The Toronto International Film Festival has been known to show some of the season’s best upcoming films for years. Established in 1976, TIFF has become one of the biggest film festivals in the world, and its prizes are considered prestigious. But if there is one thing to note about TIFF, is that it offers a great indicator of what movies are going to be considered the hottest to hit theaters and screens across North America and the world. The People’s Choice Award specifically has become one of the most coveted prizes in the festival, and there is solid reasoning behind that.

The award is given to the film said to be the most popular with the festival audiences. There is a big catch about this, though: many of the films that have been selected for this award went on to receive Academy Award nominations. What is even more shocking is that quite a few of the films even went on to win an Academy Award. The People’s Choice Award is now considered to be an early indicator of what movies are going to be major Oscar contenders. 2022’s winner at TIFF was Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, so time will only tell if that lands awards buzz later on. Until then, these are the best movies that won the People’s Choice Award.

7 The Imitation Game

Benedict Cumberbatch brings one of his best performances to the table in The Imitation Game, which tells the story of the forgotten Alan Turing. Turing, who worked for the British government during World War II and decoded German messages, was a genius that created the Turing Machine — a model for modern computers. The Imitation Game moves through Turing’s life as a bullied teenager and how he makes the machine come into existence. Although he was doubted, he managed to make it happen and overcome the roadblocks put in his way.

6 American Beauty

     Jinks/Cohen Company

Sam Mendes debuted with American Beauty in 1999, making quite a statement about the career and path he was going to follow as a director. The movie stars Kevin Spacey as an executive amid a midlife crisis. Despite being married to a teenage daughter, he falls in love with the daughter’s underage best friend, making a stunning commentary about middle-class life in suburban America. The film becomes even more shocking under the context of Spacey’s recent controversies, but, in 1999, American Beauty made quite the splash.

5 The Fabelmans

     Universal Pictures 

Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans took home the People’s Choice Award in 2022, beating out other popular movies anticipated in theaters. The Fabelmans is based on Spielberg’s own life, and its protagonist is a young filmmaker named Sammy looking to make it big in the film industry. Set in Arizona after World War II, the movie follows Sammy as he grows up and discovers more about the world around him, including some family secrets. The film becomes a medium in which he helps understand the world, proving how cinema has powerful, prolific messages as an artistic and creative tool.

4 La La Land

     Summit Entertainment 

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling starred in La La Land, which can be considered a visually beautiful homage to life in Los Angeles. Stone is an aspiring actress looking to make it in Hollywood, while Gosling portrays a jazz pianist struggling to make it in this city. The two originally meet in a moment of road rage but cross paths again when Stone’s character runs into him as he gets fired from a job playing at a restaurant. The two then begin a relationship full of passion and life, leading them to discover how they can follow their dreams and cherish the fleeting moments together.

3 Jojo Rabbit

     Fox Searchlight Pictures

Jojo Rabbit made its world premiere in 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival, making quite a statement for director Taika Waititi. Jojo Rabbit is about a ten-year-old growing up in Germany during World War II. He is an active member of the Hitler Youth, but one day he discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Jojo must confront the beliefs he was indoctrinated with as he meets a real Jewish person that is not what the propaganda says they are like, while, at the same time, adopting an innocent persona about the war going on around them. However, that innocence must come to an end eventually.

2 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

     Columbia Pictures Film

Ang Lee made his mark with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which starred Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen. Despite the film being in Mandarin and its genre wuxia, it was a massive hit globally. Set in the 1800s, during the Qing Dynasty, a swordsman and his friend run a security company. When a famous sword called “Green Destiny” is stolen by a masked thief, this sets off a series of events that lead to them trying to track down the thief. Like many wuxia films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an epic story in its scope, making it no mystery as to why it was successful.

1 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri swept the Oscars the year it came out, and took home awards at most of the major award ceremonies in some capacity. Frances McDormand stars as a Missouri woman whose daughter was raped and murdered, but nothing was done about it by law enforcement. She takes matters into her own hands and rents three billboards to make the case more public, but the local townspeople and police are upset that she did this. There is a path to justice by the end, and Three Billboards is a moving piece that is honestly unforgettable.