Chloe Zhao wins TIFF's People's Choice Award for 'Hamnet'
Chloe Zhao has become the first director ever to win the Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award twice—this time for Hamnet, her take on Shakespeare and his wife Agnes.
The film, based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel, screened at Venice, Telluride, and Cannes before its big moment in Toronto.
Other audience award winners
Zhao accepted her award by video, sharing how much connecting with audiences means to her.
Hamnet stars Paul Mescal as Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as Agnes, and is set to hit North American theaters on November 27, 2025.
Other buzzworthy TIFF picks included Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein and Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Audience awards also went to Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice and Barry Avrich's documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue—showing off just how diverse this year's favorites were.