Lebanese film ‘Where Do We Go Now?’ wins Toronto’s People’s Choice Award

 Lebanese director Nadine Labaki on Sunday picked up the top audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival for Where Do We Go Now?
 Set against the backdrop of an un-named war-torn country in the Middle East, Where Do We Go Now? portrays a group of determined women protecting their isolated, mine-encircled community from hot-headed Christian and Muslim men bent on revenge against their fellow villagers. Pathe International was shopping the picture in Toronto.

Nadine Labaki

 Labaki’s debut film, Caramel, screened as a gala at TIFF in 2007.
 Labaki’s film will now join a prestigious list of earlier festival titles like The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, Bella and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that earned the People’s Choice Award in Toronto before going on to grab Oscar gold.
 The audience award for best documentary went to Jon Shenk for The Island President, which followed Mohamed Nasheed, the president of the Maldives, attempting to rally the world community to save his island from sinking owing to rising seas from climate change.
And the audience award for the best film from the Midnight Madness genres sidebar went to Gareth Evans for The Raid, which starred Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.
Among the other prizes unveiled at TIFF's wrap luncheon Sunday, Philippe Falardeau won the $30,000 best Canadian feature trophy for Monsieur Lazhar, which earlier earned two awards in Locarno. Falardeau, on accepting his prize Sunday, noted all four of his theatrical features had screened in Toronto over 11 years.
And Nathan Morlando took home the $15,000 best Canadian first feature prize for Edwin Boyd, a drama about a true life Canadian bank robber-turned-folk hero.
 Elsewhere, Doubles With Slight Pepper, shot in Trinidad by debut filmmaker Ian Harnarine won the best Canadian short film prize and $10,000, while Swedish director Axel Petersen earned the FIPRESCI critics prize for the Discovery program for his debut Avalon.
The FIPRESCI prize for special presentations went to Gianni Amelio for The First Man, based on the Albert Camus novel.
 The prize-giving brings to a close ten days of star-watching, led by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, local boy Ryan Gosling and rockers like Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and U2’s Bono leading the charge up the Toronto red carpet into film premieres and parties.

Poster of the Film