The All-Important Audience Award
Forget the critics for a second; the most predictive prize at TIFF is the People's Choice Award. Voted on by regular festival-goers, its winner has an uncanny track record of landing a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. In the last 18 years, 16 winners
have gone on to compete for the top prize, with films like "Green Book" and "Nomadland" eventually winning it all. The winner is announced on September 20, but early favorites based on audience reactions include the Sylvester Stallone-origin story "I Play Rocky," the New York-set dramedy "Club Kid," and Jesse Eisenberg's latest directorial effort, "The Debut." Paying attention to this one specific award is the single best cheat sheet for predicting a major Best Picture contender.
A Star-Making Turn in 'I Play Rocky'
Every year, a performance breaks out of the festival circuit and becomes a must-see. This year, the chatter surrounds Anthony Ippolito, who plays a young Sylvester Stallone in Peter Farrelly's "I Play Rocky." The film chronicles Stallone's battle to get his script for "Rocky" made, and early reports suggest Ippolito captures the underdog spirit and ambition that defined the star's early career. Crowd-pleasing biopics with a feel-good story are often awards magnets, and the enthusiastic reception for Ippolito suggests he's just punched his ticket to the Best Actor conversation. The film is a genuine Hollywood backstory that could bring the house down.
Julianne Moore's Comedic Triumph
Jesse Eisenberg's second feature as a director, "The Debut," is being hailed as a surreal screwball comedy, and at its center is a performance from Julianne Moore that critics are calling one of her best. Moore plays a nearly invisible New Jersey housewife who, on a whim, auditions for a community theater play and becomes completely consumed by the role. Paired with Paul Giamatti as the play's cantankerous director, Moore's turn is described as both hilariously farcical and deeply affecting. Buzz from the festival suggests both Moore and Giamatti are delivering awards-worthy work in a film that balances absurdity with real human drama.
The Director to Watch
Siân Heder, who directed the Oscar-winning film "CODA," returned to the festival with "Being Heumann," a biopic about the 'mother of the disability rights movement,' Judy Heumann. The film opened the festival and stars Ruth Madeley in a performance that is already generating significant buzz. Given Heder's previous success and the powerful true story at the film's core, "Being Heumann" is positioned as a major contender across several categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. The film is seen as a conventional but important true-story drama.
Don't Sleep on the Dark Horses
Beyond the big premieres, several other performances are standing out. Andrew Scott is earning raves for "Elsinore," in which he plays an actor tackling the role of Hamlet. Rosalind Eleazar's lead role in Chris Rock's directorial effort "Misty Green" is being called "career-defining" as she portrays an actress navigating a comeback. And Cynthia Erivo is reportedly powerhouse in "Prima Facie," a searing legal drama adapted from the acclaimed stage play. These are the names and titles that will populate the supporting categories and critics' lists in the months to come, making you look like a true insider when they hit theaters.
