The 2023 Academy Awards - TIFF's Awards Darlings
Will the toronto international film festival once again play a part with the biggest winners of awards season?
With this year’s Academy Awards just around the corner, movie lovers all around the world are checking odds and placing their bets on winners. Everything leads up to the Oscar’s during awards season, with every ceremony hinting to what could happen on March 12th.
Some of the leading movies each year can be found playing at the Big Five film festivals: Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and Toronto. In North America, the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF, is the most popular, bringing critics and audience members together. Last fall’s festival saw numerous films that are this season’s awards darlings, with some expected titles and some surprises. Half of this year’s Best Picture nominees were screened at TIFF, with a few making their world premiere right here in Toronto. While some personal favourites did not go the distance, some films that flew completely under the radar have been receiving a lot of attention – and may potentially take home more than a few golden statues.
TIFF platforms hundreds of movies every festival, and due to its notoriety and reach, some studios choose to make their debut in Toronto. TIFF can either be the harbinger for new awards buzz, or it can make or break a film that debuted at another festival. I’ve attended TIFF for the last three years, twice as an audience member and once as a critic, and it never gets old betting on which films will appear on voters’ ballots come awards season.
One of my personal favourites of the year, The Banshees of Inisherin, initially debuted at Venice’s International Film Festival, where it already began collecting awards, with Colin Farrell winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and Martin McDonagh taking home the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay. Of course, a screening at TIFF soon followed, where it was a big hit with the Toronto-based audience. The snowball is well underway for this film, with it receiving 10 nominations at the BAFTAs and taking home 4 awards (including Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Keoghan, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Condon, and Best Original Screenplay). This film’s tie for the SAG record number of nominations (with Everything Everywhere All at Once) just increases its Oscar odds. The Banshees of Inisherin received nine nominations for this year’s Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (McDonagh), Best Actor (Farrell), Best Supporting Actor (Gleeson and Keoghan), Best Supporting Actress (Condon), Best Original Screenplay (McDonagh), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score. Almost unbelievably, this is Farrell’s first Oscar nomination - TIFF luck, perhaps? This film has is already widely loved and has been celebrated thus far, a well-deserved outcome for this McDonagh directed tragicomedy, and with Oscar’s night around the corner, this praise may just continue.
All Quiet on the Western Front, a Netflix film, debuted at TIFF this year, and has been making quite a large splash so far. Like its title, this film quietly snuck into this year’s awards season, and after almost completely sweeping the BAFTAs (including winning Best Film – their equivalent of Best Picture), it is clearly a strong contender for this year’s Oscar’s race. Is this the year Netflix goes the distance? Currently, the film holds nine nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (Berger, Paterson, Stokell), Best International Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects. Unlike The Banshees of Inisherin, this film is heralded for its technical aspects (instead of its acting performances), meaning they both could perform very well in their respective categories. Again, TIFF debuting this film is a huge deal for both the festival and the film itself.
The Fabelmans, besides a sneak preview in New York, had its world premiere at TIFF and was marketed as one of the biggest films at the festival. Spielberg himself was in attendance to introduce his newest film, receiving standing ovations and chanting audience members. The film was awarded TIFF’s highest honour, the People’s Choice Award, and Gabriel LaBelle was named a TIFF Rising Star for his leading role as Sammy Fabelman. Since then, this film has cleaned up in nominations at many awards shows this season, with seven nominations at the Oscar’s. One of my favourite performances of the year, Judd Hirsch, secured a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Along with this great selection, the film is up for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Williams), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design.
Women Talking, the current favourite for winning Best Adapted Screenplay, was another fan favourite at TIFF, placing second to The Fabelmans for the People’s Choice Award. The great Sarah Polley, both director and writer for this film, may walk home with her first Academy Award this season!
Triangle of Sadness was a big hit at TIFF. It was here that it made its North American debut following its premiere at Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or. While some may argue some of this film’s actors were snubbed at this year’s Oscar’s (especially Dolly De Leon), it did secure three nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Director Ruben Östlund’s career is only going up at this point, with this being likely his most popular (and most recognized) film thus far. His last three movies have all screened at TIFF, so hopefully his next comes back to Toronto, as well – audiences would love to see it!
Of course, there are often a few movies recognized for acting performances alone, and TIFF proudly screened quite a few of these this past year. Causeway, an Apple TV original that debuted at TIFF, initially gained buzz for starring Jennifer Lawrence, but it was Brian Tyree Henry’s performance that wowed audiences. Aftersun’s Paul Mescal is in the running for Best Actor – extremely well-deserved for an amazing movie and a fantastic performance. The Whale’s Brendan Fraser is a fan favourite this year, marking the beginning of the Brenaissance, and he might just go home with the award for Best Actor. I was an audience member for The Whale’s first TIFF screening, and I can personally testify to how loud and long that standing ovation was – everyone loves Fraser, and seeing him dedicate himself to a role like this was so impressive. TIFF recognized him by awarding him a Tribute Award for Performance, but it definitely won’t stop there for him.
Clearly, TIFF is the spot for films that will soon take awards season by storm. Year after year, they screen the biggest and best new releases, platforming films so they can reach the largest audience possible. TIFF might just be a good luck charm, with films often shining after they are watched and loved by Toronto audiences.