Platform Prize
The Platform Prize is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to films of "high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong directorial vision."[1] Introduced in 2015, the award is presented to a film, selected by an international jury of three prominent filmmakers or actors, from among the films screened in the Platform program. The program normally screens between eight and twelve films; only one winner is selected each year, although as with TIFF's other juried awards the jurors have the discretion to give honorable mentions to other films besides the overall winner.
The winner of the Platform Prize receives $25,000 from the award's current corporate sponsor, Air France.[2]
According to festival programmer Cameron Bailey, the Platform program and prize were established because "films are passing through the festival without the attention they deserve".[3] He compared Platform's intentions to the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight and Un Certain Regard streams rather than its Palme d'Or award,[3] indicating that it was meant to provide a platform for distinctive or innovative films but not to supplant the People's Choice Award as the top award at the festival. The award is named after filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke's 2000 historical drama.[4]
After the award is announced, the festival offers a repeat screening of the winner at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on the final day of the festival.
Critical response
In some years, the film magazine Screen International has convened its own unofficial panel of film critics, who were assigned to watch all the Platform films and conduct their own independent vote on which film should win the award.[5] Their panel in 2017 selected Warwick Thornton's Sweet Country, the same film that won the prize,[6] but their panel in 2018 split between two films, Benjamín Naishtat's Rojo and Emir Baigazin's The River,[7] while the festival jury awarded the prize to Ho Wi Ding's Cities of Last Things;[8] the jury did, however, give The River an honorable mention.
Other critics have questioned whether the Platform Prize has been effective at accomplishing its stated goals at all.[3][9] Canadian documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig, who won the inaugural Platform Prize in 2015 for his film Hurt, noted that while it was not the least successful film of his career in general release, the prize did not appear to give the film any major boost in distribution or box office sales over his other films.[9] The 2016 jury's choice of Pablo Larraín's Jackie has also been questioned by critics, in particular because the Platform lineup that year also included Moonlight, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.[9]
Films
† denotes a non-winning film which received an honorable mention from the jury.
References
- ^ "TIFF reveals Cannes-centric jury for 2018 Platform competition". The Globe and Mail, May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Air France signs with TIFF". Media in Canada, August 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c "At TIFF, a competition that's still not competitive". The Globe and Mail, September 14, 2017.
- ^ "TIFF '16 names its Platform Jury". Toronto International Film Festival. August 25, 2016.
- ^ "'Rojo', 'The River' top Screen's final TIFF Platform jury grid". Screen Daily, September 13, 2018.
- ^ "'Sweet Country' tops Screen's Toronto Platform jury grid". Screen Daily, September 20, 2017.
- ^ "TIFF 2018: Rojo deserves to win the Platform Prize". Now, September 15, 2018.
- ^ a b "TIFF 2018 Awards: ‘Green Book’ Wins the People's Choice Award, Upsetting ‘A Star Is Born’". IndieWire, September 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Will TIFF's Platform Prize ever take off?". Now, May 16, 2018.
- ^ Peter Howell, "Searching for global excellence at TIFF, then choosing Toronto". Toronto Star, September 20, 2015.
- ^ Naman Ramachandran, "High-Rise amongst 12 Platform titles at Toronto". Cineuropa, August 17, 2015.
- ^ Joey Nolfi (September 18, 2016). "TIFF People's Choice Award cements La La Land's place in Oscar race". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Anita Busch, "Toronto Film Festival Announces Films To Screen In Its 2nd Annual Platform Program". Deadline Hollywood, August 11, 2016.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (September 17, 2017). "Toronto: 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' Captures Audience Award"". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ Jeremy Kay, "'The Death Of Stalin' to open Toronto Film Festival Platform programme". Screen Daily, August 3, 2017.
- ^ Norman Wilner, "TIFF 2018: Nicole Kidman, Elisabeth Moss films to compete for Platform Prize". Now, August 8, 2018.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 12, 2019). "Toronto Film Festival Jury Winners: 'Martin Eden', 'Murmur', 'How To Build A Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Norman Wilner (August 7, 2019). "TIFF 2019: Platform lineup includes films by Julie Delpy, Sarah Gavron". Now.
- ^ Steve Pond, "‘Belfast’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, September 18, 2021.
- ^ Pat Mullen, "TIFF Unveils Line-up for ‘Celebrating Alanis’ Retrospective". Point of View, August 11, 2021.
- ^ Christian Zilko, "‘The Fabelmans’ Wins TIFF 2022 People’s Choice Award". IndieWire, September 18, 2022.
- ^ Jeremy Kay, "Frances O’Connor’s ‘Emily’ to open TIFF Platform alongside films from Maïmouna Doucouré, Rima Das". Screen Daily, August 3, 2022.
- ^ Christian Zilko, "American Fiction’ Wins People’s Choice Award at 2023 TIFF (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire, September 17, 2023.
- ^ John Hazelton, "Toronto unveils 2023 Platform line-up; ‘Dream Scenario’ with Nicolas Cage to open". Screen Daily, August 2, 2023.