It’s back to back wins for director Barry Avrich as Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been scored the People’s Choice Documentary Award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Avrich’s The Road Between Us nabbed the prize last year. Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been celebrates the life and work of the acclaimed singer who built a major career as a backup vocalist before gaining recognition in her own right. Love’s story previously appeared in the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, such on the Academy Award.
A documentary also scored a rare feat by winning the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. Matthew Rankin’s irreverent Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney took the prize with the NFB doc landing as one of the festival’s word of mouth hits.
The big prize of the day went to Netflix’s La Bola Negra, which won the overall People’s Choice Award. The sweeping gay historical drama previously won the Best Director prize at Cannes for Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for its completion and reimagining of playwright Federico García Lorca’s incomplete last work. La Bola Negra is Spain’s official submission for Best International Feature and also emerges from Toronto as an Oscar frontrunner.
The full list of TIFF winners is as follows;
People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: La Bola Negra, dirs. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi
First runner-up: I Play Rocky, dir. Peter Farrelly
Second runner-up: Being Heumann, dir. Siân Heder
International People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: Elsinore, dir. Simon Stone
First runner-up: Possible Love, dir. Lee Chang-dong
Second runner-up: The Assassin(s), dir. Hur Jin-ho
People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers: Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been, dir. Barry Avrich
First runner-up: Black Sunflowers, dir. James Marcus Haney
Second runner-up: The Ultra Runner, dir. Mila Aung-Thwin
People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers: Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney, dir. Matthew Rankin
First runner-up: The Spiral, dir. Paolo Strippoli
Second runner-up: Arrested Memory, dir. SABU
Best Canadian Discovery Award: Smudge the Blades, dir. Cody Lightning | Canada
Honourable Mention: The Black Box is Orange, dir. Yuula Benivolski | Canada
Best Canadian Feature Film Award: Sunburn, dir. Serville Poblete | Canada
Honourable Mention: Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story, dir. Adrian Buitenhuis | Canada
Platform Prize: Angh, dir. Theja Rio | India
Special Jury Award: Brace Your Heart (Garrat Du Váimmu), dir. Amanda Kernell | Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Bulgaria
Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film: MAMMALIA, dir. Elia Kalogianni | Greece, Netherlands
Honourable Mention: The Spectacular Death of Prisca, dir. Kaelo Iyizoba | Nigeria
Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film: Fight Kid, dir. Michael Del Monte | Canada
Honourable Mention: Almost Pink, dir. Justine Prince | Canada
Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film: Into The Betaverse, dirs. Varun Raman, Tom Hancock | United Kingdom
FIPRESCI Prize: Ancestors, dir. David Turpin | Ireland, United Kingdom
NETPAC Award: Thirteen in Gaza, dir. Hosam Abu Dan | Palestine
