TIFF People’s Choice Award Winners Ranked

Critics Consensus: Catapulting Ang Lee into the upper echelon of Hollywood filmmakers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, beautiful scenery, and tasteful drama.

Synopsis: In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen

Directed By: Ang Lee, James Schamus, David Linde

Critics Consensus: It’s far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave‘s unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant — and quite possibly essential — cinema.

Synopsis: In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano

Directed By: Steve McQueen, John Ridley, Tessa Ross

Critics Consensus: Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in The King’s Speech, a predictable but stylishly produced and rousing period drama.

Synopsis: England’s Prince Albert must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce

Directed By: Tom Hooper, Geoffrey Rush, Tim Smith, Paul Brett

Critics Consensus: A poetic character study on the forgotten and downtrodden, Nomadland beautifully captures the restlessness left in the wake of the Great Recession.

Synopsis: A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad after losing everything in the Great… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie

Directed By: Chloé Zhao

Critics Consensus: Led by incredible work from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, Room makes for an unforgettably harrowing — and undeniably rewarding — experience.

Synopsis: Held captive for years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers

Directed By: Lenny Abrahamson, Andrew Lowe, Emma Donoghue, Jesse Shapira

Critics Consensus: Jeffrey Wright and American Fiction will forever be inextricable thanks to the actor’s committed approach to the pointedly humorous and insightful material.

Synopsis: AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander

Directed By: Cord Jefferson, Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Percival Everett

Critics Consensus: A delightfully postmodern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is a deft, intelligent mix of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and makes it fresh.

Synopsis: A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her…. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon

Directed By: Rob Reiner, Norman Lear

Critics Consensus: Intelligently written and beautifully acted, Girlfriends captures the rhythms of female friendship — and late ’70s New York — with a deftly assured hand.

Synopsis: A New York City photographer feels an overwhelming sense of loneliness when her roommate moves out.

Starring: Melanie Mayron, Anita Skinner, Eli Wallach, Christopher Guest

Directed By: Claudia Weill

Critics Consensus: Part memoir, part ode to the power of the movies, The Fabelmans finds Steven Spielberg digging at the family roots that helped make him a beloved filmmaker — and proves he hasn’t lost his magic touch.

Synopsis: Young Sammy Fabelman falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Armed with a camera, Sammy… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle

Directed By: Steven Spielberg, Carla Raij, Josh McLaglen

Critics Consensus: Visually dazzling and emotionally resonant, Slumdog Millionaire is a film that’s both entertaining and powerful.

Synopsis: As 18-year-old Jamal Malik answers questions on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” flashbacks show how he got there. Part of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor

Directed By: Danny Boyle, Paul Smith, Tessa Ross

Critics Consensus: Silver Linings Playbook walks a tricky thematic tightrope, but David O. Russell’s sensitive direction and some sharp work from a talented cast gives it true balance.

Synopsis: After losing his job and wife, and spending time in a mental institution, Pat Solatano winds up living with his parents. He wants to rebuild… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver

Directed By: David O. Russell, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, George Para

Critics Consensus: Precious is a grim yet ultimately triumphant film about abuse and inner-city life, largely bolstered by exceptional performances from its cast.

Synopsis: Pregnant by her own father for the second time, 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) can neither read nor write and suffers constant abuse at… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz

Directed By: Lee Daniels, Lisa Cortes, Tom Heller, Tyler Perry

Critics Consensus: La La Land breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances, and an irresistible excess of heart.

Synopsis: Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts they are… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt

Directed By: Damien Chazelle, Mike Jackson, John Legend, Qiuyun Long

Critics Consensus: A sobering and heartfelt tale about massacre that took place in Rwanda while most of the world looked away.

Synopsis: Hutu Paul Rusesabagina manages the Hôtel des Mille Collines and lives a happy life with his Tutsi wife and their three children, but when Hutu… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte

Directed By: Terry George, Hal Sadoff, Martin Katz, Duncan Reid

Critics Consensus: An empowering and uplifting movie, with a wonderful performance by Castle-Hughes.

Synopsis: Only males are allowed to ascend to chiefdom in a Maori tribe in New Zealand. This ancient custom is upset when the child selected to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis

Directed By: Niki Caro, Linda Goldstein Knowlton, Bill Gavin

Critics Consensus: Featuring a strong performance from Geoffrey Rush, Shine succeeds in telling a compelling, inspirational story without resorting to cheap sentimentality.

Synopsis: As a child piano prodigy, David Helfgott’s musical ambitions generate friction with his overbearing father, Peter. When Helfgott travels to London on a musical scholarship,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Directed By: Scott Hicks

Critics Consensus: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deftly balances black comedy against searing drama — and draws unforgettable performances from its veteran cast along the way.

Synopsis: After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Frances McDormand, Caleb Landry Jones, Kerry Condon, Sam Rockwell

Directed By: Martin McDonagh, Bergen Swanson, Diarmuid McKeown, Rose Garnett

Critics Consensus: With an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch illuminating its fact-based story, The Imitation Game serves as an eminently well-made entry in the “prestige biopic” genre.

Synopsis: In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma — which cryptanalysts… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear

Directed By: Morten Tyldum, Graham Moore

Critics Consensus: The feel-good Amelie is a lively, fanciful charmer, showcasing Audrey Tautou as its delightful heroine.

Synopsis: “Amélie” is a fanciful comedy about a young woman who discretely orchestrates the lives of the people around her, creating a world exclusively of her… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Yolande Moreau

Directed By: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Critics Consensus: David Cronenberg triumphs again, showcasing the Viggo Mortensen’s onscreen prowess in a daring performance. Bearing the trademarks of psychological drama and gritty violence, Eastern Promises is a very compelling crime story.

Synopsis: Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is both ruthless and mysterious, has ties to one of the most dangerous crime families in London. He crosses paths with… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Directed By: David Cronenberg, Stephen Garrett, David M. Thompson, Jeff Abberley

Critics Consensus: As emotionally rich as it is eye-catching, Strictly Ballroom uses its infectious energy as the fuel for a modern dance classic with all the right moves.

Synopsis: A top ballroom dancer pairs with a plain, left-footed local girl when his maverick style earns him the disdain of his more conventionally-minded colleagues. Together,… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Barry Otto

Directed By: Baz Luhrmann, Antoinette Albert

Critics Consensus: Flawlessly cast and brimming with dark, acid wit, American Beauty is a smart, provocative high point of late ’90s mainstream Hollywood film.

Synopsis: Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Fed up with his boring, stagnant existence, he quits his job and decides… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley

Directed By: Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg

Critics Consensus: Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.

Synopsis: Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ohkusu, Yui Natsukawa

Directed By: Takeshi Kitano

Critics Consensus: Breaking hearts and mending them in one fell swoop, Hamnet speculates on the inspiration behind Shakespeare’s masterpiece with palpable emotional force thanks to Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal’s astonishing performances.

Synopsis: From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, HAMNET tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn

Directed By: Chloé Zhao, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Laurie Borg

Critics Consensus: A deeply personal project for writer-director Kenneth Branagh, Belfast transcends its narrative deficits with powerful performances and directorial craft.

Synopsis: BELFAST is a movie straight from Branagh’s own experience. A nine-year-old boy must chart a path towards adulthood through a world that has suddenly turned… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds

Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

Critics Consensus: Decidedly slower and less limber than the Olympic runners at the center of its story, Chariots of Fire nevertheless makes effectively stirring use of its spiritual and patriotic themes.

Synopsis: In the class-obsessed and religiously divided United Kingdom of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell (Ian… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, John Gielgud, Nigel Havers

Directed By: Hugh Hudson, Dodi Fayed, Jake Eberts

Critics Consensus: An odd but affecting mixture of drama, comedy and fantasy, The Fisher King manages to balance moving performances from Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges with director Terry Gilliam’s typically askew universe.

Synopsis: After shock jock Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) inadvertently provokes a caller into murdering a group of innocent people in a Manhattan bar, he grows depressed… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, Mercedes Ruehl

Directed By: Terry Gilliam

Critics Consensus: Jojo Rabbit‘s blend of irreverent humor and serious ideas definitely won’t be to everyone’s taste — but either way, this anti-hate satire is audacious to a fault.

Synopsis: Jojo is a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi

Directed By: Taika Waititi, Kevan Van Thompson

Critics Consensus: Showing a sweeter side of director Mike Flanagan’s deeply-felt emotional register, The Life of Chuck is a buoyant and often wonderful adaptation of one of Stephen King’s more cosmically optimistic tales.

Synopsis: A genre-bending tale celebrating the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz, as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss and the multitudes contained… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill

Directed By: Mike Flanagan, Melinda Nishioka, D. Scott Lumpkin, Molly C. Quinn

Critics Consensus: Benigni’s earnest charm, when not overstepping its bounds into the unnecessarily treacly, offers the possibility of hope in the face of unflinching horror.

Synopsis: A gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), meets Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), a pretty schoolteacher, and wins her over with his charm and humor. Eventually… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano

Directed By: Roberto Benigni

Critics Consensus: Green Book takes audiences on an excessively smooth ride through bumpy subject matter, although Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen’s performances add necessary depth.

Synopsis: Dr. Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist who’s about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco

Directed By: Peter Farrelly, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Octavia Spencer

Synopsis: Ex-journalist Michael Moore demands answers when General Motors suddenly closes the doors of all its auto plants in the Flint, Michigan, the city where he… View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Michael Moore

Critics Consensus: Love and hope soar in Cyrano De Bergerac, an immensely entertaining romance featuring Gerard Depardieu as his peak.

Synopsis: Soldier and poet Cyrano de Bergerac (Gérard Depardieu) is in love with Roxane (Anne Brochet), but he’s too ashamed to admit it because of his… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez, Jacques Weber

Directed By: Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Synopsis: This Argentine drama focuses on Alicia (Norma Aleandro), a high school history teacher who is leading a comfortable life with her husband, Roberto (Héctor Alterio),… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, Chela Ruíz, Chunchuna Villafañe

Directed By: Luis Puenzo

Synopsis: Director Ira Wohl documents three years in the life of her cheerful, mentally handicapped 52-year-old cousin, Philly Wohl, whose elderly parents have recently started to… View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Ira Wohl

Critics Consensus: Warm, funny, and populated by easily relatable characters, The Snapper is a compulsively watchable slice-of-life dramedy with much to recommend.

Synopsis: Twenty-year-old Irish lass Sharon Curley (Tina Kellegher) still lives at home with her mom (Ruth McCabe), dad (Colm Meaney) and many siblings. But notoriety in… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe, Fionnuala Murphy

Directed By: Stephen Frears, Mark Shivas

Critics Consensus: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar working in a distinctly feminist vein, with richly rewarding results.

Synopsis: When Pepa Marcos’ lover Ivan suddenly leaves her without any explanation, she embarks on a strange journey to discover why. On the way she meets… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano, María Barranco

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar

Synopsis: Growing up as a gay teen in Nova Scotia was so hard for young William (Chris Leavins) that he ran away at the age of… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chris Leavins, Kerry Fox, Seana McKenna, Peter MacNeill

Directed By: Thom Fitzgerald

Critics Consensus: Places in the Heart is a quiet character piece with grand ambitions that it more than fulfills, thanks to absorbing work from writer-director Robert Benton and a tremendous cast.

Synopsis: In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spalding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run and very little money in the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, John Malkovich, Ed Harris

Directed By: Robert Benton

Synopsis: When a Montreal professor (Rémy Girard) and his wife (Dorothée Berryman) gather together six of their erudite friends for a holiday in the country, the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dominique Michel, Dorothée Berryman, Pierre Curzi, Rémy Girard

Directed By: Denys Arcand

Critics Consensus: Magical and morbid, Antonia picturesque landscapes and proficient performances elevate a somewhat pedestrian parable.

Synopsis: After World War II, Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) and her daughter, Danielle (Els Dottermans), go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia’s late mother has… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans, Jan Decleir, Marina de Graaf

Directed By: Marleen Gorris

Critics Consensus: The Big Chill captures a generation’s growing ennui with a terrific cast, a handful of perceptive insights, and one of the decade’s best film soundtracks.

Synopsis: This compassionate “comedy of values” probes the growing pains of seven college housemates from the 1960s who have drifted apart and then reunite at the… View Full Synopsis

Starring: William Hurt, Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger

Directed By: Lawrence Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan, Marcia Nasatir

Critics Consensus: A deft directorial debut from Antonia Bird, Priest handles its sensitive subject with care — despite certain sanctimonious sentiments.

Synopsis: The Rev. Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) is homosexual and a Roman Catholic priest who takes his vows and his love of God seriously. When a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, James Ellis

Directed By: Antonia Bird, Mark Shivas

Synopsis: Based on Shakespeare’s famed play, this modern update finds American architect Phillip Dimitrius (John Cassavetes) splitting from his wife, Antonia (Gena Rowlands), and relocating to… View Full Synopsis

Starring: John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Vittorio Gassman

Directed By: Paul Mazursky

Synopsis: Muslim and Christian women (Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Layla Hakim, Nadine Labaki) join forces to stem the tide of violence in their war-torn Middle Eastern village.

Starring: Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Layla Hakim, Nadine Labaki, Yvonne Maalouf

Directed By: Nadine Labaki

Synopsis: Alex Linden (Art Garfunkel) is a psychiatrist living in Vienna who meets Milena Flaherty (Theresa Russell) through a mutual friend. Though Alex is quite a… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel, Denholm Elliott

Directed By: Nicolas Roeg

Critics Consensus: Critics labeled Bella as a simplistic and mostly pedestrian, but positive word of mouth gave this tiny indie surprising theatrical legs.

Synopsis: After Nina (Tammy Blanchard) is fired from her waitressing job for being late, she leans on the restaurant’s chef, Jose (Eduardo Verástegui), for support. Though… View Full Synopsis

Starring: Eduardo Verástegui, Tammy Blanchard, Manny Perez, Angélica Aragón

Directed By: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde, Fred Foote, Stephen McEveety, Ana Wolfington