Charlotte Wells’ father-and-child drama Aftersun has dominated the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards by earning four trophies, including best picture and best director.
Wells’ debut feature about a young Scottish father on summer holiday with his tween daughter also earned star Paul Mescal the best actor crown, while Wells nabbed the best first feature prize. Aftersun became a breakout hit in Cannes, where it was nabbed by A24 and Mubi.
In the acting categories, Toronto critics also named Cate Blanchett best actress for her titular role in Tár. The Todd Field drama starring Blanchett as a German conductor in a downward spiral has already picked up a slew of best picture and actress trophies, including from the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
In addition, Keke Palmer won best supporting actress for her performance in Nope, and Ke Huy Quan continued his awards-season momentum with a best supporting actor trophy for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Elsewhere, the best screenplay trophy went to Martin McDonagh for his darkly comic Irish drama The Banshees of Inisherin, Alice Dop’s Saint Omer won best international feature, and the best animated feature went to Domee Shi’s coming-of-age tale Turning Red, which is set in Toronto.
And local critics named All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, directed by Laura Poitras, as the best documentary of 2022.
