tiff peoples choice 2022

5 movies that could win the People's Choice Award at TIFF 2022

Every year the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) bestows its top prize to a film chosen by audiences. First presented in 1978, previous recipients of the People's Choice award include beloved masterpieces, multiple Best Picture Winners, under-the-radar gems and more.

This year's slate includes a number of festival faves, world prems, and other titles that have only recently had a run at Telluride and/or Venice, making their welcome arrival here for local audiences to enjoy.

There are also individual People's Choice awards for Documentary and Midnight madness titles.

Look to Venice winner All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, Laura Poitras' midling yet accessible portrayal of Nan Goldin to take the doc award, and I would not be surprised if The People's Joker by Vera Drews drew plenty of votes after all the ruckus (my choice would be for something Weird-er).

The following are my picks for the movies most likely to take home the People's Choice Award at TIFF 2022.

The Fabelmans

The biggest coup that Cameron Bailey and co. pulled this year was snagging the premiere of Steven Spielberg's fictionalized ode to his childhood, and the even greater miracle is how damn good the film truly is. It's a masterpiece by a master filmmaker, one that certainly deserves to be fetted by this festival and its audience members.

Women Talking

If there's to be celebration of a local filmmaker who shot her latest in proximity to the city she calls home, there would be few that would begrudge Sarah Polley for taking home this coveted prize. It's a beautiful movie from a newly energized filmmaker making her best work to date, and if there's one title that may topple Spielberg it's this.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Robbed at Venice, could Martin McDonagh take the top prize just as he did in 2017 with Three Billboards? It's a long shot, but this ode to broken brotherhood as allegory for all wars, be they civil or otherwise, is certainly deserving of the plenty of plaudits it's already received.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

While certainly a long shot, Rian Johnson's delicious, diabolical murder mystery is such a joyous cinematic experience that it's got to be in contention. The audience at the Princess of Wales premiere was heaving with a mix of laughter and shocked gasps, and with so much to love about this film it would definitely be a deserving win.

The Whale

I didn't dig it, but there's so many people fascinated with the so-called "return" of Brendan Fraser that it's easy to see that the ballot boxes would be bloated with votes like overfilled meatball subs. Along with the attention for the truly egregious My Policeman (thanks to Harry Styles-mania) the votes could well swing towards one of these films.

Lead photo by

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery


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