Toronto Film Festival announces winners of its 50th edition

Shafaq News – Toronto

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival concluded in Canada with Hamnet by Chloé Zhao (United Kingdom) earning the People’s Choice Award, the festival’s top audience honor.

The closing ceremony, held on September 14, recognized winners across multiple categories, including the People’s Choice Awards, Short Cuts, the FIPRESCI Prize, the NETPAC Award, Canadian film awards, and the Platform Award. Prizes included audience selections, jury decisions, and cash awards for Canadian filmmakers.

People’s Choice Awards

The international juries and audience voting awarded:

- People’s Choice Award: Hamnet by Chloé Zhao (United Kingdom).

· First runner-up: Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro (USA).

· Second runner-up: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery by Rian Johnson (USA).

- International People’s Choice Award: No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook (South Korea).

· First runner-up: Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier (Norway/France/Denmark/Germany/Sweden/UK).

· Second runner-up: Homebound by Neeraj Ghaywan (India).

- People’s Choice Documentary Award: The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue by Barry Avrich (Canada).

· First runner-up: EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert by Baz Luhrmann (Australia).

· Second runner-up: You Had to Be There by Nick Davis (USA).

- People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie by Matt Johnson (Canada).

· First runner-up: Obsession by Curry Barker (USA).

· Second runner-up: The Furious by Kenji Tanigaki (Hong Kong, China).

Short Cuts

The Short Cuts jury, chaired by Ashley Iris Gill, Connor Jessup, and Marcel Jean, honored:

- Best International Short Film: Talk Me by Joecar Hanna (Spain/USA).

- Honourable Mention: Agapito by Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines).

- Best Canadian Short Film: The Girl Who Cried Pearls by Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski (Canada).

- Honourable Mention: A Soft Touch by Heather Young (Canada).

- Best Animated Short Film: To the Woods by Agnès Patron (France).

FIPRESCI Prize

The International Critics Prize, awarded by the FIPRESCI jury chaired by Andy Hazel with Francisco Ferreira, Jean-Philippe Guerand, Justine Smith, and Katharina Dockhorn, went to:

- Forastera by Lucía Aleñar Iglesias (Spain/Italy/Sweden).

NETPAC Award

The NETPAC jury, composed of Keoprasith Souvannavong, Dina Iordanova, and Helen Lee, awarded:

- In Search of the Sky (Vimukt) by Jitank Singh Gurjar (India).

Canadian Awards

The Canadian Discovery and Feature Film jury, including Jennifer Baichwal, Sophie Jarvis, and R.T. Thorne, honored:

- Best Canadian Discovery Award: Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari (Canada).

- Honourable Mention: 100 Sunset by Kunsang Kyirong (Canada).

- Best Canadian Feature Film Award: Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) by Zacharias Kunuk (Canada).

- Honourable Mention: There Are No Words by Min Sook Lee (Canada).

Platform Award

The Platform jury, chaired by Carlos Marqués-Marcet with Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Chloé Robichaud, awarded:

- Platform Award: To The Victory! by Valentyn Vasyanovych (Ukraine/Lithuania).

- Honourable Mention: Hen by György Pálfi (Germany/Greece/Hungary).

Festival Overview

The Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 4 to 14, 2025, showcasing films across Contemporary World Cinema, Discovery, Midnight Madness, and other programs. TIFF remains one of North America’s most prestigious film festivals, alongside Sundance, attracting international filmmakers, critics, and audiences.

For more info: https://tiff.net/press/news/tiff-50-announces-its-2025-award-winners

Credit: Independent journalist and reporter Mansour Jahani