TIFF 2024: Mike Leigh, Durga Chew-Bose, Camille Dalmais and Clément Ducol to Receive TIFF Tribute Honors

Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, announces four more esteemed honurees who will be receiving a TIFF Tribute Award at this year’s Festival. Recipients include Academy Award–nominated and renowned British filmmaker Mike Leigh, who will be honoured with the TIFF Ebert Director Award. Canadian rising star Durga Chew-Bose will be honoured with the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by Amazon MGM Studios; this award is in the spirit of Torontonian Mary Pickford, the groundbreaking actor, producer, and co-founder of United Artists, whose impact continues today. French songwriting and composing duo Camille Dalmais and Clément Ducol will be presented with the TIFF Variety Artisan Award for composing the soundtrack for Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, a Netflix film; the award recognizes distinguished creatives who have excelled at their craft and made an outstanding contribution to cinema and entertainment.

This latest group of recipients will be honoured alongside the recently announced Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, and David Cronenberg at the TIFF Tribute Awards gala fundraiser on Sunday, September 8, at Fairmont Royal York Hotel, with Sandra Oh serving as Honorary Chair. The 49th Toronto International Film Festival run September 5-15, 2024.

“It’s a true honour to welcome Mike Leigh back to the Festival and present him with the TIFF Ebert Director Award,” said Bailey. “Leigh has long been acknowledged as one of cinema’s great artists; Roger Ebert himself praised Leigh’s ‘sympathy, penetrating observation, and instinct for human comedy.’ Hard Truths is both a summation of that work and a bold move forward. We’re also excited to honour Canadian filmmaker Durga Chew-Bose with the TIFF Emerging Talent Award. Her feature debut, Bonjour Tristesse, reimagines the classic film with arresting imagery and insight into character. And in a bountiful year of music in film, Camille Dalmais and Clément Ducol’s Emilia Pérezcompositions stand out for their passion and vitality. We’re pleased to present them with the TIFF Variety Artisan Award.”

Mike Leigh returns to the 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival for the World Premiere of his 23rd film, Hard Truths, screening as part of the Special Presentations programme. He reunites with Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies) to create a challenging but ultimately compassionate, intimate study of a modern family life. Hard Truths is distributed by Bleecker Street in the US and by Mongrel Media in Canada. Leigh has had eight films in Official Selection at the Festival, including Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Mr. Turner. Named after legendary film critic Roger Ebert, the Award has gone to celebrated visionaries such as Martin Scorsese, Claire Denis, Ava DuVernay, Wim Wenders, and the late Agnès Varda. Past recipients who received the TIFF Ebert Director Award since the TIFF Tribute Awards were introduced include Spike Lee in 2023; Sam Mendes in 2022; Denis Villeneuve in 2021; Chloé Zhao in 2020; and Taika Waititi in 2019.

Montreal-based Durga Chew-Bose is making her feature film debut as both director and screenwriter of Bonjour Tristesse, which will have its World Premiere in the Discovery program. This contemporary adaptation of late French author Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novel of the same name stars Chloë Sevigny and Claes Bang. Bonjour Tristesse is distributed by Elevation Pictures in Canada. Previous recipients of the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by Amazon MGM Studios include Carolina Markowicz in 2023; Sally El Hosaini in 2022; Danis Goulet in 2021; Tracey Deer in 2020; and Mati Diop in 2019.

Camille Dalmais (Corsage, TIFF ’22) and Clément Ducol (Little Tickles) are prominent figures in the French music scene, often collaborating to create innovative and experimental works. Camille, known for her unique vocal style and blending of pop, folk, and avant-garde elements, has gained acclaim with albums like Le Sac des Filles and Le Fil. She previously collaborated with Hans Zimmer on original music for the soundtrack for The Little Prince, and with Michael Giacchino for “Le Festin” from Ratatouille. “Le Festin” has more than 100 million streams on Spotify. Clément Ducol, a versatile musician, arranger, and producer, enhances her projects with his creative arrangements and musical expertise. He played a significant role in bringing the music of Leo Carax’s Annette to life, collaborating closely with Sparks to arrange and orchestrate the music in the film.  Together, they are responsible for all of the original music in Emilia Perez. They have been collaborating professionally for 10+ years and are also life partners. Together, they form a dynamic duo, pushing the boundaries of contemporary French music. Previous recipients of the TIFF Variety Artisan Award include Łukasz Żal in 2023; Hildur Guðnadóttir in 2022; Ari Wegner in 2021; Terence Blanchard in 2020; and Roger Deakins in 2019.

“Variety is honoured to be giving Camille and Clément our annual Artisan Award at the Toronto International Film Festival,” said Jazz Tangcay, Senior Artisans Editor at Variety. “The soundtrack to Emilia Pérez is a character within the film and a true gift from these fine musicians. Each song and cue is a work of art. The operatic libretto is filled with highlights including Selena Gomez’s Spanish pop song and Zoe Saldaña’s gala number. We are such fans of their work and thrilled to present this award to them, recognizing their talent and contribution this year.” 

The Tribute Awards have served as an awards-season bellwether, honouring the film industry’s outstanding contributors and their achievements, with past honourees Colman Domingo, Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Roger Deakins, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Taika Waititi, and Chloé Zhao going on to win awards on the international stage.