The winners of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival have been announced, and the feature film “La Bola Negra” co-directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, claimed the prestigious festival’s top audience award.
According to the report of Mansour Jahani, an independent and international cinema journalist, the closing ceremony of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival took place in Toronto, Canada, where winners across various competition categories including “Contemporary World Cinema”, “Discovery”, “Midnight Madness”, were announced. At this premier cinematic event, awards were presented to the honorees, including the People’s Choice Award, Short Film awards, The FIPRESCI Prize (International Federation of Film Critics), The NETPAC Award, The Best Canadian Discovery Award and The Platform Prize.
The People’s Choice Awards
The People’s Choice Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival are presented by Rogers and were first established in 1978; in this category, the festival’s top films are selected by Toronto audiences, who are renowned for their passion and discerning taste. All feature films and high-profile series included in the festival’s official lineup are eligible for this award. The honour now spans four categories: overall, International, Documentary, and Midnight Madness.
The People’s Choice Award
People’s Choice Award, to: La Bola Negra, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi a joint production of the Spain, and France
First runner-up, to: “I Play Rocky”, directed by Peter Farrelly, United States of America
Second runner-up, to: “Being Heumann”, directed by Siân Heder, United States of America
The International People’s Choice Award
The International People’s Choice Award, to: “Elsinore”, directed by Simon Stone, United Kingdom
First runner-up, to: “Possible Love”, directed by Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
Second runner-up, to: “The Assassin(s)”, directed by Hur Jin-ho, South Korea
The People’s Choice Documentary Award
The People’s Choice Documentary Award, to: “Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been”, directed by Barry Avrich, Canada
First runner-up, to: “Black Sunflowers”, directed by James Marcus Haney, a joint production of the Ukraine, and United States of America
Second runner-up, to: “The Ultra Runner”, directed by Mila Aung-Thwin, Canada
The People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
The People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award, to: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney”, directed by Matthew Rankin, Canada
First runner-up: “The Spiral”, directed by Paolo Strippoli, a joint production of the Italy, France, and Belgium
Second runner-up: “Arrested Memory”, directed by SABU, a joint production of the Taiwan, and Japan
Platform Prize
Launched in 2015 and inspired by Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking film, TIFF’s Platform Prize honours filmmakers with strong directorial vision and distinctive storytelling. All films in the programme are eligible for the prize.
TIFF’s Platform Prize is one of only six international festival awards with a direct pathway to the Oscars. Building on this newly established status, the 2026 Platform programme expanded to 12 films, with an international five-member jury selecting the winner of the $20,000 CAD prize.
The Platform Prize Jury Members
The members of the international jury for the Platform Prize comprising Pablo Trapero, producer and editor from Argentina – President of the Jury, Amma Asante, filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress from the UK, Sylvia Chang, actress and singer from Taiwan, Luc Déry, producer from Canada, and Albert Lee, guitarist from the UK, announced their opinions as follows:
Platform Prize
Platform Award, to: “Angh” directed by Theja Rio, India
Platform jury’s statement: “The Platform Prize goes to “Angh”. For its refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world. We praise the filmmaker’s vision, audacity and courage.”
Special Jury Award:
Special Jury Award, to: “Brace Your Heart”, directed by Amanda Kernell a joint production of the Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Bulgaria
Platform jury’s statement: “We would like to recognize Brace Your Heart with an Honourable Mention. For how its apparent simplicity reflects the complex nature of the world today, its powerful central performance and beautiful visual journey.”
The Short Cuts Awards
Short Cuts Awards are presented to the Best International Short Film, Best Canadian Short Film, and Best Animated Short Film, as awarded by the Short Cuts jury. Each of the three winning films will receive a bursary of $10,000 CAD. The
The Short Cuts Jury Members
The Short Cuts Jury members for the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, including; Spanish filmmaker Joecar Hanna, Canadian animator Chris Lavis, and Canadian cinematographer Iris Ng, announced their opinions as follows:
Best International Short Film
The Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film, to: “MAMMALIA”, directed by Elia Kalogianni a joint production of the Greece, and Netherlands
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “The Spectacular Death of Prisca”, directed by Kaelo Iyizoba, Nigeria
Best Canadian Short Film
Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film, to: “Fight Kid”, directed by Michael Del Monte, Canada
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “Almost Pink”, directed by Justine Prince, Canada
Best Animated Short Film
Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film, to: “Into the Betaverse”, co-directed by Varun Raman and Tom Hancock, United Kingdom
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “Terminal”, directed by Alexandre Siqueira a joint production of the Portugal, Spain, and France
FIPRESCI Prize
The FIPRESCI jury awards the International Critics’ Prize, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, to a debut feature film having its World Premiere in TIFF’s Discovery programme.
The FIPRESCI jury is awarding the International Critics Prize, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, to a debut feature film having its World Premiere in TIFF’s Discovery or Centrepiece programmes.
The 2026 FIPRESCI Jury Members
The FIPRESCI Prize is awarded by an international jury selected by the International Federation of Film Critics. Founded in 1925, the Federation presents this award at international film festivals to promote the art of film and encourage new and young cinema.
The members of the FIPRESCI jury at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival comprising Pragya Mishra, a writer and film critic from India based in the UK, Cătălin Olaru, a film critic from Romania, Savina Petkova, a film critic and programmer from Bulgaria based in London, Enoe Lopes Pontes, a film critic from Brazil, and Victor Stiff, a Canadian film journalist, critic, and programmer, announced their opinions as follows:
The FIPRESCI Prize
The FIPRESCI Prize, to: “Ancestors”, directed by David Turpin a joint production of the Ireland, and United Kingdom
FIPRESCI jury’s statement: “In this story of lost people finding each other, we saw an extraordinary command of translating the dreamy landscape of memories and recollections into compassionate cinematic language. It immersed us in someone else’s life, a time of love and turmoil, a past that returns through photographs and memories to haunt, bring longing, and give hope at once.”
NETPAC Award
Presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, the NETPAC Award recognizes films from the Asian and Pacific regions. The jury consists of three international community members selected by TIFF and NETPAC, who award the prize to the best Asian film by a first or second-time feature director.
The 2026 NETPAC Jury Members
The members of the NETPAC jury for this edition of the festival comprising Mara Matta, university professor from Italy, President of the Jury, Richard Fung, video artist, writer, and university professor born in Trinidad and based in Canada, and Panagiotis Kotzathanasis, film critic from Greece, announced their opinions as follows:
The NETPAC Award
The NETPAC Award, to: “Thirteen in Gaza”, directed by Hosam Abu Dan, Palestine
NETPAC jury’s statement: “Against unfolding genocide, “Thirteen in Gaza” by Hosam Abu Dan turns suffering into neither spectacle nor victimhood, but into riveting images of life in all its complexity. A brave, intimate film that announces a major new voice in cinema.”
The Best Canadian Discovery Award
The Best Canadian Discovery Award celebrates the next generation of filmmakers shaping its future. The award recognizes emerging talent whose first or second feature brings a distinctive voice to the Canadian film landscape. All Canadian first or second feature films in Official Selection are eligible. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000 CAD.
The Canadian Discovery Award Jury Members
The jury members for the Best Canadian Discovery Award comprising Canadian-Pakistani writer, director, and producer Zarrar Kahn; Canadian director and producer Justine Pimlott; and Canadian-Hungarian writer and director Sophy Romvari based in Canada, announced their opinions as follows:
Best Canadian Discovery Award:
The Best Canadian Discovery Award, to: “Smudge the Blades”, directed by Cody Lightning, Canada
Honourable Mention
Honourable Mention, to: “The Black Box is Orange”, directed by Yuula Benivolski, Canada
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award honours the unique craft and storytelling in Canadian cinema. All Canadian feature films in Official Selection excluding first or second features are considered for the award. The winning filmmaker will receive a $10,000 CAD cash prize.
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award Jury Members
The jury members for the Best Canadian Feature Film award comprising Canadian documentary filmmaker Hubert Davis, Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta, and Christina Rogers, Director of Original Independent Film at Netflix, Canada, announced their opinions as follows:
Best Canadian Feature Film Award:
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award, to: “Sunburn”, directed by Serville Poblete, Canada
Honourable Mention:
Honourable Mention, to: “Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story”, directed by Adrian Buitenhuis, Canada
TIFF the most prestigious film festival in North America
Alongside the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival stands as the most prestigious film festival in North America. Its 51st edition featuring top Canadian and international cinema, special events, and conversations with film stars took place in Toronto, Canada, from September 10 to 20, 2026. The festival encompassed various categories and formats including feature films, documentaries, and shorts across sections such as the “Contemporary World Cinema” Competition, “Discovery” Competition, “Midnight Madness” Competition, and an industry market attended by global film and television professionals.
Credit images from the website of the Toronto Film Festival
For more details: https://www.tiff.net/
