The prizes have been awarded at the Toronto Film Festival, and as might have been expected, the Fipresci Prize, voted by an international panel of film critics, went to the political "snuff" film Death of a President. (See story here.)

The top award at the festival, however, went to Bella, a romantic drama by Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde. The People’s Choice Award is voted on by festival audiences, and is describe by Reuters as often indicative of future Academy Award nominations.

Bella received little press attention during the festival, and its selection as best picture was described as a surprise.

The film, produced in the United States, tells the story of "two people whose lives converge and turn upside down on a single day in New York," according to Reuters. It is director Monteverde’s first film.