Festival organizers unveiled the list of this year's award-winning movies. Bella, director Alejandro Monteverde's tale about a life-altering chance meeting between two strangers in New York, won the People's Choice Award, which is voted on by festivalgoers. The two runners-up for the award were Mon Meilleur Ami and Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing.
The Norwegian comedy Reprise won the Diesel Discovery Award, which is given to first-time filmmakers and voted on by the media attending the festival. Death of a President won the FIPRESCI jury prize, which is voted on by a panel of international critics. The panel honored "the audacity with which [the movie] distorts reality to reveal a larger truth." Whatever, FIPRESCI dudes.
You can check out the rest of the festival winners here. I'm off to try to sneak into a sold-out public showing of Paris, je t'aime, a collection of 21 short films by 21 famous filmmakers (including the Coen brothers, Alexander Payne, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and a bunch of others) all set in Paris. It sounds like a nice way to cap off the festival, and since they're all short films, I won't have to concentrate all that hard, which is good, because I'm feeling pretty movied-out. I just wanna go home and catch up with last week's premiere episode of The Wire.
What, no awards for Borat?
The French strike again.
Posted by: Juan B. | September 16, 2006 at 05:35 PM
You are such a hotty. Love your recent reviews from Canada. Do ya know Beantown Cuban? I found you through his blogroll. Keep up the goodwork Mr.Blue eyes :)
Posted by: Christy | September 17, 2006 at 04:23 AM
Good reporting from TIFF, Rene!
Oh and Juan, "Borat" won the Best Red Carpet Entrance Award.
Posted by: Brian Feldman | September 20, 2006 at 01:11 AM