From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
British star Kenneth Branagh's "deeply personal" directorial effort, "Belfast," has picked up awards season momentum after winning the People's Choice prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The family drama inspired by his own childhood in Belfast, Ireland won the honour during Saturday's TIFF Tribute Awards broadcast on CTV, which ended 10 days of pandemic-tailored in-person screenings and digital at-home viewing.
Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan and Judi Dench star in the black-and-white coming-of-age tale, set amid the tumult of late-1960s Northern Ireland.
Branagh, who's also an esteemed actor with an Oscar-nominated turn in "Henry V," said he was "deeply grateful" for the prize chosen through online votes.
"Our first showing of Belfast at TIFF was one of the most memorable experiences of my entire career," the writer-director said in a pre-recorded video in the show, which also had a live element with masked attendees at a soiree with TIFF co-heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey.
"That so many film lovers connected with 'Belfast' so profoundly was absolutely overwhelming to myself and Jamie Dornan, and we talked about it long into a memorable night of laughter and tears in your great city."
The People's Choice prize has been seen as a predictor of Academy Award success.
Last year's winner, the road drama "Nomadland," won the best-picture Oscar.
Other previous People's Choice winners that have nabbed best picture include "Green Book," "12 Years a Slave," "The King's Speech" and "Slumdog Millionaire."
This year's People's Choice race had a caveat, though: films that didn't screen on the festival's digital site were not eligible for the prize, including buzzy titles "Spencer" and "Dune."
Organizers said votes for People's Choice were tallied Saturday morning.
The first runner-up was Canadian drama "Scarborough," directed by Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson and based on Toronto author Catherine Hernandez's award-winning 2017 novel about the city's eastern suburb. The film also took the Shawn Mendes Foundation's Changemaker Award, which comes with a $10,000 cash prize.
The second runner-up for People's Choice was Jane Campion's wild west drama "The Power of the Dog," starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a Montana ranch owner.
Cumberbatch was among the honourees at the Tribute Awards, which also announced "Yuni" by Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini as the winner of the Platform award, chosen by an international jury headed by acclaimed Riz Ahmed.
Other winners announced by TIFF after Saturday's broadcast included "Ste. Anne," the debut feature by Manitoba's Rhayne Vermette, described as an "examination of home by way of places and people." It took the $10,000 Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film.
"The Rescue" by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, about a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave in summer 2018, won the People's Choice Documentary Award.
Launched in 2019, the Tribute Awards honour film industry talent and raise funds for TIFF's year-round programs.
This year's show also honoured actor Jessica Chastain, singer Dionne Warwick, filmmakers Denis Villeneuve, Alanis Obomsawin and Danis Goulet, and cinematographer Ari Wegner.
All of the honourees had projects at TIFF and attended in person, except for Wegner.
Stars who presented in the broadcast included Sigourney Weaver, Shamier Anderson, Kirsten Dunst, Rebecca Ferguson, Gladys Knight, Eva Longoria, David Oyelowo and Kiefer Sutherland.
This year's festival marked a return to red carpets with stars, more indoor venues and a larger offering of films than last year's largely digital event.
It still wasn't a typical TIFF, though, with theatres operating at 50 per cent capacity and COVID-19 protocols including mask-wearing and proof of either full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
Predicting which film might win People's Choice was trickier without the usual audience chit-chat and lounging at venues, but strong responses on social media and in theatres helped, said Bailey.
"There was that amplified reaction because people were just so glad to be in a movie theatre again," he said in an interview. "But sometimes something just goes up that extra level, and there have been a few films this year where it felt like people were just rhapsodic in their reaction and were feeling something together."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2021.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.