The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival has wrapped up, and it is Martin McDonagh's film Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri that took home the much-coveted Grolsch People's Choice Award. Three Billboards was part of the first batch of films announced for competition at the festival, but by then McDonagh's third directorial effort had already been garnering buzz from its Red Band trailer, which features a crass Frances Mcdormand bitterly trying to rally up Ebbing police to solve her daughter's murder case.
Three Billboards Beats Competition
Every film that plays at the Toronto International Film Festival is up for the Grolsch People's Choice Award.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri beat 338 other films to take home the prize. Other high-profile films being screened at TIFF included Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name, and Craig Gillespie's I, Tonyo. The latter two were runner-ups for the award.
Early reviews of Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri are echoing festival audience support. The film currently holds a 90 Metascore on metacritic.com from 14 reviews, making it (for now) the 9th highest rated film of 2017 on the site.
Other films that took home awards at TIFF include Agnes Varda's new documentary Faces Places and Warwick Thornton's Sweet Country, which won the International Jury prize.
Oscar Gold for Three Billboards?
Previous winners of the TIFF Grolsch People's Choice Award have included 12 Years a Slave, Room, Slumdog Millionaire, The King's Speech, and last year's La La Land.
All of these films went on to do very well during award season. 12 Years a Slave, Slumdog Millionaire, and The King's Speech went on to win the Best Picture Oscar in their respective years.
Since the Grolsch Award started being awarded in 1978, five winners have gone on to take home Best Picture. By and large, though, the winner and runner-ups of the Grolsch go on to be hot Oscar contenders.
Three Billboards director Martin McDonagh won an Oscar in 2006 for his short film "Six Shooter." His feature-length debut, In Bruges, also had some award season success, garnering McDonagh an Oscar screenwriting nomination and earning Colin Farrell a Golden Globe for his performance in the film.
McDonagh's 2012 crime comedy Seven Psychopaths did not prove as successful. Also debuting at TIFF, Seven Psychopaths went on to receive mixed critic reviews and earn only $15 million domestically.
Three Billboards looks primed to shift McDonagh back into the limelight as a director of dark comedies. If it is not McDonagh that gets attention for this film, Frances McDormand certainly will. Previous Oscar-winner for her performance in Fargo, McDormand seems due for Oscar attention.
Then again, Grolsch runner-up I, Tonya seems primed to be a Best Actress vehicle for Margot Robbie. She portrays ice skater Tonya Harding in the film. Perhaps the 2018 Best Actress Academy Award race will be a two-horse race between two TIFF competitors.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri opens nationwide on November 10.
