Will Steven Spielberg's 'The Fabelmans' win Oscars Best Picture?

Semi-autobiographical drama wins Toronto International Film Festival's top prize, an early Academy Awards bellwether

From left, Paul Dano, Steven Spielberg and Michelle Williams at "The Fabelmans" Toronto International Film Festival premiere. The semi-autobiographical drama won top prize at the festival. AFP

From left, Claire Foy, Sarah Polley, Jessie Buckley, and Rooney Mara attend the premiere of 'Women Talking', which won first runner-up. AFP

US filmmaker Rian Johnson atthe premiere of 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery', which won second runner-up. AFP

Hockey documentary 'Black Ice', directed by Hubert Davis, won the Documentary Award. Reuters

From left, director Eric Appel, Daniel Radcliffe, 'Weird Al' Yankovic and Evan Rachel Wood at the premiere for 'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story', which was the Midnight Madness winner. AP

Vancouver writer-director Anthony Shim won the Platform Prize for 'Riceboy Sleeps'. AP

Director Martika Ramirez Escobar's film 'Leonor Will Never Die' won the Amplify Voices Award. AFP

Canadian-Italian filmmaker Luis De Filippis won the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award for 'Something You Said Last Night'. AP

Steven Spielberg's deeply personal new movie The Fabelmans secured its position as an early Oscars front runner on Sunday by winning the top prize at the Toronto International Film festival.

Scroll through the gallery above to see more of the winners from Toronto

The Fabelmans, out in theatres in November, is a semi-autobiographical drama based on Spielberg's childhood, covering his parents' troubled marriage, anti-Semitic bullying and his early efforts directing zero-budget movies with his teenage friends.

It earned a raucous standing ovation from the audience at its world premiere last weekend at Tiff.

"As I said on stage the other night, above all I'm glad I brought this film to Toronto," the director said.

"This is the most personal film I've made and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to Tiff so intimate and personal for me and my entire Fabelman family."

Voted for by audiences, the People's Choice Award at North America's biggest film festival has become something of an early Oscars bellwether, predicting eventual Academy Award best-picture winners such as Nomadland in 2020.

Spielberg, 75, considered one of Hollywood's greatest living directors, has won three Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Director for Schindler's List, and Best Director for Saving Private Ryan.

He has been nominated for 19 Oscars to date, and will be expected to add to that tally at next year's Academy Awards, on March 12 in Los Angeles.

The last 10 winners of the Toronto People's Choice Awards were all nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, with three winning the Oscar, including 2019's surprise victor Green Book.

12 Years a Slave (2013), The King's Speech (2010) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008) all began their journeys to Oscar glory with the Toronto prize.

At its premiere last weekend, Spielberg told a rapturous audience how he had long wanted to make such a deeply personal movie, but had eventually been motivated by the "fear" of the pandemic.

"I don't think anybody knew in March or April of 2020 what was going to be the state of the art, the state of life, even a year from then," said Spielberg.

"I just felt that if I was going to leave anything behind, what was the thing that I really need to resolve and unpack about my mom and my dad and my sisters?"

"It wasn't now or never, but it almost felt that way," he said.

Toronto runners-up included Women Talking by Sarah Polley and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery by Rian Johnson.

The top documentary prize went to Hubert Davis's Black Ice, a Canadian movie about historic racism in the world of professional ice hockey.

The Toronto festival, known for its large cinephile crowds and A-list stars, was hit badly by the pandemic, but this year, audiences and red carpet events returned in full force.

Scroll through the gallery below to see stylish stars at Toronto International Film Festival 2022