What does a prize in Toronto mean? Next to nothing to film marketers, who get far more mileage out of a Cannes or Sundance trophy. This is because audience members, rather than a jury of specialists, vote on the recipient of the T.I.F.F.'s biggest plaque, killing its prestige. But the city has a pretty good track record nonetheless: the penultimate "People's Choice" award went to American Beauty, and before that, Life is Beautiful, both major Oscar contenders.
The truth is, after all these years, the increasingly important T.I.F.F. remains relatively uncompetitive. Only those filmmakers up for cash, thanks to sponsors like CityTV, really sweat the annual brunch, which is held the morning after the closing party and at which the "winners" are announced.
Without further ado, the list:
Benson & Hedge's People's Choice
Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (The second subtitled film to deservedly conquer this category in three years.)
Runners-up: Rob Sitch's The Dish; Paul Cox's Innocence and Stephen Daldry's Billy Elliot (tie)
Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
Gary Burns' Waydowntown (an award I'm grateful didn't not go to The Law of Enclosures, which picked up mysteriously positive buzz towards the end of the Fest)
Runner-up: Denis Villeneuve's Maelstrom
Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film
Phillipe Falardeau's La Moitié Gauche du Frigo
Runner-up: Anthony Couture's Red Deer
John Spotton Award for Best Canadian Short
Michèle Cournoyer's La Chapeau (an award I thought would go to the wonderful Atomic Sake)
Runner-up: Keith Behrman's Ernest
FIPRESCI Award
Oxide and Danny Pang's Bangkok Dangerous (I stand before you somewhat red-faced: this award has a separate jury of international critics)
The Volkswagen Discovery Award
Baltassar Kormakur's 101 Reykavik
Runners-up: Marziyeh Meshniki's The Day I Became a Woman and Yongyooth Thonkonthun's The Iron Ladies
Special Jury Citation
Beats me how this award is determined, but it was given to Karen Walton for her Ginger Snaps screenplay
Goodbye, Alan Smithee's café (Chris and I speculated on who really owned that pastry stop situated inside the Varsity Cinemas); goodbye, swag; goodbye, Fest-goers. See y'all next year, I hope.
