honourable mention to Theodore Ushev’s The Physics of Sorrow for its impressive filmmaking and detailed craftsmanship.
IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film goes to Lasse Linder for All Cats Are Grey in the Dark. The jury noted, “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. The jury gave honourable mention to Federico Luis Tachella’s The Nap for its brave exploration of age and sexuality. The Canadian awards below were selected by a jury comprised of Magali Simard, Devyani Saltzman, and Alicia Elliott.
CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century. The jury remarked, “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.
CANADA GOOSE ® AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Canada Goose ® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Sophie Deraspe’s Antigone.
The jury said that “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 ® . The jury gave honourable mention to Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn’s The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.
NETPAC AWARD
Selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema (NETPAC), the NETPAC Award goes to Oualid Mouaness’ 1982. Jury members include Chairperson Beckie Stocchetti, Kanako Hayashi, and Albert Shin. The jury remarked that this film was selected “for its adventurous, imaginative style and subtle, confident filmmaking, bravely juxtaposing and framing the universal innocence and charm of youth within harrowing historical context.”
GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
This year marked the 42nd year that Toronto audiences were able to cast a ballot for their favourite Festival film for the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. This year’s award goes to Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and a custom award, sponsored by Grolsch. The first runner-up is Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.
The second runner-up is Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. The Festival presents free screenings of Jojo Rabbit at TIFF Bell Lightbox tonight. Tickets are now available online, by phone, and in person. This screening is Rush eligible. The Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award goes to Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform. The first runner-up is Andrew Patterson’s The Vast of Night. The second runner-up is Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum. The Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award goes to The Cave, directed by Feras Fayyad.
The first runner-up is Garin Hovannisian’s I Am Not Alone. The second runner-up is Bryce Dallas Howard’s Dads. For additional information and details on awards criteria, please contact the Press Office. TIFF will announce which titles featured in this year’s festival will be playing at TIFF Bell Lightbox later this month. The 45th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10–20, 2020.
TIFF prefers Visa. Social Media: @TIFF_NET #TIFF19 Facebook.com/TIFF About TIFF TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD.
TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.
The Toronto International Film Festival is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC, L’Oréal Paris and Visa, and Major Supporters the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada, and the City of Toronto. IWC Schaffhausen is the sponsor of the Short Cuts Awards.
The City of Toronto is the supporter of the Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film. Canada Goose ® is the sponsor of the Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Grolsch is the sponsor of the People’s Choice Awards. -30-
For more information, contact Alejandra Sosa, TIFF’s Director of Communications, at 416.934.3200 or [email protected], or email the Press Office at [email protected]
