'Eastern Promises' wins top Toronto fest prize

September 16, 2007 The Canadian filmmaker took the top prize at Toronto's 32nd edition after he reunited with "History of Violence" lead Viggo Mortensen to make a thriller about a Russian gangster crossing paths with an innocent midwife, played by Naomi Watts. Past audience award winners in Toronto that went on to Academy Awards success include "American Beauty," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hotel Rwanda." The first runner-up was Jason Reitman's "Juno," while the second runner-up was "Body of War," a documentary about an Iraqi war veteran turned social activist from co-directors Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro.

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