As awards season begins to pick up pace, certain films are starting to generate real buzz. Though awards at the Toronto International Film Festival are not always an indicator of future success, The Imitation Game certainly didn’t hurt its chances by picking up the People’s Choice Award at the festival.
While it's not a guarantee of Oscar glory, the People's Choice Award has become a bit of an early indicator: in recent years 12 Years A Slave, The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire all saw their wins followed by a Best Picture prize. Expect, then, at least a few nominations for Morten Tyldum's film come January.
The film, which tells the story of Alan Turing, one of Britain’s unsung heroes, questions how and why the man who contributed so greatly to his country’s war effort could end up vilified and hounded by its government. As the maths genius-turned-codebreaker, Benedict Cumberbatch finds solace and companionship in Keira Knightley’s fellow decrypter Joan Clarke and rub up against a coterie of apparatchiks and powerbrokers, including Charles Dance’s Commander Denniston and Mark Strong's legendary MI6/SIS head Stewart Menzies. The film will hit UK screens first at the London Film Festival, where it kicks off the annual event on October 8. It’ll be on general release on November 14.
Vampire mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows, co-directed by Flight Of The Concords' Jemaine Clement alongside Taika Waititi, won the Midnight Madness prize, cementing its status as one to watch out for when it arrives here on November 21.
Here is the full list of winners…
People's Choice Award
The Imitation Game, directed by Morten Tyldum
**People's Choice Award For Documentary
**Beats Of The Antonov, directed by Hajooj Kuka
People's Choice Award For Midnight Madness
What We Do In The Shadows, directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Best Canadian Feature Film
Felix And Meira, directed by Maxime Giroux
Best Canadian First Feature Film
Bang Bang Baby, directed by Jeffrey St. Jules
Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations Section
Time Out Of Mind, directed by Oren Moverman
**Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery Section **
May Allah Bless France!, directed by Abd Al Malik
NETPAC Award For Best Asian Film
Margarita, With A Straw, directed by Shonali Bose
Best International Short Film
A Single Body, directed by Sotiris Dounoukos
Best Canadian Short Film
The Weatherman And The Shadowboxer, directed by Randall Okita