Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' nails the audience award, Cadillac People's Choice Award, on the last day of the festival.
- Sep 15, 2008
AceShowbiz - Wrapping up the 33rd Annual Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, September 13, a list of movies have been awarded with special prizes. Among the event's winners was "Slumdog Millionaire", a drama about an Indian teenager who is about to be a millionaire.
Considered to be an underdog, the Danny Boyle-directed movie brought home the Cadillac People's Choice Award as well as the $15,000 prize, beating out Kristopher Belman's "More Than a Game" and Cyrus Nowrasteh's "The Stoning of Soraya M.". Upon winning the award, one of the film's stars, Freida Pinto, expressed her excitement, "It was an exhilarating feeling. When they clapped and gasped and literally went ga-ga over the last dance sequence, it was a wonderful feeling...I was shaking."
Beside "Millionaire", other winner include Marie-Helene Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu's drama "Before Tomorrow" and Rodrigue Jean's "Lost Song". While "Tomorrow" took the kudo for Best Canadian First Feature Film, "Song" was honored with Best Canadian Feature Film. Moreover, for the Special Citation category, the winner for Best Canadian Feature Film was Atom Egoyan's "Adoration" and for Best Canadian First Feature Film was Lyne Charlebois' "Borderline". The complete list can be read at TIFF'08.
Starring Dev Patel, "Millionaire" tells the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik. An orphan from the slums of Mumbai, he is one question away from winning 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". But before getting to the last question, he is arrested under the suspicion of cheating forcing him to tell the story of his life from the slum he and his brother grew up to the girl he loved and lost. It will be screened in limited theaters on November 28.
