I love film fests that have cool acronyms.  Toronto International Film Festival: TIFF.  Yes, I am easily pleased.  How kind of you to notice.

Wanna see these films around here?  Well, you’re in luck.  The “Blackberry People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award” winner, Seven Psychopaths is scheduled to open in Baltimore on October 12th. Midnight Madness Award?  I’m definitely intrigued.

I’ve noticed the ads and multiplex stand-ups for this film: starring  Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko, and Gabourey Sidibe, it’s a story of how a man gets caught up in the LA underworld thanks to his friends stealing a crime lord’s Shih Tzu.  You know you wanna see Walken loose it.  Don’t lie.

Read on for the entire list.  Congratulations to all the winners!

From TIFF:

AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
The winner of the Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Deco Dawson for Keep a Modest Head. The jury, comprised of
journalist and author Matthew Hays, journalist Katrina Onstad and filmmaker Reginald Harkema, remarked: “For the winner of this
year’s best short, we chose a film that expands the boundar ies of documentary, one that perfectly reflects its surreal subject. The
award offers a $10,000 cash prize. The honourable mention goes to Mike Clattenburg’s Crackin’ Down Hard for its unpredictable
zaniness.”

The Canadian awards below were selected by a jury comprised of producer and filmmaker Jody Shapiro, CPH PIX Festival Director
Jacob Neiiendam, actor and filmmaker Valerie Buhagiar and director, writer and producer Patricia Rozema.

THE CITY OF TORONTO + CANADA GOOSE AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto + Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways . The jury
remarked: “For its breathless cinemat ic energy and its entirely new love story, the jury felt honoured to watch such unfettered genius at play. For Best Canadian Feature Film, we have unanimously chosen Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways .”
This award is made possible thanks to the City of Toronto and Canada Goose and comes with a cash prize of $30,000.

THE SKYY VODKA AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The SKYY Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film is a tie between Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral and Jason Buxton’s
Blackbird. The jury remarked: “For Best Canadian First Feature Film, we have made a decision that reflects the broad spectrum of
Canadian styles and voices. The prize this year has been split between Blackbird, for its authenticity and clear-eyed social conscience,
and for its ambitious commentary and visual sophistication, Antiviral.” Generously supported by SKYY Vodka, the award carries a cash prize of $15,000. TIFF takes great pride in our role of supporting championing emer ging filmmakers and as such, TIFF will be doubling the prize, so that both Brandon and Jason will receive a cash pr ize of $15,000 each.

THE PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZES)
The Festival welcomed an international FIPRESCI jury for the 21st consecutive year . The jury members consist of jury president Peter
Keough (United States), Jon Asp (Sweden), Ashok Rane (India), Louis-Paul Rioux (Canada), Juan Manuel Do minguez (Argentina) and
Brian McKechnie (Canada).

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations is awarded to Francois Ozon’s Dans la maison
(In the House). The jury remarked: “For achieving an exquisitely crafted entertainment that blurs the distinction between the storyteller and the story told, and that assuages with play ful complexity the tragedies of life with the consolations of art, the FIPRESCI award for Special Presentations goes to Francois Ozon’s In the House.”

Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI) for the Discovery programme is awarded to Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl. The jury
remarked: “With an intense sense of cinema reminiscent of the American thrillers of the 1970s, Mikael Marcimain’s debut feature
achieves a portrait of an obscure world involving women’s rights and political corruption. Marcimain deals with his sensitive subject with immense ease and craftsmanship. Because of these accomplishments the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in the Discovery programme goes to Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl.”

BLACKBERRY ® PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
The BlackBerry People’s Choice Award is voted on by Festival audiences. This year’s award goes to David O. Russell for Silver
Linings Playbook. The film is an intense, loving, emotional and funny family story from the director of The Fighter, David O. Russell, in which Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence find themselves partners in a secret arrangement to rebuild their broken lives. Robert DeNiro yearns to get closer to his son (Cooper), as he tries to keep the family afloat with his compulsive bookmaking. The award offers a $15,000 cash pr ize and custom award, sponsored by BlackBerry. First runner up is Ben Affleck’s Argo. The second runner up is Eran Riklis’ Zaytoun.

The BlackBerry People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award goes to Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths. Seven Psychopaths
follows a struggling screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles cr iminal underworld after his oddball friends (Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell) kidnap a gangster’s (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu. Co-starring Abbie
Cornish, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko and Zeljko Ivanek. First runner up is Barry Levinson’s The Bay and second runner up is Don
Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End.

The BlackBerry People’s Choice Documentary Award goes to Bartholomew Cubbins for Artifact. Telling harsh truths about the
modern music business, Artifact gives intimate access to singer/actor Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars as they battle
their label in a brutal lawsuit and record their album This Is War. First runner up is Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan’s Storm
Surfers 3D. Second runner up is Rob Stewart’s Revolution.

NETPAC AWARD
New this year is the NETPAC Award for the Best World or International Asian Feature Film Premiere, as selected by a jury from
the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. Jury members include Laurice Guillen (Philippines), Shelly Kraicer (Toronto/Beijing)
and Azize Tan (Istanbul).The award goes to Sion Sono’s The Land of Hope. The jury remarked: “For its subtle, complex and artful
account of the social and political aspects of a national trauma that ends in hope and love, the 2012 Toronto International Film FestivalNETPAC Award for best feature film is given to The Land of Hope by Sion Sono.”

Earlier in the Festival, the inaugural winner of the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Award was announced. The award went to Rola
Nashef whose film, Detroit Unleaded, was presented as part of the Discovery programme. Nashef was presented with the award
which includes a $10,000 cash pr ize to put toward her next project.