#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)