6 Best TIFF People's Choice Award Winners

By Vlad Zakh · March 31, 2026

TIFF’s People’s Choice Award has a knack for predicting Oscar winners. Green Book pairs a bouncer with a Black pianist on a Southern tour, 12 Years a Slave follows a free Black man kidnapped into slavery, and Silver Linings Playbook has a man recovering from a mental health crisis bonding with a widow. Slumdog Millionaire, Hotel Rwanda and American Beauty round out the six.

Green Book (2018)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 77% Metacritic 69

A Black pianist and his working-class white driver tour the segregated Deep South together.

Directed by Peter Farrelly · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13

Won 3 Oscars58 wins & 125 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

12 Years a Slave (2013)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 96

A free Black man is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South.

Directed by Steve McQueen · 2h 14m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars244 wins & 338 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A romance built on two genuinely damaged people finding each other.

Directed by David O. Russell · 2h 02m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A rags-to-riches structure told through game-show trivia.

Directed by Danny Boyle · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 91% Metacritic 79

A hotel manager shelters over a thousand refugees during the Rwandan genocide.

Directed by Terry George · 2h 02m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 3 Oscars16 wins & 49 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

American Beauty (1999)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 87% Metacritic 84

A suburban father's midlife crisis upends his family when he becomes infatuated with his daughter's friend.

Directed by Sam Mendes · 2h 02m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars112 wins & 102 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best TIFF People's Choice Award Winners

Green Book (2018)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

American Beauty (1999)

You might also like

250 Best Movies of All Time

6 Best Layoffs and Unemployment Movies

6 Best Midlife Crisis Movies of All Time

6 Best Spelling Bee and Quiz Competition Movies

50 Movies to Watch Before You Turn 30

25 Best Road Trip Movies of All Time