Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the People's Choice Award was given to "The Life of Chuck," a film adaptation of Stephen King's novella by Mike Flanagan. This award, one of the most-watched accolades on the fall film festival circuit, was announced as TIFF wrapped up on Sunday.
"The Life of Chuck," featuring Tom Hiddleston as the lead character Charles “Chuck” Krantz, explores the life of an everyday man facing apocalyptic events. The cast also includes Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay.
The People's Choice Award is often seen as a precursor to the Oscars. Since 2012, each winner of this award has been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Last year, "American Fiction" by Cord Jefferson won this award and went on to become a significant contender.
However, "The Life of Chuck" might challenge this trend. The film is currently seeking distribution and could either be released this fall or pushed to 2025. While it received mixed but mostly positive reviews at TIFF, it clearly resonated with audiences.
The runners-up for the People's Choice Award included "Emilia Pérez" by Jacques Audiard and "Anora" by Sean Baker, both of which first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
In other festival honors, Mike Downie's documentary "The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal" won the top documentary award, and Coralie Fargeat's "The Substance," starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, received the prize in TIFF's Midnight Madness section.
