Toronto International Film Festival 2013: Winners: 12 YEARS A SLAVE

12 Years a Slave and the other award winners for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 2013) has been announced. The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival is “a publicly-attended non-competitive film festival. Founded in 1976, the TIFF is now one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. The festival has begun to give more attention to mainstream Hollywood films [but] still maintains its focus on independent cinema. It features retrospectives of national cinemas and individual directors, highlights of Canadian cinema, as well as a variety of African, South American, and Asian films.”

The full award winners list for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival:

BlackBerry People’s Choice Award:
12 Years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen [TIFF]
Director Steve McQueen follows the acclaimed Hunger and Shame with this shocking, based-on-fact story of a 19th-century freeman kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. The enormously talented Chiwetel Ejiofor leads an extraordinary cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Alfre Woodard and Benedict Cumberbatch. (Watch the trailer)
Runners Up: Stephen Frears’ Philomena and Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners

BlackBerry People’s Choice Documentary Award:
The Square directed by Jehane Noujaim [TIFF]
This documentary epic is the result of director Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) and her crew’s dogged chronicling of activism, unrest and revolution in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
Runners Up: Alanis Obomsawin’s Hi-Ho Mistahey! and Leanne Pooley’s Beyond the Edge

BlackBerry People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award:
Why Don’t You Play in Hell? directed by Sion Sono [TIFF]
A renegade film crew becomes embroiled with a yakuza clan feud in this wild, perverse and blood-soaked orgy of outrageousness from cult director Sion Sono (Suicide Club).
Runners Up: Mike Flanagan’s Oculus and A?lex de la Iglesia’s Witching & Bitching

City of Toronto + Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature:
When Jews Were Funny directed by Alan Zweig [TIFF]

“For three generations of extraordinary, honest and courageous performances in Peter Stebbing’s Empire of Dirt, the jury presents a special citation to Jennifer Podemski, Cara Gee and Shay Eyre.”

Skyy Vodka Award For Best Canadian First Feature Film:
Asphalt Watches directed by Shayne Ehman & Seth Scriver [TIFF]

“For its technical mastery, polish, sense of fun and ability to scare the pants off us, the jury gives an honourable mention to Afflicted.”

FIPRESCI Prize For Special Presentations:
Ida directed by Pawel Pawlikowski [TIFF]

FIPRESCI Prize For Discovery Programme:
The Amazing Catfish directed by Claudia Sainte-Luce [TIFF]

Best Canadian Short Film:
Noah directed by Walter Woodman & Patrick Cederberg [TIFF] (Watch the Short Film)
Honorable Mentions: Kevan Funke’s Yellowhead and Fraser Munden & Neil Rathbone’s The Chaperone 3D

NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere:
Qissa directed by Anup Singh [TIFF]

Grolsch Film Works Discovery Award:
All the Wrong Reasons directed by Gia Milani [TIFF]

Leave your thoughts on the award winners for 2013 Toronto International Film Festival below in the comments section. For more Toronto International Film Festival photos, videos, and information, visit our Toronto International Film Festival Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook.

Source: Firstshowing, TIFF