The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) concluded its 2025 edition with the highly anticipated announcement of its audience-voted awards. Leading the charge was Chloé Zhao’s compelling film, Hamnet, which clinched the prestigious People’s Choice Award. This remarkable victory makes Zhao the first filmmaker ever to receive this honor twice, following her success in 2020 with Nomadland, a film that subsequently went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
TIFF’s People’s Choice Award is widely regarded as one of the most significant indicators for potential Oscar glory. Over the past 15 years, an impressive twelve winners of this prize have gone on to earn Best Picture nominations, with four — including films like 12 Years a Slave, Green Book, and Zhao’s own Nomadland — ultimately taking home the top Oscar. This year, Zhao’s moving Shakespeare-inspired drama triumphed over strong contenders such as Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, which were recognized as first and second runners-up, respectively.
A notable new addition to TIFF’s audience awards also captured attention: the inaugural International People’s Choice Award. This significant prize was presented to Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, a satirical black comedy thriller from the acclaimed South Korean auteur. Based on Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax, the film stars a stellar cast including Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, and Park Hee-soon. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound were named first and second runners-up in this category.
Beyond the top honors, other major awards were also announced. Barry Avrich’s The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue was recognized with the People’s Choice Documentary Award, while Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie claimed the top spot in the Midnight Madness category. Canadian Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk received the Best Canadian Feature Film prize for Wrong Husband, and Min Sook Lee’s There Are No Words earned an honorable mention.
The prestigious Platform Prize was awarded to Valentyn Vasyanovych’s To the Victory!, and Lucía Aleñar Iglesias’ Forastera won the International Critics’ FIPRESCI Prize, dedicated to celebrating emerging filmmakers. In the short film categories, Joecar Hanna’s Talk Me was named Best International Short, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s The Girl Who Cried Pearls received recognition as Best Canadian Short, and Agnès Patron’s To the Woods earned the newly introduced Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Film.
Now celebrating its 48th year, TIFF continues to serve as a pivotal launchpad for films embarking on their journey through the awards season. With their significant wins, both Zhao and Park’s films are immediately positioned as strong global contenders for the months ahead.
For more insights into the festival and its winners, watch the video below: