With Peter Farrelly’s Green Book scoring an unexpected win at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in the coveted People’s Choice category, the drama’s solidified its shot at Oscar glory. A People’s Choice Award win all but guarantees a Best Picture Oscar nomination, and now Universal Pictures will have to kick up the film’s awards season campaign a few notches.
Peter Farrelly, one half of the sibling filmmaking team behind What About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, and Hall Pass, made his solo feature film directing debut with TIFF winner. Green Book is based on a true story and stars Viggo Mortensen as a bouncer who drives a world class pianist (Mahershala Ali) on his concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South during the racially-charged 1960s. The film was embraced by Toronto Film Festival audiences and currently sits at 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Green Book was written by Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, and Brian Currie. Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimiter D. Marinov, and P.J. Byrne co-star in the drama. Universal Pictures is targeting a November 21, 2018 theatrical release.
2018 Toronto Film Festival Winners:
- People’s Choice Award – Green Book
First runner-up: If Beale Street Could Talk
Second runner-up: ROMA - People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award – The Man Who Feels No Pain (Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota)
First runner-up: Halloween
Second runner-up: Assassination Nation - People’s Choice Documentary Award – Free Solo
First runner-up: This Changes Everything
Second runner-up: The Biggest Little Farm - Platform Prize – Cities of Last Things
Honourable Mention: The River - FIPRESCI Prize for Special Presentations – Skin
Honourable Mention: A Faithful Man - FIPRESCI Prize for Discovery – Float Like a Butterfly
Honourable Mention: Twin Flower - NETPAC Award – The Third Wife
Honourable Mention: The Crossing - Eurimages Audentia Award for Best Female Director – Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s Fig Tree
- Best Canadian First Feature Film – Katherine Jerkovic’s Roads in February (Les routes en février)
- Best Canadian Feature Film – Sebastien Pilote’s The Fireflies Are Gone (La disparition des lucioles)
- Best Canadian Short Film – Brotherhood
- Best Short Film – The Field
