Elsinore won the International People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, according to festival organizers. The film chronicles the final performances of Scottish actor Ian Charleson, who took on the role of Hamlet in 1989 while dying of AIDS.
Andrew Scott Traces Ian Charleson’s Final Performance in Elsinore
Director Simon Stone’s dramatic film Elsinore explores the real-life events surrounding Ian Charleson’s 1989 run in the National Theatre production of Hamlet. Charleson took over the role after Daniel Day-Lewis abruptly withdrew from the staging due to emotional distress, according to screenwriter Stephen Beresford. At the time, Charleson was battling AIDS and was advised by his physician, Margaret Johnson—played in the film by Olivia Colman—that the rigorous demands of the Shakespearean tragedy would prove too taxing. Charleson proceeded anyway, splitting his time between hospital treatments and rehearsals before passing away less than two months after his final performance.
Scott, who previously played Hamlet on the West End in 2017, noted the profound difference in portraying the role while confronting real mortality. According to Scott, Charleson’s decision to perform under those circumstances was incredibly courageous. Scott also serves as a credited producer on Elsinore, marking a first in his career. StudioCanal slated the film for a theatrical release on November 20 following festival screenings in Toronto and London.
“Ian is not talking about that as an almost. It was an inevitability at that stage, that he was going to die,” Scott said of the parallel between the character’s famous soliloquy and Charleson’s actual life. He added that the production aimed to honor Charleson’s resilience rather than focus solely on his illness, emphasizing that the actor remained full of life and fun.
TIFF 2026 Award Winners and Oscar Prospects
The International People’s Choice Award win at the Toronto International Film Festival places Elsinore among the prominent titles heading into the awards season. In addition to the film taking the International People’s Choice prize, festival organizers announced several other major winners on the final day of the 11-day event.
Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s film La Bola Negra captured the People’s Choice Award. The movie, which centers on the interconnected lives of three gay men in Spain and stars Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, and Miguel Bernardeau, previously won the best director prize at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring. Festival CEO Cameron Bailey read a statement from the directors, known professionally as “Los Javis,” thanking audiences for connecting with the project.
Other notable victors at the 51st edition of TIFF included Theja Rio’s Angh, which won the Platform Award. The film, focusing on the last surviving chief of a Nagaland village, secures direct eligibility for Academy Award consideration in the best international feature category following recent rule expansions by the Academy. Cody Lightning won the Best Canadian Discovery award for his sophomore feature Smudge the Blades, while Serville Poblete took home the Best Canadian feature prize for Sunburn.