Over the past 11 days, TIFF presented 294 films from 72 countries, welcoming over 800 talent across 98 red carpets. A 12 awards were handed out, including jury-awarded prizes and the renowned People’s Choice Awards.
In a historic first this year, winning TIFF’s Platform Prize grants a non-English-language film direct eligibility for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, alongside top winners from five other qualifying festivals.
People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers
Launched in 1978, the TIFF People’s Choice Award, presented by Rogers, celebrates the Festival’s top title as chosen by Toronto’s famously passionate and discerning public audience. The honour now spans four categories: overall, International, Documentary, and Midnight Madness.
Award Winners
People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers
La Bola Negra, dirs. Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi
First runner-up: I Play Rocky, dir. Peter Farrelly
Second runner-up: Being Heumann, dir. Siân Heder
International People’s Choice Award presented by Rogers
Elsinore, dir. Simon Stone
First runner-up: Possible Love, dir. Lee Chang-dong
Second runner-up: The Assassin(s), dir. Hur Jin-ho
People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers
Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been, dir. Barry Avrich
First runner-up: Black Sunflowers, dir. James Marcus Haney
Second runner-up: The Ultra Runner dir. Mila Aung-Thwin
People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers
Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney, dir. Matthew Rankin
First runner-up: The Spiral, dir. Paolo Strippoli
Second runner-up: Arrested Memory, dir. SABU
Platform Prize
TIFF’s Platform Prize is one of only six international festival awards with a direct pathway to the Oscars. Building on this newly established status, the 2026 Platform programme expanded to 12 films. This year’s jury was led by President Pablo Trapero, alongside Amma Asante, Sylvia Chang, Luc Déry, and Albert Lee.
Platform Prize Winner
Angh, dir. Theja Rio | India
Platform jury’s statement: “The Platform Prize goes to Angh. For its refreshing perspective, strength of filmmaking, and deeply resonant portrait of a world. We praise the filmmaker’s vision, audacity and courage.”
Special Jury Award
Brace Your Heart (Garrat Du Váimmu), dir. Amanda Kernell | Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Bulgaria
Platform jury’s statement: “We would like to recognize Brace Your Heart with an Honourable Mention. For how its apparent simplicity reflects the complex nature of the world today, its powerful central performance and beautiful visual journey.”
Short Cuts Awards
Short Cuts Awards are presented to the Best International Short Film, Best Canadian Short Film, and Best Animated Short Film, as awarded by the Short Cuts jury. Each of the three winning films will receive a bursary of $10,000 CAD. The 2026 jurors for the Short Cuts Awards are Joecar Hanna, Chris Lavis, and Iris Ng.
Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film
MAMMALIA, dir. Elia Kalogianni | Greece, Netherlands
Short Cuts jury’s statement: “We were struck by the audacity of a film willing to expose what we would rather not admit about ourselves and concepts we thought we were comfortable with… It takes the grotesque and makes it disturbingly relatable, forcing opposing sides of a double standard into the same frame. What first feels extreme slowly reveals itself as something much more unsettling: a reflection of our own behavior, and of a society whose contradictions urgently deserve to be challenged.”
Honourable Mention
The Spectacular Death of Prisca, dir. Kaelo Iyizoba | Nigeria
Short Cuts jury’s statement: “We wanted to give an Honourable Mention to a film that took us on a completely different kind of ride: a delightful mashup of melodrama, action and comedy that reminded us of the pure joy of making and watching cinema… We were especially struck by how original it felt without ever seeming to chase originality.”
Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film
Fight Kid, dir. Michael Del Monte | Canada
Short Cuts jury’s statement: “A film that is at once gripping and cautionary, offering a sharp dissection of inherited masculinity and ambition. We were taken by its enigmatic and electric journey, and by the unique way it blurs performance and reality, making it almost impossible to disengage from the screen.”
Honourable Mention
Almost Pink, dir. Justine Prince | Canada
Short Cuts jury’s statement: “A film that helps us address another shameful and traumatic experience we fear to share. Disturbing but vital, it confronts the sexual exploitation of teenagers and the social and economic forces that allow it to happen. With remarkable confidence, the film builds and sustains an unbearably tense and terrifying atmosphere, demanding that we pay attention to a reality too often kept out of sight.”
Short Cuts Award for Best Animated Short Film
Into The Betaverse, dirs. Varun Raman, Tom Hancock | United Kingdom
Short Cuts jury’s statement: “This film is a venue where ridiculous meets the profound. It is a surprisingly emotional comedy about friendship and finding love in unexpected places. This confident hybrid of live action and animation is unapologetically primitive and loose. Which, in an era of AI smoothing, that roughness only makes its humanity feel more present.”
Honourable Mention
Terminal, dir. Alexandre Siqueira | Portugal, Spain, France
Short Cuts jury’s statement: “We shared the joy of discovering a film that knows how to be poetic and surreal without becoming overwhelming. It creates a delicate allegory of death and loss while giving us the space to sit with those emotions. Its animation is crisp and full of detail, but never calls attention to itself at the expense of the story.”
FIPRESCI Prize
The FIPRESCI jury awards the International Critics’ Prize, dedicated to emerging filmmakers, to a debut feature film having its World Premiere in TIFF’s Discovery programme. The 2026 FIPRESCI jury members are Pragya Mishra, Cătălin Olaru, Savina Petkova (PhD), Enoe Lopes Pontes (PhD), and Victor Stiff.
FIPRESCI Prize Winner
Ancestors, dir. David Turpin | Ireland, United Kingdom
FIPRESCI jury’s statement: “In this story of lost people finding each other, we saw an extraordinary command of translating the dreamy landscape of memories and recollections into compassionate cinematic language. It immersed us in someone else’s life, a time of love and turmoil, a past that returns through photographs and memories to haunt, bring longing, and give hope at once.”
NETPAC Award
Presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema, the NETPAC Award recognizes films from the Asian and Pacific regions. The jury consists of three international community members selected by TIFF and NETPAC, who award the prize to the best Asian film by a first or second-time feature director. The 2026 NETPAC jury was led by Jury Chairperson Mara Matta, alongside Richard Fung and Panagiotis Kotzathanasis.
NETPAC Award Winner
Thirteen in Gaza, dir. Hosam Abu Dan | Palestine
NETPAC jury’s statement: “Against unfolding genocide, Thirteen in Gaza by Hosam Abu Dan turns suffering into neither spectacle nor victimhood, but into riveting images of life in all its complexity. A brave, intimate film that announces a major new voice in cinema.”
Best Canadian Discovery Award
The Best Canadian Discovery Award celebrates the next generation of filmmakers shaping its future. All Canadian first or second feature films in Official Selection are eligible. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000 CAD. The 2026 Best Canadian Discovery Award Jury members are Zarrar Kahn, Justine Pimlott, and Sophy Romvari.
Best Canadian Discovery Award Winner
Smudge the Blades, dir. Cody Lightning | Canada
Canadian Discovery jury’s statement: “Smudge the Blades is electric. It carries heart and humour in equal measure, while never shying away from the challenges faced by Indigenous communities caused by the ongoing treatment of Indigenous people and colonization of Indigenous lands. Rooted in joy and resilience, Smudge the Blades challenges familiar genres by placing Indigenous voices at the centre of a story filled with hope, offering a radical path forward.”
Honourable Mention
The Black Box is Orange, dir. Yuula Benivolski | Canada
Canadian Discovery jury’s statement: “A childhood impacted by settler ideology is unpacked through painful memories and the striking use of archival images. For its sensitive, brave and challenging formal dexterity, showcasing a nuanced depiction of the systematic erasure of Palestinian histories while delicately threading the needle between personal and political, we award The Black Box is Orange with the Honourable Mention for this year’s Discovery Award.”
Best Canadian Feature Film Award
The Best Canadian Feature Film Award honours the unique craft and storytelling in Canadian cinema. The winning filmmaker will receive a $10,000 CAD cash prize. The 2026 Best Canadian Feature Film Award jury members are Hubert Davis, Deepa Mehta, and Christina Rogers.
Best Canadian Feature Film Award Winner
Sunburn, dir. Serville Poblete | Canada
Canadian Feature Film jury’s statement: “Sunburn is a vibrant, funny, and deeply human film that brings a fresh, visceral energy to Toronto. With innovative filmmaking, remarkable performances, and an ensemble of characters who moved us, the film achieves something extraordinary. We are thrilled to recognize Serville Poblete as a young filmmaker with a distinctive voice and a generous vision.”
Honourable Mention
Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story, dir. Adrian Buitenhuis | Canada
Canadian Feature Film jury’s statement: “The Rick Hansen Story is a moving, beautifully crafted film that offers a powerful new perspective on Rick Hansen’s extraordinary journey, while reminding us of the people who are too often left behind.”
Awards descriptions including eligibility can be found at tiff.net/awards. Information on the People’s Choice Award voting process can be found at tiff.net/vote.
All images courtesy of TIFF.
