“The Black Balloon” triumphs at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has officially concluded, with the Netflix musical epic "The Black Ball" claiming the prestigious People’s Choice Award.

Starring Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, the film weaves together the lives of three men across multiple timelines. The narrative draws its inspiration from an unfinished novel by the renowned Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.

The feature first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi were honored with the Best Director award. It is scheduled for a Netflix release on December 2. Furthermore, Spain has officially selected "The Black Ball" as its entry for the 2027 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

The runner-up for the TIFF audience prize was "Rocky Is Me," a biopic chronicling the development of the original "Rocky" film and the life of Sylvester Stallone. The movie is set for a Russian theatrical release on November 26 via distributor Exponenta Film. Rounding out the top three is the drama "Being Hummann," directed by Academy Award winner Siân Heder (*CODA*), which will debut on Apple TV+ on November 13.

Among international selections, the Toronto audience also showed great appreciation for "Elsinore," featuring Andrew Scott, alongside two South Korean projects: Lee Chang-dong’s "Possible Love" and Hur Jin-ho’s "The Killers."

The Toronto International Film Festival serves as a critical milestone in the awards season; over the past decade, 90% of the People’s Choice Award recipients have gone on to receive Academy Award nominations.

Source: Film.ru