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Source: Variety
Steven Spielberg is without a doubt one of the few directors working in the film industry whose name has become just as big of a brand as any current blockbuster franchise, and for good reason. Many of the most popular films ever made have been directed by Spielberg; when adjusted for inflation, the likes of “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” can still be found among the highest-grossing films ever released. However, for all of Spielberg’s success, there is one prize that has mostly eluded the acclaimed filmmaker: the Academy Award for Best Picture. Granted, one film of his has in fact won this award – specifically his 1993 film “Schindler’s List”, but apart from that, not once has Spielberg taken home the Best Picture trophy despite being nominated several times. All of the films previously mentioned were Best Picture nominees, as were “Saving Private Ryan”, “Munich”, “Lincoln”, and most recently, his cinematic adaptation of “West Side Story” from last year. In spite of these losses though, Spielberg’s career and pursuit of another Best Picture winner continue, and with his most recent film, it’s quite possible that the award could be in his hands fairly soon.
To understand how Spielberg could in fact be walking down the path to another Best Picture win, one needs to look no further than the most recent Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which recently took place in Canada’s highest populated city and concluded for the year on September 18th. Although the festival has many prizes to hand out to the numerous films screened and discussed throughout its eleven-day duration, the one most coveted is the People’s Choice Award, TIFF’s equivalent of a Best Picture award, which has been handed out since its creation in 1978. Already a remarkable achievement in its own right, the People’s Choice Award has become seen as a reliable predictor of future Best Picture Academy Award winners in recent years. If a PCA winner hasn’t gone on to receive Best Picture at the Oscars, as was the case for 2018’s “Green Book” and 2020’s “Nomadland”, then it has at least received a nomination, as was the case for 2016’s “La La Land”, 2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri”, and 2019’s “Jojo Rabbit”. Granted, in the time since the PCA’s creation, only seven of its winners have gone on to receive Best Picture, but five of those films have come out in the past twenty years, seemingly making its ability to predict Best Picture winners more reliable with the passage of time.
Now that the most recent TIFF event has come and gone, a new PCA winner has been announced, that being Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans”. Starring such talents as Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Gabriel LaBelle in the leading role of Sam Fabelman, the film is a coming-of-age story that bears strong resemblances to Spielberg’s own childhood, with the character of Sam being more or less a stand-in for the director in his youth. After having its world premiere at TIFF, the film received an immediate standing ovation and rave reviews from those who were there to view the film before all others. One such audience member, Variety film critic Peter Debruge, referred to the film as a “150-minute self-portrait, crafting a loving homage to the complicated relationship with [Spielberg’s] parents that has informed so much of his work.” Such an overwhelmingly positive reception proved strong enough to earn the film its first major prize of the awards season, with “The Fabelmans” being named the recipient of the PCA right before the festival as a whole finally came to an end. “This is the most personal film I’ve ever made, and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family,” Spielberg said in response to the film’s win. “Thank you to Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures; and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget.”
“The Fabelmans” may have been the big winner at this year’s TIFF event, but there were still plenty of other films recognized and given their own prizes. Taking the first runner-up spot behind Spielberg’s film was “Women Talking”, a drama from director Sarah Polley based in Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, while the second runner-up was Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, the sequel to his beloved 2019 whodunnit “Knives Out”. Meanwhile, the audience award for the festival’s Midnight Madness series went to “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”, a satirical, heavily fictionalized biopic about the life of comedy musician Weird Al Yankovic, and the documentary award went to “Black Ice”, a Canadian documentary discussing the sport of ice hockey and its history of anti-black racism.
While they may not have been fortunate enough to receive any of the aforementioned awards, there were still plenty of high-profile films screened at TIFF, including Gina Prince-Bythewood’s critically acclaimed historical epic “The Woman King” (which recently topped the most recent weekend box office) the romantic drama “My Policeman”, and the romantic comedy “Bros”. Not all the films shown at TIFF were major Hollywood productions though, and some of the smaller-scale works were fortunate enough to receive their own special recognition. Nisha Pahuja’s documentary “To Kill a Tiger” was given one of the Amplify Voices Awards for Best Canadian Feature Film, an award specifically designed to highlight underrepresented filmmakers (as only films made by BIPOC Canadian filmmakers are eligible for the award), as were Martika Ramirez Escobar’s “Leonor Will Never Die” and Vinay Shukla’s “While We Watched”. The Changemaker Award, meanwhile, went to Luis de Filippis’ “Something You Said Last Night”, while the Platform Prize was given to Anthony Shim’s “Riceboy Sleeps”.
Still, big or small, just about every film shown at TIFF was able to shine bright on the big screen and prove its worth, and those attending would agree that the event as a whole was yet another rousing success. “2022 brought an exceptional selection of films that excited festival audiences around the world,” TIFF executive director Cameron Bailey claims in acknowledgment of this year’s festival cinematic selection. “Our lineup showcased beloved auteurs alongside fresh voices in filmmaking, including numerous women powerhouses. TIFF welcomed guests, press, industry, international stars, and directors back to the city and into cinemas. The sweeping range in cinematic storytelling from around the world is a testament to the uniqueness of the films that are being made. We’re so grateful and proud of this year’s festival.”
