The Toronto International Film Festival recently awarded its prestigious People’s Choice Award to “The Life of Chuck,” the film based on Stephen King’s 2020 novella of the same name. The movie, directed by Mike Flanagan, stars Tom Hiddleston as Charles “Chuck” Krantz and features a talented cast including Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay. This win marks a significant achievement for the adaptation as the festival came to a close this past weekend.
The People’s Choice Award at TIFF is highly esteemed for its tendency to predict Oscar nominees. Historically, every winner of this accolade since 2012 has gone on to receive a best picture nomination at the Academy Awards. Despite its success at TIFF, where it received a mix of reviews but overall positive feedback, “The Life of Chuck” still faces uncertainty regarding distribution as it is currently up for sale without a set release date.
In addition to “The Life of Chuck,” runners-up for the People’s Choice Award included two films that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year. Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” and Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, were among the top contenders as voted by festival attendees.
Other notable wins at the Toronto International Film Festival include the audience award for best documentary, which was presented to Mike Downie for “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal.” Additionally, in the Midnight Madness section, Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, received the top prize.
