Toronto: 5 Things the Fest Told Us About the Oscar Race

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival ended Sunday, and the article breaks down what its audience and programming signals could mean for the early race toward the Oscars. “La Bola Negra,” the Netflix Spanish-language epic, is highlighted as a key challenger: it drew one of TIFF’s longest standing ovations at its Canadian premiere, was selected by Spain as its best international feature Oscar entry, and won the festival’s audience award—something the author notes hasn’t usually translated into Oscar nominations recently. Still, with TIFF audiences seen as similar to Academy members, the win is described as encouraging for The Javis and for Universal’s “The Odyssey,” a $250 million title. The piece also discusses TIFF’s Venice/Telluride policy, which limited marquee screenings, with “I Play Rocky” notably serving as an exception in the narrative.