As the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) reaches its final day, three films were named the favourites of the festival. Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance and Mike Downie’s The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal all won People’s Choice Awards at the festival.
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is a docuseries, directed by Gord Downie’s brother Mike, chronicling the full scope of the band’s career. From being teens in Kingston, Ont., to the incredibly moving concerts they performed following Gord’s brain cancer diagnosis.
“I really want to thank The Tragically Hip for just baring their soul, for trusting me with their story,” Mike Downie said when accepting the People’s Choice Documentary Award. “It’s a film about family and it’s a film about brotherhood and sisterhood. Those five were brothers. I’m lucky enough to be the brother of one of them, and I just need to say my brother, Gord, was an incredible guy. … I never got used to how amazing he was on stage and how great the band was.”
“My brother Gord really believed in this country, … in a really deep, substantive way. He tried to learn as much as he could about this place and the people in it. … And of course, in the last part of his life he decided that all that light that was being shone on him, as he was in his final days, he wanted to redirect that light to reconciliation. So that we all understand what it’s like to be Indigenous in this country, what it’s like to have so much taken from you. Quite a bit was taken from my brother over the last couple of years of his life, that’s what happens when you have a terminal diagnosis. … Gord replaced those with the hope in this country that we would one day be whole, non-Indigenous and Indigenous people together, creating something really special for the world. He believed in that right up to his dying day.”
Flanagan’s Life of Chuck, has an incredibly impressive cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Mark Hamill.
An adaptation of Stephen King’s work, the film is told in three acts, starting with Act Three and an apocalyptic event where California is falling into the sea. Teacher Marty (Ejiofor) reconnects with his ex-wife Felicia (Gillan), a nurse at a hospital. But amid these dire circumstances, a billboard appears at a busy intersection, congratulating Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Hiddleston) on his retirement, and the image starts popping up everywhere.
“I’m absolutely overwhelmed. We’re so grateful that The Life of Chuck connected with audiences in such a powerful way, but never expected this,” Flanagan said in a statement, read by TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey at the awards ceremony.
“This is a movie about moments and about joy, and receiving this news is a moment I will certainly never forget. Thank you so, so much to TIFF, to all the people who brought this movie to life, and most importantly, to the audiences who opened their hearts to Chuck. My heart is dancing.”
In Fargeat’s The Substance, Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an award-winning actor who transitioned to a successful career in TV fitness. But her boss, Harvey (Dennis Quaid), wants to replace Elisabeth with a younger, and in his eyes, more attractive, woman.
After an unexpected car accident, Elisabeth learns about a black market procedure. With the use of “the substance” a younger version of herself will be created. Elisabeth takes the procedure creating Sue, played by Margaret Qualley, who ends up auditioning for Elisabeth’s replacement.
“I was … past my 40s and I was starting to feel myself, the pressure of the feeling that I was going to be erased, that I was going to disappear,” Fargeat said at the Midnight Madness North American premiere of her film in Toronto. “I really wanted to kind of say a big scream, a big shout out, that we should make things different and we should try to free ourselves.”
People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers is: The Substance, dir. Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom/USA/France
First runner-up is: Dead Talents Society, dir. John Hsu | Taiwan
Second runner-up is: Friendship, dir. Andrew DeYoung | USA
People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers is: The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, dir. Mike Downie | Canada
First runner-up is: Will & Harper, dir. Josh Greenbaum | USA
Second runner-up is: Your Tomorrow, dir. Ali Weinstein | Canada
People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers is: The Life of Chuck, dir. Mike Flanagan | USA
First runner-up is: Emilia Pérez, dir. Jacques Audiard | France/USA/Mexico
Second runner-up is: Anora, dir. Sean Baker | USA
Short Cuts Award for Best International Film: Deck 5B, dir. Malin Ingrid Johansson | Sweden
Short Cut Jury’s statement: “By subverting narrative expectations at every turn, while adding layers of insight and potent emotional truths that evocatively illustrate the tensions between motherhood and desire, this deeply moving film enthralled the jury, staying with us long after we’d watched it. Helmed by a gifted filmmaker, skillfully eliciting an exceptional performance from her lead actress, in service of a nuanced, heartbreaking story, the jury is thrilled to present the award for Best International Short Film to Deck 5B, directed by Malin Ingrid Johansson.”
Honourable Mention: Quota, dir. Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw | Netherlands
Short Cut Jury’s statement: “In its three-minute runtime, this inventive animation does exactly what the best shorts do: make us ask big questions in little timeframes. The work tackles the timely issue of the cost of human invention and innovation on our tired planet. In a world where going viral has become synonymous with success, it asks if perhaps the real virus is us and our unquenchable need for more. The jury is pleased to present an honourable mention to the filmmaking team of Job, Joris & Marieke for their short Quota. We also applaud the filmmakers for practicing what they preach by choosing not to attend the Festival this year as a way to limit their carbon footprint and stay within their ‘quota.’”
Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?, dir. Bec Pecaut | Canada
Short Cut Jury’s statement: “This filmmaker was able to capture a moment in life with such authenticity in an effortless way. The jury was inspired to join these characters on a heartful expedition through decisions that were scary, funny, challenging, and ultimately real. The exploration of familial bonds and how they shift during adulthood resulted in an emotional journey from start to finish. The jury is thrilled to award the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film to director Bec Pecault for Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?”
FIPRESCI Award: Mother Mother, dir. K’naan Warsame | Somalia
FIPRESCI Jury statement: “Mother Mother, directed by K’naan Warsame depicts a humanistic approach towards a revenge narrative set in a country haunted by violence and grief. The film is remarkable in its non-sensationalist treatment of contentious politics through its parallels of the human and the natural world. Warsame’s feature debut, through its compelling formal attributes and charismatic acting, conveys a sense of hope and healing after tragedy.”
NETPAC Award: The Last of the Sea Women, dir. Sue Kim | USA
NETPAC Jury statement: “The 2024 NETPAC jury award goes to The Last of the Sea Women, for its moving and illuminating portrayal of the lives of the haenyeo, a group of elderly female divers on Jeju island, off the coast of South Korea. These women are sea warriors struggling against global warming and ocean pollution to keep a unique cultural practice alive. It is rare that a filmmaker would choose to highlight, elevate, and celebrate the daily struggles of women in their 60s and 70s, especially those from marginalized communities far from the centres of power. Director Sue Kim depicts the lives of these warriors on land and in the sea with beauty, humour, and compassion. It is a story that inspires and calls us to action.”
Best Canadian Discovery Award: Universal Language, dir. Matthew Rankin | Canada
Jury’s Statement: “After an incredible year of films featuring a wildly diverse range of talent, heart and innovation, we are honored to present the Best Canadian Discovery Award to a film that boldly charts its own course through a poetic exploration of heart, home and human connection: the absurdly funny, sweet and soulful Universal Language.”
Jury’s statement: “We would like to first give an Honourable Mention to You Are Not Alone, a film that entranced us with its outstanding performances, meticulously constructed tone, and wonderfully fresh approach to genre.”
Best Canadian Feature Film Award: Shepherds, dir. Sophie Deraspe | Canada
Jury’s statement: “Among the many beautiful films showcased in the program this year, Shepherds rose above with its electrifying performances and staggering world-building that gave us a window into a harrowing journey of ambition, idealism, and what it means to live a full life.”
Platform Award: They Will Be Dust, dir. Carlos Marques-Marcet | Spain, Italy, Switzerland
Platform Jury statement: “They Will Be Dust was the unanimous choice for this year’s Platform Award amongst a very strong selection. Director Carlos Marques-Marcet has assembled a superb cast, with heartbreaking performances from Alfredo Castro and Ángela Molina. From the very first shot of the film, the jury knew it was in masterful hands. The film’s ability to mix moments of extreme pathos with humour was unique and completely convincing. This emotionally loaded story was told with great formal daring, a breathtaking sense of visual panache, and a deep sense of humanity.”
Platform Jury statement: “The jury also wished to acknowledge the exceptional artistry of Sylvia Chang’s brilliant and extremely multilayered portrayal of a conflicted mother in Huang Xi’s film Daughter’s Daughter. This great actress has delivered one of her finest performances, and we are pleased to give this legend of Taiwanese cinema the most honourable of mentions.”
