Oscars 2023: Harry Styles, Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh Get Acting Awards
Styles was a man of few words as he, along with the cast of My Policeman, received the ensemble award at the festival’s Tribute Awards on Sunday.
“Thank you so much to everyone here on behalf of all of us for this wonderful, wonderful award,” said Styles, who stars in the romance drama as a closeted police officer. “We all loved working on this film so much. And we hope you enjoy it.”
Styles, holding the train of his co-star Emma Corin’s long black dress as they walked out, left the event as quickly as they entered the Fairmont Royal York, where the annual gala is behind held.
Ebert Director Award
But all she could say before the room went dark to play a reel of Mendes’ film highlights was, “It’s my pleasure to present the TIFF director award to Sam Mendes,” prompting her eyes to widen in shock.
Mendes, whose latest film “Empire of Light,” an ode to movie theaters, is premiering at the festival, was greeted with standing ovation.
“That was completely unnecessary,” the British director said.
Since the event isn’t televised, Mendes joked he could talk as long as he wanted. The director of “American Beauty” and “Skyfall” gave a lengthy speech about his career and collaboration with talent including cinematographer Roger Deakins.
He attributed his career to more than just his work. “You also need a load of fucking luck.”
“I am reminded of how long I’ve been doing this. The nicks, bumps, scrapes along the way,” she said. “Despite all the challenges, I cherish every moment. I do hope to do it for many years to come.”
Women’s Voices
She received the night’s Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award and used her speech to push the entertainment industry to amplify women’s voices.
“As women we are privileged to work in one of the most open-minded and forward-thinking industries. And yet, women are still glaringly underrepresented in the top levels of our industry,” she said. “In addition to needing to be twice as good [we’re] often half as compensated.”
During a dessert break, Brendan Fraser reunited with Yeoh, his co-star from “The Mummy 3.”
Darren Aronofsky, who directed Fraser in “The Whale,” was on hand as presenter, along with “Woman Talking” director Sarah Polley and Jason Reitman.
It’s been an emotional start to awards season for Fraser, who broke down in tears at the Venice world premiere of “The Whale. His performance as a 600-pound gay man confined to a wheelchair is expected to put him at the forefront of this year’s best actor Oscars race. His performance was equally embraced at TIFF.
