Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet earns People’s Choice Award at Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO – Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet received the prestigious People’s Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sunday, signaling a potential frontrunner for upcoming awards season recognition. The film, produced by Steven Spielberg adn Sam Mendes, captivated audiences and earned the top prize in a category historically predictive of Oscar success.
The People’s Choice award,established in 1978,has a strong track record; winners frequently secure at least a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards,and often the award itself.Last year’s winner, The Life of Chuck, is slated for release in 2025. This year’s runners-up included guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Zhao, known for her previous work including Nomadland, discussed the support she received from Spielberg and Mendes during production. “Their feedback was very filmmaker-driven because they are both amazing filmmakers, so when they gave me notes, they were already infused with what they knew was my style,” she told vanity Fair in August. “Even when I did things that probably were confusing or didn’t make sense to people, they would say, ‘You know what? We trust her. Let her do her thing.'”
The festival also awarded prizes in other categories: Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice won the audience award for international film, Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the movie took the midnight Madness prize, and Barry Avrich’s The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue was honored in the documentary category.
Hamnet is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 27.
