FIPRESCI Critics' Choice: "D.O.A.P."
"After 10 days, 352 films, and 27,747 minutes," a Toronto International Film Festival press release announces, the "People's Choice Award" (bestowed in recent years upon such films as "American Beauty" and "Tsotsi"), went to "Bella," an American film directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde. The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) was awarded to the British film "Death of a President," directed by Gabriel Range "for the audacity with which it distorts reality to reveal a larger truth."
More prize winners here. And I'll be posting more of my own thoughts about this year's frestival in the next few days.
Oscar buzz: Dark horse for best picture goes to Bella (2006). As Jim mentioned, it just won the People's Choice Award in Toronto. I was able to see a screening and it is absolutely amazing. Best movie if seen in years. To think a first time director was able to pull this off blows me away.
www.bellathemovie.com
You want a legitimate candidate for best picture that's currently flying under the radar - check out Bella
Jim,
One thing I realized about the festival this year (my first year at TIFF) was that with so many movies every festival goer has his own unique festival experience. Reading your logs proves that to me, both because we seem to have seen so few of the same films and because we completely disagree about the few films we have in common. Ain't it great? :) I thought Rescue Dawn, The Fountain, and For Your Consideration were, by far (and I mean by far!), the worst movies I saw at the festival, huge disappoints all, esp. Rescue Dawn since I adore Herzog.
On the other hand, I saw tons of great movies you haven't mentioned yet, though maybe you will: Offside (best film of the year!), Opera Jawa, This Filthy World (John Waters is a great stand-up comedian), Coeurs (Alain Resnais is still going strong), Colossal Youth (almost impossible to describe), Manufactured Landscapes, Syndromes and a Century, and many others.
That's what the festival is all about, different choices for different viewers. They claim no two identical games of chess have ever been played (except maybe the ones that are over real fast) - it's the same way with TIFF. What a pleasure this festival was. I plan to be back every year possible.