Another Toronto International Film Festival has arrived, and the People’s Choice Award winner might dictate a certain film’s Oscar chances come 2025.
Over the past 25 years since 1999, six films that won the TIFF People’s Choice Award went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture: American Beauty (1999), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), The King’s Speech (2010), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Green Book (2018) and Nomadland (2020).
Read on for the past 25 TIFF People’s Choice Award winners.
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American Beauty (1999)
Image Credit: DreamWorks Pictures Sam Mendes’ American Beauty won Best Picture at the Oscars.
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
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Amélie (2001)
Image Credit: Claudie Ossard Productions/Albatros Film Amélie went on to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and more at the Academy Awards.
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Whale Rider (2002)
Image Credit: South Pacific Pictures/Alliance Atlantis Comm Niki Caro’s Whale Rider later competed at the Oscars with Bowling for Columbine.
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The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Image Credit: Ahashi National Broadcasting Company/Shochiku Takeshi Kitano’s The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi originally was titled Zatôichi.
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Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Image Credit: United Artists/Lionsgate Don Cheadle, Joaquin Phoenix, Sophie Okonedo and more starred in Hotel Rwanda from Terry George, which later was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
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Tsotsi (2005)
Image Credit: Presley Chweneyagae in 'Tsotsi' (2005) Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
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Bella (2006)
Image Credit: Roadside Attractions Tammy Blanchard and Eduardo Verástegui starred in Alejandro Gómez Monteverde’s Bella.
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Eastern Promises (2007)
Image Credit: Focus Features David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
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Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Image Credit: Searchlight Pictures Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan, won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Precious (2009)
Image Credit: Lionsgate Films/Lee Daniels Entertainment Lee Daniels-directed Precious went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, where it won Best Adapted Screenplay.
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The King’s Speech (2010)
Image Credit: The Weinstein Company Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech won Best Picture at and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
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Where Do We Go Now? (2011)
Nadine Labaki wrote, directed and starred in Where Do We Go Now?
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Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Image Credit: Weinstein Company/courtesy Everett Collection David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook went on to be nominated for Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
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12 Years a Slave (2013)
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures / Everett Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
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The Imitation Game (2014)
Image Credit: Weinstein Company/Everett Collection The Imitation Game was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Room (2015)
Image Credit: A24/courtesy Everett Collection Room, starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
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La La Land (2016)
Image Credit: Dale Robinette / © Summit Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection Damien Chazelle’s La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was a Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominee.
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures/Everett Collection Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.
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Green Book (2018)
Image Credit: Universal /Courtesy Everett Collection Green Book won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.
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Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, where he won Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Nomadland (2020)
Image Credit: Searchlight Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland took the Oscar for Best Picture.
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Belfast (2021)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Belfast won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay but lost for Best Picture.
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The Fabelmans (2022)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical film The Fabelmans was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.
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American Fiction (2023)
Image Credit: Claire Folger / © MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.
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The Life of Chuck (2024)
Image Credit: Courtesy of TIFF Tom Hiddleston as Charles Krantz in The Life of Chuck, directed by Mike Flanagan and based on Stephen King’s novella.
