Taika Waititi's new film Jojo Rabbit has nabbed the coveted Grolsch People's Choice Award at the close of Toronto International Film Festival.
Taika Waititi as Adolf Hitler in his new film Jojo Rabbit. Photo: Screenshot / YouTube
The People's Choice Award is considered a barometer of Oscar successes, with the previous winners often going on to earn Academy Award nominations.
Previous winners have included Green Book, which went on to win best picture, 12 Years a Slave, La La Land, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Since 2011, every TIFF People's Choice has been the Academy's choice for at least a best-picture nomination.
The first runner-up was Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story and second runner-up Bong Joon-ho's Parasite.
In a video message, Waititi said he was honoured to have received the award.
"It's a huge honour, and it's a massive deal for me. I had the best time in Toronto showing the film and the outpouring of love and emotion and support for the film from the audiences, it's the first time I've experienced that and it's going to stay with me forever," he said.
"This award, it's incredible. It reminds me there are still room for stories like this and we need to continue to tell them. We need to continue to educate our kids and ourselves and remind ourselves that there's no place in this world for hate and intolerance.
"Let's put an end to that, and replace it with love."