The 5 TIFF ‘People’s Choice Award’ Winners That Went On To Win Best Picture At The Oscars

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Following screenings at the Telluride Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival, 12 Years A Slave finally held its public premiere on September 6 at the Toronto International Film Festival. By the end of the Toronto's 2013 annual festival...  The film had won the audience-voted People's Choice Award. Months later Steve McQueen's adaptation of the 1853 slave narrative memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup received nine Academy Award nominations and went on to win three awards, including Best Picture, at the 86th annual Oscar bash.

Other Academy Awards won: Best Adapted Screenplay for John Ridley and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o.

After The King’s Speech had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, Tom Hooper screened the British biographical film at TIFF on September 12th (which was also Colin Firth’s 50th birthday). The film about England’s King George VI ascension to the throne and the subsequent speech therapy he underwent to correct a stutter charmed festival goers and was awarded the People’s Choice award at the end of the festival. The King's Speech went on to receive 12 Oscar nominations, more than any other film that year, and took home the statue for Best Picture award at the 83rd annual Academy Awards. 

Other Academy Awards won: Best Director for Tom Hooper, Best Actor for Colin Firth, and Best Original Screenplay.

Director Danny Boyle's love letter to Bollywood was a hit when it was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 2008; the film ended up taking home the People’s Choice Award at the end of the fest. Months later Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and took home eight—the most for any 2008 film—including Best Picture.

Other Academy Awards won: Best Director for Danny Boyle, Best Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival three days after its world premiere in Los Angeles, American Beauty was a massive hit. Screenwriter Alan Ball‘s drama about a depressed suburban father (Kevin Spacey) who suffers a mid-life crisis after developing an infatuation on his teenage daughter’s best friend (Mena Suvari) won the 1999 People’s Choice award before receiving 8 Academy Award nominations. On March 26, 2000 at the 72nd annual Academy Awards, American Beauty won 5 awards and took home the academy’s highest honour... as expected.

Other Academy Awards won: Best Director for Sam Mendes, Best Actor for Kevin Spacey, Best Original Screenplay for Alan Ball, and Best Cinematography.

Screened at the 1981 Toronto International Film Festival shortly after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Chariots of Fire was the clear audience favourite. This true story about two Olympic athletes, one a devout Christian running for God, the other an English Jew running to overcome prejudice picked up the People’s Choice award at TIFF before receiving seven Academy Award nominations. At the 54th annual Academy Awards ceremony on March 29, 1982, Chariots of Fire took home four awards, including Best Picture.

Other Academy Awards won: Best Original Screenplay for Colin Welland, Best Costume Design and (obviously) Best Original Score.