'The Imitation Game' Earns TIFF People's Choice Award

The 39th Annual Toronto Film Festival drew to a close yesterday, and as usual the event wrapped up with the announcements of the award winners, usually a strong indicator of what will be Oscar contenders later in the year. And this year saw The Weinstein Company once again claiming the most prestigious honor, the People's Choice Award, for their Alan Turing biopic, The Imitation Game, increasing the Oscar hopes of a film many already saw as a contender.

The Imitation Game beat out two well-received dramedies. One was St. Vincent, the Bill Murray/Melissa McCarthy-starring film that has Murray back in the Best Actor discussion. The other was Isabel Coixet's Learning to Drive, starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley.

For the genre fans, the People's Choice Midnight Madness award went to What We Do in the Shadows, directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi from HBO's Flight of the Conchords. The full list of winners is below:

People's Choice Award:
 "The Imitation Game," directed by Morten Tyldum
People's Choice Award For Documentary:
 "Beats Of The Anatov," directed by Hajooj Kuka
People's Choice Award For Midnight Madness: "What We Do In Shadows," directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Best Canadian Feature Film:
 "Felix and Meira," Directed by Maxime Giroux
Best Canadian First Feature Film: "Bang Bang Baby," Directed by Jeffrey St. Jules
Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations Section:
 "Time Out of Mind," Directed by Oren Moverman
Prizes of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery Section:
 "May Allah Bless France!," Directed by Abd Al Malik
NETPAC Award For Best Asian Film:
 "Margarita, With a Straw," Directed by Shonali Bose
Best International Short Film: "A Single Body," Directed by  Sotiris Dounoukos
Best Canadian Short Film: "The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer," Directed by  Randall Okita

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Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick Join 'Mr. Right'; Melissa George Leads 'The Insect King'

* Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick together in a film penned by Chronicle screenwriter Max Landis? Yes, please. The duo will star in Mr. Right, directed by Paco Cabezas (Tokarev) and following "a woman whose bad luck streak at finding lasting love seems to end when she meets Mr. Right. That’s until she discovers he is a reformed hit man. When his dark past catches up, their fledgling relationship is tested as they try to save one another." This sounds like something that would have starred David Duchovny and Tea Leoni like a decade ago, but maybe there's more to it than the logline suggests. [Deadline]

* The lovely Melissa George (30 Days of Night, The Good Wife) will star in The Insect King, and no it's not as horrific as it sounds. The coming-of-age drama written and directed by Priscilla Cameron follows a 13-year-old boy in competition with his father for the affection of an exotic 40-year-old woman. Taika Waititi (Eagle vs. Shark) and Sophie Lowe (Adore) co-star. [Deadline]

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