‘Hamnet’ Wins People’s Choice Award at The Toronto International Film Festival

We have a new Oscar best picture frontrunner.

Hamnet has won the People’s Choice Award, the top prize at the Toronto Film Festival, and solidified itself as a top contender for the Oscars.

The Chloé Zhao film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival just a week earlier, where it quickly became the talk of the town. The film, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s book, follows William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they fall in love and then face a devastating tragedy. Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley deliver incredible performances in the lead roles, supported by a strong cast that includes Joe Alwyn and Emily Watson.

Zhao’s previous film Nomadland also won the People’s Choice Award (which is voted on by festival attendees), and went on to win the Oscar for best picture. Other past winners of the People’s Choice Award that eventually won best picture include 12 Years a Slave, Green Book, and Slumdog Millionaire.

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein took the runner-up prize. The film, a longtime passion project for del Toro, stars Oscar Isaac as the creator and Jacob Elordi as his monster. The third installment in Rian Johnson’s popular Knives Out franchise, Wake Up Dead Man, earned second-runner up. The film has a star-studded ensemble that includes Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Scott.

The International People’s Choice Award went to Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, which played very well both at TIFF and Venice. The dark comedy thriller stars Lee Byung-hun as a man who grows desperate after being fired from his job. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, which first played at the Cannes Film Festival, took the runner-up prize.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDSPeople’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: Hamnet, dir. Chloé ZhaoFirst runner-up: Frankenstein, dir. Guillermo del ToroSecond runner-up: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, dir. Rian Johnson

International People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers: No Other Choice, dir. Park Chan-wookFirst runner-up: Sentimental Value, dir. Joachim TrierSecond runner-up: Homebound, dir. Neeraj Ghaywan

People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers: The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, dir. Barry AvrichFirst runner-up: EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, dir. Baz LuhrmannSecond runner-up: You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…, dir. Nick Davis

People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, dir. Matt JohnsonFirst runner-up: Obsession, dir. Curry BarkerSecond runner-up: The Furious, dir. Kenji Tanigaki