#FIRSTLOOK: “UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE” WINS 2024 ROGERS BEST CANADIAN FILM AWARD AT TFCA AWARDS

The Winnipeg-set comedy Universal Language has won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2024 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. Its companion prize, Rogers Best Canadian Documentary, was awarded to the musical biopic Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story.

Universal Language imagines a Winnipeg where Persian is the dominant language and turkeys roam the snowy streets while tourists admire the drab cityscape. Any Other Way tells the story of R&B singer Jackie Shane, who broke ground as an out Black trans performer on the Toronto scene in the 1960s before fading into obscurity.

The richest annual film prize in Canada was shared by narrative and documentary features, with $50,000 to each winner, courtesy of Rogers. Actor/writer/director Don McKellar (The Sympathizer) presented the award to Universal Language writer/director Matthew Rankin. Comedian Rick Mercer presented the doc prize to Any Other Way’s Michael Mabbott, who directed the film with Lucah Rosenberg-Lee.

Drawing influences from Canada’s Guy Maddin and Iran’s Abbas Kiarostami, Universal Language is an irreverently funny consideration of our multicultural landscape. The film was Canada’s official submission in the Oscar race for Best International Feature and made the 15-film shortlist. Any Other Way, which explores histories of trans erasure and visibility, brings Shane’s story to screen using her own words combined with animation and dramatic recreations. Universal Language is currently in theatres, while Any Other Way is streaming on Crave.

Runners-up in both categories received a $5,000 prize from Rogers Communications. Nominated in the dramatic category were Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson (Rumours) and Sophie Deraspe (Shepherds), while Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham (Yintah) and Ali Weinstein (Your Tomorrow) were runners-up in the documentary race.

Hosted by actress Tamara Podemski (Outer Range, Fancy Dance), the ceremony took place at a gala dinner held February 24, 2025 at The Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto, featuring a Prime Video cocktail party, and a Netflix dinner.

“This year’s winners are exactly why Rogers awards these prizes to Canadian films,” said Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds. “Universal Language is a richly imaginative take on Winnipeg, one of our most richly imagined cities. And Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is about a remarkable chapter in Toronto music history, one that deserves to be better known. Both are films that could only be made by Canadians, about Canadians, and we congratulate all the winners and nominees.”

“We had an embarrassment of riches this year in both the documentary and narrative feature categories, and any of the films could have won,” added TFCA President Johanna Schneller.

“Congratulations to all our splendid nominees. But Universal Language and Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story both do something extraordinary: Each nods to cinematic history, and each advances their respective forms in invigorating new directions. They were thrilling to watch, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them.”

At the gala, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey presented winner RaMell Ross with three TFCA Awards for his drama Nickel Boys: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, co-written by Joslyn Barnes. Adapted from the novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys is currently nominated for two Oscars including Best Picture. Actor Sarah Gadon (Enemy, Alias Grace) presented Outstanding Performance in a Canadian Film to Félix-Antoine Duval for his turn in Shepherds. Duval plays Quebecois adman Mathyas Lefebure, who quit his job to pursue life as a shepherd in Provence, France.

Podemski introduced video acceptance speeches from TFCA Award winners Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Outstanding Lead Performance, Hard Truths), filmmaker Payal Kapadia (Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, All We Imagine as Light), director Gints Zilbalodis (Best Animated Feature, Flow), and actor Clarence Maclin (Breakthrough Performance, Sing Sing).

Actor Jamie Thomas King (The Tudors, Mr. Turner) and actor/screenwriter Eva Everett Irving (The Pitt, Orphan Black) presented the Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist to filmmaker J Stevens, who made their feature directorial debut last year with Really Happy Someday and has directed series including Sort Of and Slow Pitch.

In its mission to recognize new voices in film criticism, the TFCA gave Alexander Mooney the seventh annual Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award, presented by Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek). Mooney has contributed to outlets including Exclaim!, Documentary Magazine, and MUBI Notebook. The award comes with a prize of $1,000.

And this year’s Company 3 Luminary Award was presented by three-time Rogers Best Canadian Film winner Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes, Anthropocene) to Tonya Williams, celebrated actor and founder and executive director of the Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute. A pay-it-forward initiative, the award allows the recipient to donate $50,000 in post-production services from Company 3 to another filmmaker. Williams announced Vancouver-based filmmaker Leena Minifie as the recipient.

The TFCA is extremely grateful to founding sponsor Rogers Communications for the Rogers Best Canadian Film and the Rogers Best Canadian Documentary awards. The TFCA thanks returning sponsors Netflix as Dinner sponsor, Prime Video as Cocktail Reception and After Party sponsor and Air Canada as Official Airline. TFCA salutes Telefilm Canada as the Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic sponsor and Company 3 as the Company 3 Luminary Award Sponsor. The TFCA also thanks sponsors Omni King Edward Hotel and salutes stalwart supporters G.H. Mumm Champagne, L’Eat Catering, Zoomer Magazine, The Printing House, Element Event Solutions and Pinnacle Live.

ABOUT THE TFCA

The Toronto Film Critics Association was established in 1997 and is comprised of Toronto based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary. All major dailies, weeklies and a variety of other print, electronic and web outlets are represented. Members of the TFCA also participate in the Federation of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI). As such, they have sat on juries at festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Montreal, Miami, Palm Springs, Chicago, Pusan, Moscow, Amsterdam, London and Vienna, among others.

#FIRSTLOOK: TFCA ANNOUNCE TONYA WILLIAMS AS RECIPIENT OF 2024 TFCA LUMINARY AWARD

The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) announced today Tonya Williams, founder and executive director of the Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute, as the recipient of the 2024 TFCA Luminary Award. The award recognizes a Canadian industry figure who has made a substantial and outstanding contribution to the advancement and/or history of Canadian cinema.

Williams began her career as an actress, working on television series such as The Polka Dot Door, Street Legal, Hill Street Blues, and a recurring role on The Young and the Restless. However, recognizing that the challenges she faced as a Black actor seeking substantial work were not unique, Williams founded the Reelworld Film Festival in 2000 with a mission to promote the works of racially diverse professionals. That mandate led to the creation of the Reelworld Foundation (now called Reelworld Screen Institute), which has produced opportunities for professional development. For more than 25 years, Williams has played a starring role in the push for diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canadian film and television, touching many careers and advocating in all corners of the industry.

Additionally, the TFCA announced winners of two awards recognizing those viably seen as forwarding Canadian cinema and culture through their work. J Stevens was named the winner of the 2024 Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist and Alexander Mooney was named the winner of the 2024 Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic award for aspiring film reviewers.

Stevens directed, produced, shot, and co-wrote their first feature Really Happy Someday, which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a moving account of a stage musical performer regaining his voice after his transition. Really Happy Someday developed out of a collaborative relationship with star/co-writer Breton Lalama and this collective spirit reflects Stevens’ efforts to tell stories that represent a diverse spectrum of 2SLGBTQ+ experiences in films and series. It also reflects Stevens’ work with the Spindle Films Foundation, which supports emerging trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse creatives in the screen sector by providing mentorship and development opportunities.

Mooney’s work has appeared in Exclaim!, In the Mood Magazine, MUBI Notebook, and Documentary Magazine. He graduated with an HBA in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto in June 2024. The Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic award comes with a cash prize of $1,000, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

These awards will be presented along with the prestigious Rogers Best Canadian Film and Rogers Best Canadian Documentary on Monday, February 24, 2025, at a gala held at Toronto’s Omni King Edward Hotel, hosted by acclaimed Canadian actress Amanda Brugel (Orphan Black, The Handmaid’s Tale). The nominees for Rogers Best Canadian Film are Rumours, directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson; Shepherds, directed by Sophie Deraspe; and Universal Language, directed by Matthew Rankin. The nominees for Rogers Best Canadian Documentary are Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, directed by Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee; Yintah, directed by Michael Toledano, Jennifer Wickham, and Brenda Michell; and Your Tomorrow, directed by Ali Weinstein. Both awards carry a cash prize of $50,000, courtesy of Rogers Communications. The two runners up in each category will receive $5,000.

The TFCA is extremely grateful to founding sponsor Rogers Communications for the Rogers Best Canadian Film and the Rogers Best Canadian Documentary. TFCA thanks returning sponsors Netflix as Dinner sponsor, Prime Video as Cocktail Reception sponsor and Air Canada as Official Airline. TFCA salutes Telefilm Canada as the Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic sponsor. The TFCA also thanks sponsors Omni King Edward Hotel and salutes stalwart supporters, G.H. Mumm Champagne, L’Eat Catering, Zoomer Magazine, The Printing House, and Chairman Mills.

Under the TFCA’s rules, eligible contenders for the awards include films released in theatres or streaming in Toronto in 2024 as well as films that qualify for the 2024 Academy Awards and Canadian Screen Awards and have a Toronto release scheduled by the end of March 2025.

ABOUT THE TFCA

The Toronto Film Critics Association was established in 1997 and is comprised of Toronto based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary. All major dailies, weeklies and a variety of other print, electronic and web outlets are represented. Members of the TFCA also participate in the Federation of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI). As such, they have sat on juries at festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Montreal, Miami, Palm Springs, Chicago, Pusan, Moscow, Amsterdam, London and Vienna, among others.

#FIRSTLOOK: “NICKEL BOYS” AMONG TOP WINNERS AT 2024 TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

NICKEL BOYS took top honours at the 2024 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards today. The RaMell Ross historical drama which looks at abuse at a reform school through the eyes of two young African-American men, also won Best Adapted Screenplay and Director. The Film recently received Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe nominations as well, and will see a release on Prime Video Canada, following a theatrical run.

The actual awards gala is set to take place in January, where winners of the Rogers Best Canadian Feature and Documentary awards will be named, each worth $50k.

Winners and nominees for the two awards named, are as follows:

Best Picture
Winner: ​Nickel Boys

Best Director
Winner: ​RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: All We Imagine As Light

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: ​Nickel Boys

Best International Feature
Winner: ​All We Imagine As Light

Outstanding Performance In A Canadian Film
Winner: Félix-Antoine Duval – Shepherds

Outstanding Lead Performance
Winners: ​Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths & Mikey Madison – Anora

Outstanding Supporting Performance
Winner: Yura Borisov – Anora & Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

Breakthrough Performance
Winner: Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing

Allan King Best Documentary
Winner: Dahomey

Best Animated Feature
Winner: Flow

Best First Feature
Winner: ​Woman of the Hour – Directed by Anna Kendrick

Rogers Best Canadian Film
Rumours
Shepherds
Universal Language

Rogers Best Canadian Documentary
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
Yintah
Your Tomorrow

Special Citation: No Other Land

Special Citation: Serena Whitney and The Revue Film Society

(Photo/video credit: Amazon/MGM Studios)

#FIRSTLOOK: 2023 TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION NAME “THE ZONE OF INTEREST” BEST PICTURE

The Toronto Film Critics Association have named their 2023 winners, led by THE ZONE OF INTEREST which was named Best Picture. The Awards are now in their 27th year.

The Awards Gala will be held early 2024 where winners of two prizes will be named: Rogers Best Canadian Film and Rogers Best Canadian Documentary. Each award is worth $50,000. Blackberry, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person and SOLO for Best Canadian Film, and Rojek, Someone Lives Here and Swan Song for Best Canadian Documentary. The two runners up in each category will receive $5,000.

Winners are as follows:

Best Film
Winner: ​The Zone Of Interest
Runners-Up: All of Us Strangers & Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Director
Winner: ​Jonathan Glazer – The Zone Of Interest
Runners-Up: Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon & Justine Triet – Anatomy Of A Fall

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Barbie
Runners-Up: Anatomy Of A Fall & Past Lives

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: ​Killers of the Flower Moon
Runners-Up: All of Us Strangers & Poor Things

Best Lead Performance
Winners: ​Sandra Hüller – Anatomy Of A Fall & Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Runners-Up: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers, Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers, Emma Stone – Poor Things & Kôji Yakusho – Perfect Days

Best First Feature
Winner: ​Rye Lane
Runners-Up: American Fiction & Past Lives

Allan King Best Documentary
Winner: 20 Days in Mariupol
Runners-Up: The Eternal Memory, Four Daughters & Swan Song

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: ​Fallen Leaves
Runners-Up: Anatomy Of A Fall & The Zone Of Interest

Best Animated Feature
Winner: Robot Dreams
Runners-Up: The Boy and the Heron & Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Best Supporting Performance
Winner: Ryan Gosling – Barbie & Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Runners-Up: Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert Downey, Jr. – Oppenheimer, Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry & Charles Melton – May December

Best Breakthrough Performance
Winner: Teyana Taylor – A Thousand And One
Runners-Up: Charles Melton – May December & Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers

Best Performance In A Canadian Film
Winner: Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Runners-Up: Jay Baruchel – BlackBerry & Théodore Pellerin – Solo

#TFCAS: “RICEBOY SLEEPS” WINS ROGERS BEST CANADIAN FILM AWARD AT TFCAS

Riceboy Sleeps, Anthony Shim’s semi-autobiographical film about a Korean single mother who moves to Canada to raise her son, has won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2022 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.

Veteran actor and Indigenous activist Tantoo Cardinal (Dances with Wolves, Three Pines, North of 60) presented the award — the richest annual film prize in Canada — to director Shim. One of the film’s lead actors, Ethan Hwang, accepted the award on his behalf at a gala dinner held March 6, 2023, at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto.

Shot in the Vancouver area and in South Korea, Riceboy Sleeps premiered at both TIFF and the Busan International Film Festival. Its delicate examination of the stresses of growing up between two cultures has been widely praised. Riceboy Sleeps was included in TIFF’s 2022 Canada’s Top Ten.

As runners-up, directors Clement Virgo (Brother) and David Cronenberg (Crimes of the Future) each received $5,000 from Rogers Communications.

Hosted by actress Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale, Infinity Pool), the ceremony featured a cocktail party sponsored by Universal Pictures Canada, a dinner sponsored by Netflix and an after-party sponsored by Prime Video.

“All three nominated films this year are terrific, and we congratulate all three filmmakers,” TFCA President, Johanna Schneller said. “But Anthony Shim’s film shimmers with delicacy, empathy and authenticity. Though it’s only his second feature, it’s made with such self-assurance, and he elicits an indelible performance from his lead, Choi Seung-yoon. We can’t wait to see what he does next.”

“Movies like Riceboy Sleeps are the reason the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award exists,” said Rogers’ Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds. “Films reflect who we are, and Anthony Shim’s story resonates with so many Canadian immigrant families. It’s a testament to the idea that the more specific a story is, the more universal it feels.”

At the gala, Brugel introduced video acceptance speeches from director Charlotte Wells (Best Picture, Best Director and Best First Feature, Aftersun), Paul Mescal (Best Actor, Aftersun), Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor, Everything Everywhere All at Once), filmmaker Laura Poitras (Allan King Documentary Award winner for All the Beauty and the Bloodshed), and Domee Shi (Best Animated Feature, Turning Red).

Comedian and TV personality Rick Mercer presented the $10,000 Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist to filmmaker Carol Nguyen. Nguyen’s short films, which are drawn from her life and Vietnamese-Canadian culture, have played at more than 80 film festivals.

In its mission to recognize new voices in film criticism, the TFCA gave Michelle Krasovitski the fourth annual Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award, presented by actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever, Turning Red). Krasovitski is a daughter of Soviet-era Ukrainian immigrants who taught her to appreciate a culture of uncensored film. The award comes with a prize of $1,000.

On the red carpet, entertainment journalist and Super Channel content producer Teri Hart welcomed eminent members of the film industry and the civic and cultural communities, including longtime TIFF programmer Steve Gravestock, recipient of this year’s Company 3 Luminary Award. That award comes with a pay-it-forward grant of $50,000 in production services to a filmmaker of the recipient’s choice. Gravestock chose producer/actor Hugh Gibson (The Stairs) and writer/director Frieda Luk (The Encounter). TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and Company 3 VP and GM James Fraser presented the award to the recently retired Gravestock.

Other notables in attendance included Brother actors Lamar Johnson and Kiana Madeira, Riceboy Sleeps actor Ethan Hwang, Robbie Amell of the CW series The Tomorrow People, photographer and filmmaker Caitlin Cronenberg, Crimes of the Future executive producer Aida Tannyan, author Tamara Faith Berger, TIFF COO Beth Janson, Canadian Film Centre CEO Maxine Bailey, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television CEO Tammy Frick, Zoomer Magazine editor Suzanne Boyd, and Cineplex Entertainment President/CEO Ellis Jacob.

#FIRSTLOOK: TFCA ANNOUNCE ADDITONAL 2023 AWARD WINNERS

The Toronto Film Critics Association is pleased to announce its recipients in the Company 3 Luminary Award, the Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize and the Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic Award.

Veteran Toronto International Film Festival programmer Steve Gravestock is the recipient of this year’s Company 3 Luminary Award. The TFCA thanks Company 3 for enabling the Luminary Award recipient to give $50,000 in services to a filmmaker of the honouree’s choosing. Gravestock will announce his designate in the days to come.

During his 25 years with TIFF, Gravestock has created a legacy of discovery where he introduced films like Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies and Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar, which went on to score Oscar nominations. His choices represented Canada on the world stage, as he continued to present the best new talent each year. Gravestock has shaped our appreciation of Canadian film through TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten and he will be remembered for hosting colourful post-screening panel discussions that introduced audiences to our best storytellers.

A believer in “We the North” long before the Raptors, Gravestock was also the programmer of Nordic film, picking Academy Award nominees like Petter Næss’s Elling, Mikael Håfström’s Evil, Susanne Bier’s In a Better World and Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person In The World.

The Company 3 Luminary Award recognizes a Canadian industry figure who has made a substantial and outstanding contribution to the advancement and/or history of Canadian cinema. This includes, but is not limited to, writers, directors, producers, distributors, actors, academics, cinematographers and technicians. Those who can viably be seen as forwarding Canadian cinema and culture through their work are eligible. In the spirit of the pay-it-forward nature of the honour, the recipient names an emerging filmmaker to receive $50,000 in services from Company 3.

Carol Nguyen wins the Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist, which carries a $10,000 purse, courtesy of Labatt. By age 20, the Vietnamese-Canadian was already turning heads worldwide with acclaimed short films drawn from her life. Her short documentaries Every Grain of Rice and No Crying at the Dinner Table and the drama Nanitic have been showcased at more than 80 film festivals, including TIFF, where the latter won the IMDBpro Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award.

As well, the TFCA announced its Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic award for aspiring film reviewers. Michelle Krasovitski was born to parents who left the Soviet Ukraine and shared their hunger for uncensored film experiences with her in their new country. Currently working on a master’s thesis in film, she has covered TIFF, Hot Docs and the Sundance film festivals for various publications. The Telefilm Canada Emerging Critic award comes with a cash prize of $1,000, courtesy of Telefilm Canada.

The Toronto Film Critics Association will announce the coveted Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, by far Canada’s richest film prize at $100,000, with $5,000 going to each of the two runners-up. The winner will be announced at the 26th Annual TFCA Awards Gala, held at The Omni King Edward Hotel Toronto on Monday, March 6, 2023.

The TFCA is extremely grateful to founding sponsor Rogers Communications for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, to returning sponsors Labatt for the Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist, to Netflix as the Dinner sponsor, to Air Canada as Official Airline and to Company 3 as the Luminary Award sponsor. The TFCA welcomes new sponsors Universal Pictures Canada as the Cocktail Reception sponsor, Prime Video as the After-Party sponsor, Telefilm Canada as the Emerging Critic sponsor and Pinnacle Live as the Official AV Sponsor. The TFCA also thanks sponsors Cineplex Entertainment, Omni King Edward Hotel and salutes stalwart supporters, G.H. Mumm Champagne, L’Eat Catering, Zoomer Magazine, Chairman Mills and The Printing House.

Website: www.torontofilmcritics.com
Twitter: @tfca

#TFCA: CHARLOTTE WELLS’ “AFTERSUN” WINS BEST PICTURE AT 2022 TFCA AWARDS

The Toronto Film Critics Association met today to determine winners of the 26th annual TFCA Awards. The Awards, to be held March 6, 2023 at the OMNI King Edward Hotel will see a winner named for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. Up for the $100k prize are Clement Virgo’s Brother, David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future and Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps. Runners-Up will each receive $5,000.

Leading the winners this year is Charlotte Wells’ AFTERSUN, the semi-autobiographical Drama follows an 11 year-old girl’s recollections of a trip to a Turkish resort with her troubled father for his 31st birthday, following her parents’ separation. The Film is Wells’ first Feature, impressively seeing her sweep Best Picture, Director and Best First Feature. Star Paul Mescal also won Best Actor.

The full list of 26th annual TFCA Awards winners and runners-up below:

Best Picture

Aftersun (Sphere Films)
 
Runners-up: Everything Everywhere All at Once (Elevation Pictures), Women Talking (Universal Picture Canada)

Best Director

Charlotte Wells – Aftersun (Sphere Films)

Runners-up: Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (Elevation Pictures); Sarah Polley, Women Talking (Universal Pictures Canada)

Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted

The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh (Searchlight Pictures)

Runners-up: Todd Field, Tár (Universal Pictures Canada); Sarah Polley, Women Talking (Universal Picturs Canada)

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett in Tár (Universal Pictures Canada)

Runners-up: Danielle Deadwyler in Till ((Universal Pictures Canada; Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once (Elevation Pictures)

Best Actor

Paul Mescal in Aftersun (Sphere Films)

Runners-up: Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight Pictures); Brendan Fraser in The Whale (Elevation Pictures)

Best Supporting Actress

Keke Palmer in Nope (Universal Pictures Canada)

Runners-up: Jessie Buckley in Women Talking (Universal Pictures Canada); Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once (Elevation Pictures)

Best Supporting Actor

Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once (Elevation Pictures)

Runners-up: Brendan Gleeson in The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight Pictures); Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Animated Feature

Turning Red, directed by Domee Shi (Walt Disney Pictures Canada)

Runners-up: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix); Marcel the Shell with Shoes on (Elevation Pictures)

Allan King Documentary Award

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, directed by Laura Poitras (Elevation Pictures)

Runners-up: Fire of Love (Mongrel Media); Moonage Daydream (Elevation Pictures)

Best International Feature

Saint Omer, directed by Alice Diop (Films We Like)

Runners-up: Decision to Leave (Mongrel Media); EO (Films We Like)

Best First Feature

Aftersun, directed by Charlotte Wells (Sphere Films)

Runners-up: Marcel the Shell with Shoes on (Elevation Pictures); Turning Red (Walt Disney Pictures Canada)

Rogers Best Canadian Feature Award Nominees

Brother, directed by Clement Virgo (Elevation Pictures)
Crimes of the Future, directed by David Cronenberg (Sphere Films)
Riceboy Sleeps, directed by Anthony Shim (Game Theory Films)

Special Citation
To Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who are currently in jail in Ira yet continue to make subtle movies that talk about life in their country, in spite of threats and restrictions from the regime. We stand in solidarity with them and add our voices to the international arts community calling for their release.

(Photo credit: Sphere Films)

#TFCA: “DRIVE MY CAR” NAMED BEST FILM OF 2021 BY TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

The Toronto Film Critics Association have announced their 2021 Award Winners today. Winning top honours of Best Film is DRIVE MY CAR, a Japanese Drama written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. The Film is Japan’s official entry at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Runners-up were LICORICE PIZZA and THE POWER OF THE DOG.

The Rogers Best Canadian Film Award will award one winner $100,000 from Rogers Communications Inc., with two runners-up each receiving $5,000. Finalists in this category are Beans, directed by Tracey Deer; Night Raiders, directed by Danis Goulet; Scarborough, directed by Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson. The winner will be announced at their upcoming (date TBD) Awards Gala.

List of winners below:

Best Film

DRIVE MY CAR

Runners-up: LICORICE PIZZA

THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Director

Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

Runners-up: Hamaguchi Ryusuke (DRIVE MY CAR)

Denis Villeneuve (DUNE)

Best Actress

Olivia Colman (THE LOST DAUGHTER)

Runners-up: Penelope Cruz (PARALLEL MOTHERS)

Kristen Stewart (SPENCER)

Best Actor

Denzel Washington (THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH)

Runners-up: Benedict Cumberbatch (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

Andrew Garfield (TICK, TICK…BOOM!)

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley (THE LOST DAUGHTER)

Runners-up: Kirsten Dunst (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

Ruth Negga (PASSING)

Best Supporting Actor

Bradley Cooper (LICORICE PIZZA)

Runners-up: Ciaran Hinds (BELFAST)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

Best Screenplay

DRIVE MY CAR

Runners-up: LICORICE PIZZA

THE POWER OF THE DOG

Best Animated Feature

FLEE

Runners-up: ENCANTO

THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES

Best Documentary

SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)

Runners-up: FLEE

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

Best Foreign Language Film

DRIVE MY CAR

Runners-up: PETITE MAMAN

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Best First Feature

THE LOST DAUGHTER

Runners-up: PASSING

PIG

SHIVA BABY

More to come here.

#TFCA: “NOMADLAND” AND “ANNE AT 13,000 FT” AWARDED TOP PRIZES BY THE TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

NOMADLAND continues its early Awards Season dominance, being named Best Picture today by the Toronto Film Critics Association. In addition to being named People’s Choice Award winner at TIFF ’20, the Film by Chloé Zhao has been a winner among Critic Circles around the continent, scoring in San Diego, Chicago, Boston, New York, Los Angeles and more. It also won the Golden Lion in Venice, and was named Best Feature at the Gotham Awards.

The TFCA Gala took place this evening virtually with a livestream on YouTube, hosted by Elaine “Lainey” Lui and Kathleen Newman-Bremang and winners giving their speeches on video.

The evening’s biggest prize, the $100k Rogers Best Canadian Film Award was awarded to ANNE AT 13,000 FT directed by Kazik Radwanski. Radwanski stated “It’s meant so much for the Film to still have a life, to connect, and be written about. It’s a huge honour coming from the TFCA.”.

Other winners include:

Best Picture: NOMADLAND

Best Director: Chloé Zhao, NOMADLAND
Runners-up, Best Director: Kelly Reichardt – FIRST COW; Lee Isaac Chung – MINARI

Best Screenplay: MINARI
Runners-up, Best Screenplay: NOMADLAND, SOUND OF METAL

Best Actor: Riz Ahmed, SOUND OF METAL
Runners-up for Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM; Mads Mikkelsen, ANOTHER ROUND

Best Actress: Frances McDormand, NOMADLAND
Runners-up, Best Actress: Viola Davis, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM; Sidney Flanigan, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS

Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Runners-up, Best Actor: Paul Raci, Sound of Metal; Leslie Odom, Jr. One Night in Miami

Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Runners-up, Best Supporting Actress: Yuh-jung Youn, Minari; Olivia Colman, The Father

Best First Feature: THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
Runners-up, Best First Feature: THE FATHER, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Best Animated Feature: WOLFWALKERS
Runners-up, Best Animated Feature: SOUL and THE WILLOUGHBYS

Allan King Documentary Award: COLLECTIVE
Runners-up: CRIP CAMP, DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA and TIME

Best Foreign Language Film: BACURAU
Runners-up, Best Foreign Language Film: ANOTHER ROUND, BEANPOLE

Cineplex Emerging Critic Award: Mark Hanson (In the Seats) and Rose-Coloured Ray-Bans

Clyde Gilmour Award: Jason Ryle

Jay Scott Prize for Emerging Artist: Kelly Fyffe-Marshall

$100k Rogers Best Canadian Film Award Finalists: AND THE BIRDS RAINED DOWN, ANNE AT 13,000 FT and WHITE LIE

Visit the TFCA website for more details.

(Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures)

#TFCAs: “THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN” WINS TOP HONOURS AT 2020 TFCA AWARDS

It was a great honour, courtesy of Hollywood Suite, to celebrate the Toronto Film Critics’ Association Awards tonight. The Awards Gala taking place for the first time ever at the historic Omni King Edward Hotel, brought together Toronto’s tight-knit group of industry insiders, honouring the Association’s best selections in Cinema this past year. Guests dined on a sumptuous meal from the renowned establishment which has hosted the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, Helen Mirren and several more.

 

Host Cameron Bailey of TIFF, began the evening paying tribute to those who lost their lives in yesterday’s Boeing 737 plane crash in Iran, 138 who were Toronto-bound. The audience paused for a moment of silence. Bailey asked the audience, “Who will tell their stories, who will speak?”.

While several winners and runners-up were unveiled back in December, much anticipation was built around the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, a $100,000 prize going to a Canadian Filmmaker as a testament to the organization’s commitment to nurturing homegrown talent. Literary icon Margaret Atwood was on-hand to present the Award.

Finalists were:

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open directed by Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (levelFilm)
Antigone directed by Sophie Deraspe (Maison 4:3)
Firecrackers directed by Jasmin Mozaffari (levelFilm)

The Award was won by The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, co-directed by the Vancouver Duo of Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. Tailfeathers tells the audience, “The rate of indigenous women being murdered (seven times as great as non-indigenous women)  isn’t changing and the Film is about two women who live with that reality every day. Despite that, they find love and strength.”. She adds, “The beautiful reviews we received from Critics, particularly female Critics,  made the audience want to come see the Film. Canadians care about the Story and the Film.”.

 

Other winners announced previously:

BEST PICTURE
Parasite (MK2)
Runners-up:
The Irishman (Netflix)
Marriage Story (Netflix)

BEST ACTOR
Adam Driver, Marriage Story (Netflix)
Runners-up:
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems (Netflix)
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (Mongrel Media)

BEST ACTRESS
Lupita Nyong’o, Us (Universal)
Runners-up:
Renée Zellweger, Judy (eOne)
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story (Netflix)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony)
Runners-up:
Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (VVS Films)
Joe Pesci, The Irishman (Netflix)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura Dern, Marriage Story (Netflix)
Runners-up:
Florence Pugh, Little Women (Sony)
Julia Fox, Uncut Gems (Netflix)

BEST DIRECTOR
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (MK2)
Runners-up:
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman (Netflix)
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story (Netflix)

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED OR ORIGINAL
The Irishman by Steven Zaillian from the book by Charles Brandt (Netflix)
Runners-up:
Parasite by Bong Joon-ho (MK2)
Marriage Story by Noah Baumbach (Netflix)

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Booksmart directed by Olivia Wilde (eOne)
Runners-up:
Atlantics directed by Mati Diop (Netflix)
Queen & Slim directed by Melina Matsoukas (eOne)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Missing Link (Laika)
Runners-up:
Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Universal)
Frozen 2 (Disney)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Parasite (MK2)
Runners-up:
Pain and Glory (Mongrel Media)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (MK2)

ALLAN KING DOCUMENTARY FILM AWARD
American Factory (Netflix)
Runners-up:
Apollo 11 (Elevation Pictures)
The Cave (Mongrel Media)

 

See some Snaps from the night:

 

Kathleen Hepburn x Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Co-Directors – The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

 

Chris Butler, Director – Missing Link

 

Margaret Atwood, Presenter

 

Cameron Bailey, Host

 

Amanda Brugel, Presenter

 

Lina Rodriguez, Recipient of $50,000 grant from Techniolor Clyde Gilmour Award recipient Michèle Maheux

 

Deragh Campbell with the $10,000 Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize for an Emerging Artist

 

Victor Stiff, RBC TFCA Emerging Critic Award Winner

 

Team Touchwood PR including: Shima Madjpour, Betty Dang, Chelsea Cabello, Keira Hunt, Lauren DeRush, Alma Parvizian, Hayley Graham, Judy Lung, Susan Smythe-Bishop, Andréa Grau x Jennifer Rashwan

 

Team Taro PR (Tamar Gibbert, Brianna Hurley x Robyn Mogil) with Critic Bonnie Laufer Krebs

 

Team Warner Bros. Canada (Akasha Di Tomasso, Tracy McGowan x Anna Perelman)

 

Carrie Wolfe, Kate Parkes (Elevation Pictures) x Claire Peace-McConnell (VVS Films)

 

Natalie Petozzi (eOne Films) x Cat Simmonds (Elevation Pictures)

 

Team Allied Integrated (Trista Tsuke, Matthew Celestial x Shane Jackpaul)

 

Team Disney (Katya Kwiatkowski, Charlotte Cuttle)

 

Sofia Piwosz, Film Critic Radheyan Simonpillai x Victoria Gormley (Rock-it Promotions)

 

Jen Mcneely (She Does the City) x Jen Kirsch (Freelance Writer- Toronto Star, Hello Canada)

 

David Voigt (In the Seats)

 

Hollywood Suite’s Alicia Fletcher, Cameron Maitland x Julie Kumaria

 

Hollywood Suite’s Ellen Baine x Julie Kumaria

 

Hollywood Suite’s David Kines x Photographer George Pimentel

 

Ally La Mere (Route 504 PR)

 

Awards Season culminates in the Academy Awards, which take place Sunday, February 9, 2020, airing 8 PM ET on ABC. Nominees will be unveiled Monday, January 13, 2020.

 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)