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    “The Imitation Game” Takes People’s Choice Award At Toronto Fest

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    This image from The Weinstein Company shows Benedict Cumberbatch in a scene from "The Imitation Game" (AP/The Weinstein Company).

    Winner has gone on to earn the Best Picture Oscar three of the past six years

    TORONTO (AP) --

    A World War II code-breaker drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch has won the top prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    Director Morten Tyldum’s “The Imitation Game” claimed the coveted Grolsch People’s Choice Award on Sunday.

    Cumberbatch plays World War II British code-breaker Alan Turing. The role is complicated because Cumberbatch not only must convey the mathematical brilliance of Turing, but the pressure he faced as a closeted gay man at a time when homosexuality was criminalized.

    The film also stars Oscar nominee Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode.

    Three of the past six People’s Choice Award winners have gone on to win the Oscar for best picture: “The King’s Speech,” ‘’Slumdog Millionaire” and last year’s victor, “12 Years a Slave.”

    First runner up for this year’s People’s Choice Award was director Isabel Coixet’s “Learning to Drive.” Second runner up was Theodore Melfi’s “St. Vincent.”

    Meanwhile the People’s Choice Documentary Award went to Hajooj Kuka for “Beats of the Antonov,” which follows refugees from the Blue Nile and Nube Mountains in Sudan as they survive displacement and the trauma of civil war. Music, a cornerstone of their traditions and identity, becomes itself a vehicle for survival.

    First runner up for the People’s Choice Documentary Award was David Thorpe’s “Do I Sound Gay?” Second runner up was Jalmari Helander for “Big Game.”

    And the People's Choice Midnight Madness Award winners were Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement for "What We Do in the Shadows," centered on three roommates who are trying to get by and overcome life's obstacles–like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood.

    First runner up for the People's Choice Midnight Madness honor was Kevin Smith for "Tusk." Second runner up was Jalmari Helander for "Big Game."
     

    Critics’ Choices
    The Toronto Festival’s Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI) for Special Presentations went to director Oren Moverman’s “Time Out of Mind.” The FIPRESCI jury cited Moverman’s “sensitive and human depiction of homelessness” and Richard Gere’s remarkable performance.

    Meanwhile taking the FIPRESCI Prize for the Discovery Program was “May Allah Bless France!” from director Abd Al Malik. The story centers on displaced youth in their own country, struggling to balance chaos and serenity on the strength of art, music and human spirit.

    Canadian winners, top shorts
    Copping the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film was Maxime Giroux’s “Felix and Meira.”

    And the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film went to Jeffrey St. Jules for “Bang Bang Baby.”

    The Vimeo Award for Best Canadian Short Film was bestowed upon Randall Okita for “The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer.

    And the Vimeo Award for Best International Short Film went to Sotiris Dounoukos’ “A Single Body.”

    Today marks the conclusion of the 11-day Toronto Film Festival.

    Category:News
    Tags:The Imitation GameToronto International Film Festival



    TikTok’s Fate Arrives At Supreme Court; Arguments Center On Free Speech and National Security

    Thursday, January 9, 2025

    In one of the most important cases of the social media age, free speech and national security collide at the Supreme Court on Friday in arguments over the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular digital platform that roughly half the people in the United States use for entertainment and information.

    TikTok says it plans to shut down the social media site in the U.S. by Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court strikes down or otherwise delays the effective date of a law aimed at forcing TikTok's sale by its Chinese parent company.

    Working on a tight deadline, the justices also have before them a plea from President-elect Donald Trump, who has dropped his earlier support for a ban, to give him and his new administration time to reach a "political resolution" and avoid deciding the case. It's unclear if the court will take the Republican president-elect's views — a highly unusual attempt to influence a case — into account.

    TikTok and China-based ByteDance, as well as content creators and users, argue the law is a dramatic violation of the Constitution's free speech guarantee.

    "Rarely if ever has the court confronted a free-speech case that matters to so many people," lawyers for the users and content creators wrote. Content creators are anxiously awaiting a decision that could upend their livelihoods and are eyeing other platforms.

    The case represents another example of the court being asked to rule about a medium with which the justices have acknowledged they have little familiarity or expertise, though they often weigh in on meaty issues involving restrictions on speech.

    The Biden administration, defending the law that President Joe Biden signed in April after it was approved by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress, contends that... Read More

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