Recently, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Emmy Awards were busy at work even in the face of the COVID 19 pandemic. With the exception of appearances from Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, the attendees streamed the Emmy Awards show from their homes.
The Canadian sitcom ‘Schitt’s Creek’ was the clear winner of the night. The TV show set a record for taking home more Emmys for a single season of television than any other comedy series had before. Another record was set when Zendaya won Best Leading Actress in a Drama series for ‘Euphoria.’ At the age of 24, she is the youngest woman to have ever won the award.
It was a disappointing night for the Irish. Those nominated for the popular series ‘Normal People,’ including Paul Mescal and Lenny Abrahmson, did not pick up any awards. Other Irish nominees such as Andrew Scott and Fiona Shaw also did not win in their respective categories.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) came to a close on Sunday. While many other film festivals were cancelled this year, TIFF still managed to go ahead. Some films premiered online and the winners delivered their speeches over Zoom. ‘Nomadland,’ starring Frances McDormand, was the winner of the People’s Choice Award. Other notable films that premiered at the festival included ‘Ammonite,’ starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet and ‘Wolfwalkers,’an animated film made by the people behind ‘Song of the Sea.’
Both the Emmys and TIFF had to make huge adjustments this year and what was refreshing about these events was that essential workers were not forgotten during them. Anthony Hopkins and Kate Winslet made sure to thank those working with COVID 19 patients in their speeches at TIFF while essential workers read out the nominees for some of the categories at the Emmys.
Brigid Molloy – Film & TV Correspondent
