TIFF Films Dominate Awards Season
Festival continues to champion the best in international, independent and Canadian cinema
Toronto - It was another triumphant year for films that premiered and were showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival. Films featured at the Festival have won and been nominated for awards from a variety of associations, including the Academy Awards®, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the Screen Actors’ Guild, the Directors’ Guild Awards and the Golden Globes. Among the nominated TIFF films are Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air (2009), Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (2008), Tom Ford’s A Single Man (2009), Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire (2009) directed by Lee Daniels, An Education (2009) directed by Lone Scherfig, Un Prophète (2009) directed Jacques Audiard, Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon (2009) and Robert Kenner’s documentary, Food, Inc. (2008). A comprehensive list of nominations and awards is attached.
“Toronto continues to launch great films into brilliant awards careers,” said Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Festival. “We’re grateful to the filmmakers, audience, industry and media who gather here every September knowing this is the place the excitement starts.”
Films featured at the Toronto International Film Festival have been nominated for 41 Academy Awards. The Hurt Locker, which received its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film leads the nominated TIFF films with 61 wins, including a win from the Directors Guild of America for best director, awarded to Kathryn Bigelow. The film has garnered 108 mentions including Best Picture from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Up in the Air, which had its world premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, has won 48 awards, including 15 awards for Best Adapted Screenplay awarded to Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. The film is nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for George Clooney.
Food, Inc., which had its world premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, has been nominated for eight awards including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Robert Kenner is also mentioned for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Documentary from the Directors Guild of America.
The White Ribbon received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography. The German film, which had its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, was awarded Best European Film and Best European Director at the European Film Awards, and also awarded Best Foreign Film by the Hollywood Foreign Press Academy at the Golden Globes.
Newcomer Carey Mulligan has been awarded 12 Best Actress awards for her role as sixteen-year-old Jenny in Lone Scherfig’s An Education, which had its Canadian Premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Colin Firth was awarded five Best Actor awards and is nominated for an Academy Award for his role as George Falconer in Tom Ford’s A Single Man, which had its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
Un Prophète is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film. The film had its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and has been awarded the European Film Academy Prix D’Excellence and is nominated for seven César Awards.
Lee Daniels’ Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards with nine nominations and actress Mo’Nique has received 27 Best Supporting Actress awards. The film, which had its Canadian premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, also won the 2009 Cadillac People’s Choice Award, an award which is chosen by the festival audience. The film is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Gabourey Sidibe.
Toronto International Film Festival is generously supported by Bell, RBC, Blackberry, Telefilm Canada and the Government of Ontario.
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. TIFF generates an annual economic impact of $135 million CAD and currently employs more than 100 full-time staff and 500 part-time and seasonal staff, and counts upon the largesse of over 2,000 volunteers year-round.
TIFF Bell Lightbox – Currently under construction, TIFF Bell Lightbox, a breathtaking five-storey complex located in downtown Toronto, will provide a permanent home for film lovers to celebrate cinema from around the world and will propel TIFF forward as an international leader in film culture. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s fluid structure encourages exploration, movement and play. The campaign to build TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, the King and John Festival Corporation – consisting of the Reitman family and the Daniels Corporation – RBC as major sponsor and official bank, Visa†, the Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, the Allan Slaight Family, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation and CIBC. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals and corporations have also contributed to the campaign. For more information on the TIFF Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca.
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For further information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or by email at proffice@tiff.net.