22 recent Oscar breakouts from the Toronto International Film Festival

10 Years, 22 Oscar Contenders

It might not be the only awards-positioning event launching Academy Award contenders into the race, but — sandwiched between Venice, Telluride, and New York — TIFF certainly is the largest. With hundreds of films screening annually at the non-competitive fest, at least one Best Picture nominee per year between 2011 and 2016 has found its way into the Oscar conversation after a world premiere in Toronto, with nine of the last 10 People's Choice selections going on to win or be nominated for the Academy's top prize. To whet your appetite for the 10 days of TIFF's 2018 edition ahead, here are 22 Oscar-verified films that have premiered north of the border in the last decade.

I, Tonya (2017)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 8, 2017

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale

Oscar win: Best Supporting Actress (Janney)

Oscar nominations: Best Actress (Robbie), Best Film Editing

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 10, 2017

Directed by: Dan Gilroy

Starring: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo

Oscar nomination: Best Actor (Washington)

Molly's Game (2017)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 8, 2017

Directed by: Aaron Sorkin

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Chris O'Dowd

Oscar nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay

Lion (2016)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 10, 2016

Directed by: Garth Davis

Starring: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Sunny Pawar

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Best Supporting Actor (Patel), Best Supporting Actress (Kidman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score

The Martian (2015)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 11, 2015

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Damon), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design

Trumbo (2015)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 12, 2015

Directed by: Jay Roach

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren

Oscar nomination: Best Actor (Cranston)

Land of Mine (2016)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 10, 2015

Directed by: Martin Zandvliet

Starring: Roland Møller, Louis Hofmann

Oscar nomination: Best Foreign Language Film (Denmark)

The Theory of Everything (2014)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 7, 2014

Directed by: James Marsh

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones

Oscar win: Best Actor (Eddie Redmayne)

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Jones), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score

Still Alice (2014)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 8, 2014

Directed by: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland

Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart

Oscar win: Best Actress (Moore)

The Judge (2014)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 4, 2014

Directed by: David Dobkin

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga

Oscar nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall)

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 7, 2013

Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner

Oscar wins: Best Actor (McConaughey), Best Supporting Actor (Leto), Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay

August: Osage County (2013)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 9, 2013

Directed by: John Wells

Starring: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor

Oscar nominations: Best Actress (Streep), Best Supporting Actress (Julia Roberts)

The Impossible (2012)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 9, 2012

Directed by: J.A. Bayona

Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland

Oscar nomination: Best Actress (Watts)

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 8, 2012

Directed by: David O. Russell

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro

Oscar win: Best Actress (Lawrence)

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), Best Supporting Actor (De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver), Best Director (Russell), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing

Moneyball (2011)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 9, 2011

Directed by: Bennett Miller

Starring: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Pitt), Best Supporting Actor (Hill), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay

Beginners (2010)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 11, 2010

Directed by: Mike Mills

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent

Oscar win: Best Supporting Actor (Plummer)

Rabbit Hole (2010)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 13, 2010

Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest

Oscar nomination: Best Actress (Kidman)

A Serious Man (2009)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 12, 2009

Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen

Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick

Oscar nomination: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay

The Visitor (2008)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 7, 2007

Directed by: Tom McCarthy

Starring: Richard Jenkins, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass

Oscar nomination: Best Actor (Jenkins)

Eastern Promises (2007)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 8, 2007

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Starring: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel

Oscar nomination: Best Actor (Mortensen)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 9, 2007

Directed by: Shekhar Kapur

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush

Oscar win: Best Costume Design

Oscar nomination: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)

Away from Her (2007)

TIFF premiere: Sept. 11, 2006

Directed by: Sarah Polley

Starring: Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis

Oscar nominations: Best Actress (Christie), Best Adapted Screenplay