|
 The film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, took
the Groslch People's Choice award for best film at the 39th
edition of the festival.
Accepting the award on behalf of director Morten Tyldum,
Elevation Pictures' Noah Segal said simply, "Yummy, delicious,"
a reference to an audience member who had declared the same
about Cumberbatch during a question-and-answer session following
the film's screening during the festival.
"It was unnerving, but true," said Segal.
The award, which is chosen by audience members and has in the
past gone to Oscar best picture winners such as "Slumdog
Millionaire," and last year's "12 Years a Slave," will likely
ramp up the buzz around the film.
In the movie, Turing is the brilliant mathematician who breaks
the Germans' Enigma code, helping to bring the war to an end. He
took his own life at 41 after he was convicted for being a
homosexual.
Cumberbatch, one of the most sought-after actors in film and
television, gave an immediate "yes" to playing Turing, he told
Reuters last week.
"There is a huge burden, an onus of responsibility," the
38-year-old Englishman said. "This was an extraordinary man and
sadly, bizarrely not that well known a man of his achievements."
The runner-up for the prize was "Learning to Drive," a film
about a Manhattan writer, played by Patricia Clarkson, who finds
comfort in her lessons with a Sikh driving instructor, played by
Ben Kingsley.
"St. Vincent," starring Bill Murray, took second runner-up.
[to top of second column] |
The People's Choice award for top film in the Midnight Madness
program, which often showcases horror and offbeat films, went to
"What We Do in the Shadows," a mockumentary about vampires living in
a New Zealand suburb.
"I'd like to use this forum to bring attention to a more serious
matter: the disgusting sport of vampire hunting," said co-director
and co-star Jemaine Clement.
The People's Choice award for top documentary went to "Beats of the
Antonov," which follows refugees from the Blue Nile and Nuba
Mountains in Sudan.
Started in 1976, the Toronto festival now ranks with Cannes and
Sundance as one of the world's top movie gatherings. The festival
often serves as a launching point for films and performances that go
on to win Academy Awards, as well as international films seeking
distribution deals.
This year saw the festival's highest film sales after a bidding war
ended with Paramount buying Chris Rock's "Top Five" for a reported
$12.5 million, organizers said. Forty-one film sales have been
announced so far, including 24 major sales to U.S. distributors.
(Additional reporting by Mary Milliken; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
