Nomadland wins Toronto film festival people's choice award

Victory for Chloe Zhao's drama starring Frances McDormand means it now looks certain to get a best picture Oscar nomination

Nomadland, the recession-era retirees study starring Frances McDormand, has won the Toronto film festival people's choice award, adding the influential prize to the Venice Golden Lion it was awarded a week ago.

The Toronto award is much prized in the industry, as it counts a significant number of Oscar best picture awards and nominees among its recent winners, including Green Book (2018), Room (2015) and 12 Years a Slave (2013). Nomadland's director Chloe Zhao is also the first woman to win the award since 2011, when Nadine Labaki's Where Do We Go Now? triumphed. Nomadland would now appear to be a major contender for end-of-year awards, with a best picture Oscar nomination a virtual certainty