“Hamnet” Earns Top Prize at Toronto international Film Festival
Chloe Zhao’s past drama “Hamnet,” exploring the family tragedy behind Shakespeare’s play, secured the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The award, unique among major festivals, is persistent by votes from the general public, encompassing all films in the festival’s official lineup.
“It feels astounding,” said Zhao, upon receiving the award.
The film centers on Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, whose name would have sounded virtually identical to “Hamlet” during the period the play was written, according to scholars.
The Toronto People’s Choice Award has a strong track record of predicting Oscar success, having previously recognized films like “Green Book” (2018) and Zhao’s own “Nomadland,” though its accuracy has diminished in recent years.
Second place at the festival went to Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of ”Frankenstein,” while third place was awarded to “Wake Up Dead Man,” the latest installment in Daniel Craig’s “Knives Out” franchise, which began in 2019.
The top documentary prize was given to “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate rescue,” a film documenting the efforts of Israeli ex-soldier Noam Tibon to rescue his family during the October 7th hamas attacks. The film’s screening was preceded by protests from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups and took place under heightened police security. It had initially faced removal from the festival lineup before being reinstated following protests.
Park chan-wook’s thriller “No Other Choice” received the new International People’s Choice Award.
The Toronto International Film festival ran from [Date not provided in text – insert date here].
