By Sam Dallas
The crowd has spoken at the Toronto International Film Festival and they have picked The King’s Speech as their favourite film.
The Australian/UK co-production, starring Geoffrey Rush, has taken out the Cadillac People’s Choice Award at this year’s festival – a festival known as the “launching pad” into the North American market.
It follows a standing ovation after the premiere screening on September 10.
The Tom Hooper film, produced by Australian/UK-based company See-Saw Films and developed with local distributor Transmission Films, is based on the true story of the relationship between England’s reluctant King George VI, plagued by a nervous stammer, and the irreverent Australian speech therapist who cures him.
“It’s exciting to see this relatively unknown story about the unconventional friendship between the King of England and the Australian who helped him find his voice, really resonating with audiences around the world,” See-Saw Films’ Emile Sherman said in a statement.
“The production was a real collaboration between the UK and Australia and we look forward to releasing the film in Australia on Boxing Day [December 26].”
Previous winners of the People’s Choice Award at TIFF have gone on to be nominated for or won Academy Awards, such as Sam Mendes’ American Beauty.