People's Choice Award makes TIFF-winning 'Nomadland' a reel contender
Once again, the people have spoken, and “Nomadland” -- another stirring movie from the studio formerly known as Fox Searchlight -- likely finds itself in the midst of the end-of-season awards race, whenever that might be. (Disney changed the name of the studio to Searchlight Pictures after its acqusition.)
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| McDormand stars in the award-winning "Nomadland." |
So, if history repeats itself, the win certainly puts “Nomadland,” starring Frances McDormand and a couple of fascinatingly real American “nomads,” in line for several nomination possibilities.
Two years ago, top TIFF honoree “Green Book” won the Best Picture Oscar, joining six other “People’s” movies to turn the same trick, including two from Searchlight, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “12 Years a Slave.”
“Jojo Rabbit,” ironically another Searchlight product and last year’s festival “Choice,” was nominated for six Oscars, but won only the Best Adapted Screenplay Award for writer/director Taika Waititi.
We shall see what happens, if and when, but here are some personal nods to the just concluded TIFF 45 showcase:
Favorite film(s): A tie between “TheTruffle Hunters,” a delightful documentary saluting skillful old Italians and their dogs, and “Another Round,” a mostly entertaining – and occasionally dark -- dramedy from writer/director Thomas Vinterberg about a quartet of Danish school teachers testing the limits of alcohol and the people around them.
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| History teach Mikkelsen drinks "Another Round" with grads. |
A convincing trio: The aforementioned “Nomadland”; “Spring Blossom,” which 20-year-old mademoiselle Suzanne Lindon wrote, directed and starred in as a 16-year-old Parisian finding her first taste of sprightly and controversial love; and “76 Days,” the stunningly urgent pandemic documentary from Wuhan, China.
Two more powerful ones: “Quo Vadis, Aida” and “Violation,” a couple of occasionally hard-to-watch movies about strong women during stressful times.
Wish I’d seen 'em: “Ammonite,” “I Care a Lot,” “Nottorno” and festival Fipresci Award-winner “Beginning,” all of which were kept away from most American press, reportedly for various contractual reasons.
Acting accolades: Jasna Duricic (“Quo Vadis, Aida”), Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”), Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”), McDormand (“Nomadland”), Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round”), and Leslie Odom Jr. (People’s Choice runner-up “One Night in Miami”).
Kids are alright, too: Youngsters shone brightly in a few films, including Caleb McLaughlin ("Concrete Cowboy”), Kiawentiiu (“Beans”), and Lonnie Chavis (“The Water Man”).
Ohio surprise: “Holler,” a film shot in the small town of Jackson in Athens County, features a strong performance by English actress Jessica Barden, as a smart and loyal local teen agreeing to some shady work to get out of town. Though not an official entry, the movie was exhibited in a special section, “TIFF Industry Selects,” to allow potential buyers and distributors to take a look. Director and writer Nicole Riegel grew up in Jackson and surely will be heard from again.
Movie magic moment: The way Chloe Grace Moretz gets back into a rickety old WWII plane during the FX-heavy, “Midnight Madness” thriller “Shadow in the Cloud,” another “People’s Choice” winner.
Fine film talk: A genuine highlight of the festival’s popular “In Conversation With” series -- this year featuring the likes of Halle Berry, Saoirse Ronan, Ava DuVernay, Claire Denis and Barry Jenkins -- occurred when Denzel Washington turned the tables on moderator Scott Feinberg (The Hollywood Reporter).
It came when the Oscar-winning actor (for “Training Day” and “Glory”) stopped the terrific proceedings to ask co-interviewee Barry Levinson, himself a directing winner for “Rain Man,” to recommend some movies to watch about love and loss.
Instead of offering a quick response, Levinson was caught off guard and talked about the “delicate” balances of doing a romantic film. That’s when cinephile Feinberg stepped in to suggest “Wuthering Heights” and “Camille” to a pleased and smiling Washington, who explained that he’s preparing to direct a ”kind of love story.” The unnamed project will start, though, well after Denzel the Actor stars in the cop thriller, “Little Things,” due this December.
Anyway, it’s typical of the kind of engaging discussion that always takes place on and offscreen at TIFF – and this year mostly from remote locations. I mean, hip crowds totally embracing film conversation around every street corner for 10 days every September is a legitimate Toronto trademark.
Of course, in 2020, neither on-location talk, nor the annual full slate of close to 300 films was not easy to deliver in an uneasy world that includes the novel coronavirus pandemic.
So, festival co-heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente worked on proper solutions. In fact, back in July, when they announced their full list of 50 titles for TIFF 45, they promised “quality films from around the globe to reflect first-rate international cinema, documentaries and Canadian creativity (with) strong representation of women, Black people, Indigenous people and people of color in a selection showing the organization’s continuing commitment to normalizing gender parity and racial equality for future generations.”
Consider it a movie mission accomplished. And that really leads to a virtual wrap from somewhere on a cloud between here and Toronto. About 354 days from now, may we all meet live and alive again in that big city up north.
For a complete list of festival winners and more info on all the titles listed above, please visit tiff.net.
