Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans was one of the most anticipated films to premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s living up to the hype. The famed director’s deeply personal new film won TIFF’s top honor—the People’s Choice Award.
The Fabelmans managed to defeat Sarah Polley’s Women Talking and Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery to win this prestigious accolade. The list of major winners at the festival also included the Midnight Madness winner Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and the best documentary winner Black Ice.
Spielberg said he’s glad he brought this film to Toronto, adding that the warm reception from everyone made his first visit to TIFF intimate and personal, both for himself and the rest of The Fabelmans cast and crew.
“Thank you to [the festival director] Cameron Bailey and the incredible staff at TIFF; thank you to Universal Pictures, and a very special thank you to all the movie fans in Toronto who have made this past weekend one I’ll never forget,” said Spielberg in a statement.
The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical tale inspired by Spielberg’s childhood when he aspired to become a young filmmaker. Its cast is led by Gabriel LaBelle, with Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch in supporting roles.
