A FILM BY Irish director Lenny Abrahamson inspired by the case of Josef Fritzl has won the top prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Room won the People’s Choice Award at the festival and is now likely to feature heavily in Oscar speculation ahead of next year’s Academy Awards.
The award was previously won by 12 Years A Slave, The King’s Speech, and Slumdog Millionaire, which all went on to grab Best Film at the ceremony.
The film is Abrahamson’s first set wholly outside of Ireland an comes after the director received widespread acclaim from Frank, Garage and What Richard Did.
The film itself is based on the book of the same name by Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue and sees American actress Brie Larson play ‘Ma’, a woman held captive along with her five-year-old son in a garden shed.
The Booker-nominated novel is not based on Fritzl’s 24-year imprisonment and rape of his daughter but Donoghue has said that it was “triggered by it”.
Speaking on Twitter, Abrahamson said he “nearly fell off the bed” when he saw the list of past winners.
Room will be released in Ireland in January.
- With reporting by DailyEdge.ie
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