'La Bola Negra' wins TIFF's People Choice Award, putting it on Oscar path

“La Bola Negra,” the Spanish queer epic about the intertwined lives of three gay men, won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, confirming its status as a major Oscar contender.

TIFF's top award is voted on by festivalgoers, and it's become known as one of the most iron-clad Academy Awards predictors. Since 2012, all but one winner of the People's Choice Award has gone on to score a best-picture nomination at the Oscars. The lone exception was in 2024, when Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck” won the award. Last year, “Hamnet” won it and later landed eight Oscar nominations.

“La Bola Negra” is directed by the duo known as Los Javis — Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo. It was already a hit at the Cannes Film Festival, where “La Bola Negra” split the best director award with Paweł Pawlikowski for “Fatherland.”

Netflix acquired “La Bola Negra” out of Cannes and has launched a full awards campaign for the film. Netflix is also giving the film its longest theatrical release yet for the streamer. “La Bola Negra” opens in theaters Oct. 16 and begins streaming Dec. 2.

“This is a deeply personal film but it also carries a message of the importance and necessity of expressing who you are,” the Javis said in a statement Sunday. “Knowing that audiences connected with it and made it their own is the greatest gift we could receive.”

The first runner-up for the TIFF award was “I Play Rocky,” Peter Farrelly's comedy about the making of “Rocky.” Second runner-up was “Being Heumann,” Siân Heder's drama about disability rights pioneer Judy Heumann.

The festival also awards a People's Choice Award for international films. That went to “Elsinore,” starring Andrew Scott as Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor who performed “Hamlet” in London while suffering from AIDS. The first runner-up was “Possible Love,” Lee Chang-dong’s Korean drama about the trauma of mass layoffs. Second runner-up was “The Assassin(s),” a Korean procedural by Hur Jin-ho.

“Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been,” a portrait of the 85-year-old vocalist, won TIFF's People's Choice Award for documentary. The festival's audience award for its Midnight Madness section went to “Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney,” a so-called “gonzo documentary” by Matthew Rankin about the former Canadian prime minister.

The 51st edition of TIFF draws to a close Sunday.

Darlene Love poses for a portrait to promote "Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Toronto. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Cast and crew arrive on the red carpet to promote the film Being Heumann at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

CORRECTION -Javier Ambrossi, left, and Javier Calvo is photographed on the red carpet for the film "La Bola Negra" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP) CORRECTION: Corrects to Javier Ambrossi instead of Jvier Ambroisa.

Director Javier Ambrossi, left, and Javier Calvo attend the premiere of "La Bola Negra" at the Princess of Wales Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Toronto. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid won the first capital derby of the season in the Spanish league with a 2-1 win against 10-man Real Madrid, while Manchester City prevailed in an eight-goal thriller against Sunderland to move clear at the top of the Premier League.

Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David scored second-half goals for Atletico, which moved to second place behind Barcelona.

Man City beat Sunderland 5-3 to open a three-point lead over defending champion Arsenal in England.

Atletico scored twice in the second half to beat its city rival, which played a man down nearly the entire second half at the Metropolitano stadium. Dean Huijsen was sent off in the 52nd for a foul that prompted the penalty kick converted by Grimaldo.

David added to the lead in the 59th, before Antonio Rüdiger scored for Madrid in the 89th.

Madrid wanted a red card for Atletico’s Cristian “Cuti” Romero in the first half after he stepped on the leg of Jude Bellingham. The play was reviewed by the VAR but Romero was only shown a yellow card.

The result moved Atletico within five points of Barcelona, which won 3-1 at Sevilla on Saturday with a hat trick by Raphinha.

Real Madrid dropped to third. It's six points behind Baracelona, which has won seven in a row to start the season.

Vinícius Júnior had a lackluster performance and was substituted in the 54th by Yan Diomande.

Man City extended its perfect winning start to the season to five games after City twice relinquished the lead and Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey outshone Erling Haaland with a hat trick.

Haaland eventually ended the visitors’ brave fight with City’s fifth goal in the 81st minute.

Alexander Isak scored his fourth goal of the season as Liverpool beat Bournemouth 1-0, and Leeds drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring the fifth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Sunderland in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Sunderland's Trai Hume goes for a header during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Sunderland in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham and Atletico Madrid's Cristian Romero grimace on the ground after a collision during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe tries to get past Atletico Madrid's Marc Pubill, right, and Marcos Llorente during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Atletico Madrid's Lee Kang-in tries to dribble the ball past Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni, right, during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in Madrid, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)