Toronto wrapped its golden anniversary edition on Sunday with a brisk awards ceremony that handed out 14 trophies and cemented “Hamnet” as the fest’s breakout crowd pleaser. The Shakespeare-adjacent drama claimed the People’s Choice Award, historically TIFF’s most influential prize and often a launchpad for Oscar campaigns.

Director Chloé Zhao, already back home in L.A., accepted the award via video where even a technical glitch could not take away from her heartfelt appreciation. “For these two hours [of the film], we could be together and we could hold each other and hold the feelings and emotions that might be hard,” shared Zhao. 

Big names, big movies

The audience was also bullish on franchise fare. Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery earned second runner-up while Guillermo del Toro’s gothic Frankenstein notched first runner-up, a sign that TIFF’s prestige crowds still like a little genre muscle on the side.

For the first time, TIFF added an International People’s Choice, which went to Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice.” On the nonfiction front, Barry Avrich, a fixture of the local scene, landed the Documentary People’s Choice with “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue.” Avrich, who once handed out programs as a TIFF volunteer, joked that his career had come full circle.

Earlier in the show, the shorts program got its moment. Spanish filmmaker Agnès Patron claimed the inaugural Best Animated Short prize for To the Woods, hailed by the jury for its “luminous spirit.” Joecar Hanna’s “Talk Me,” executive produced by Spike Lee, scored Best International Short, while “Agapito” from the Philippines earned a mention. Domestically, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski  won Best Canadian Short for “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” with Heather Young singled out for “A Soft Touch.”

Outside the Juries

The Vimeo Staff Pick Award went to “I Fear Blue Skies,” directed by Afghan filmmaker Salar Pashtoonyar, who spoke movingly about fighting to tell stories in his own country.

On the critics’ side, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) awarded Lucía Aleñar Iglesias’ “Forastera,” a Spanish debut that industry-watchers will now circle as a Cannes-to-Toronto crossover. The NETPAC jury singled out Jitank Singh Gurjar’s “In Search of the Sky,” giving India a spotlight moment in a fest long known for its global mix.

O Canada

Canadian features also made noise. Sophy Romvari’s  “Blue Heron” walked away with the Best Canadian Discovery Award, while Zacharias Kunuk, one of the country’s most respected auteurs, earned Best Canadian Feature for “Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband).” 

Platform, the juried section created to highlight bold auteurs, went to “To the Victory!” from Ukrainian filmmaker Valentyn Vasyanovych. The jury praised its ambition and scope. Vasyanovych is no stranger to the circuit. His 2019 feature Atlantis won Venice’s Horizons prize, and Reflection premiered in competition at Venice in 2021. 

As CEO Cameron Bailey reminded the audience, the TIFF People’s Choice has a long track record of foreshadowing awards season. “The very first People’s Choice Award went to Claudia Weill’s film Girlfriends, and since then, Toronto audiences have fallen for The Big Chill, The Princess Bride, Roger and Me, Strictly Ballroom, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, 12 Years a Slave,” name checked Bailey. With “Hamnet” now taking that mantle, expect the publicists and Oscar strategists over at Focus Features to start sharpening their pitches for the upcoming award season.

After all of the awards were handed out we headed up to a rooftop celebration that capped a milestone year and set the stage for 2026, when TIFF, the Market, will debut. With buzz, momentum, and a stacked slate, it’s clear Toronto will continue to dominate the fall festival calendar.

See more TIFF coverage from mixyplix here.