TORONTO - British star Kenneth Branagh’s “deeply personal” directorial effort, “Belfast,” has picked up awards season momentum after winning the People’s Choice prize at the Toronto International Film Festival. Other previous People’s Choice winners that have nabbed best picture include “Green Book,” “12 Years a Slave,” “The King’s Speech” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”This year’s People’s Choice race had a caveat, though: films that didn’t screen on the festival’s digital site were not eligible for the prize, including buzzy titles “Spencer” and “Dune.”Organizers said votes for People’s Choice were tallied Saturday morning. The second runner-up for People’s Choice was Jane Campion’s wild west drama “The Power of the Dog,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a Montana ranch owner. “The Rescue” by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, about a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave in summer 2018, won the People’s Choice Documentary Award. Predicting which film might win People’s Choice was trickier without the usual audience chit-chat and lounging at venues, but strong responses on social media and in theatres helped, said Bailey.

Source: thestar September 19, 2021 01:18 UTC