The Toronto International Film Festival announced the winner of its People's Choice Award on Thursday, closing its 51st edition and anointing an early frontrunner in the 2027 awards race. The prize, voted by festival audiences, has preceded Best Picture attention for titles including 'Nomadland' and 'The King's Speech'.

This year's festival, which ran across venues including the TIFF Bell Lightbox and Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto, screened hundreds of features as studios and streamers intensified prestige campaigns. Films from directors and stars including James McAvoy, whose supernatural drama 'Faith' drew coverage during the festival, competed for attention.

Organisers reported strong audience turnout through the closing weekend, with distributors watching the People's Choice result closely as a market signal. Two runner-up citations and prizes in the documentary and Midnight Madness categories were also announced.

The award carries outsized weight because Academy voters and awards strategists treat Toronto as the unofficial start of the Oscar season. Distributors of the winning film are expected to accelerate release planning and campaign spending in the days following the announcement.

Cameron Bailey, the festival's chief executive, has described the People's Choice Award as a direct expression of what moves ordinary filmgoers, distinguishing Toronto from juried festivals such as Cannes and Venice.