Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ Named People’s Choice at 2021 TIFF

BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN

For nearly a decade, the winner of the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award has gone on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. With that track record, it makes TIFF one of the most important festival stops ahead of awards season. In fact, the most recent Best Picture winner, “Nomadland,” did just that last year, earning the People’s Choice Award ahead of nearly sweeping the entire awards season.

For 2021, there were several notable titles anticipated ahead of TIFF with all eyes on films like “The Power of the Dog” and “Dune.” On the acting front, the cast of “The Power of the Dog” became an early festival favorite, as did Jessica Chastain, who has earned some of the highest praise of her career for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”

At the end of the fest, it was Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical “Belfast” that earned the popular vote among festival attendees. Starring Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Ciarán Hinds, and Judi Dench, the film follows a young boy and his working class family in the 1960s.

“Belfast” is said to be a crowd-pleasing, feel-good, inspiring film that will surely be among the most awarded this season. It will release to cinemas in November.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

People’s Choice Award: BELFAST

People’s Choice Documentary: THE RESCUE

People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award: TITANE

Platform Prize: YUNI

FIPRESCI Jury Award: ANATOLIAN LEOPARD

NETPAC Award: COSTA BRAVA, LEBANON