Actor Colman Domingo will receive the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Tribute Performer Award. This award recognizes an overall body of exceptional work, and is one of seven awards being handed out at the fifth annual TIFF Tribute Awards gala on Sunday, September 10, at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
A prolific actor of the screen and the stage, Domingo’s career spans over 30 years. Domingo will next be seen in Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing premiering at the Festival. He also served as an executive producer on Sing Sing. Past Tribute recipients honored in the prestigious acting category were Brendan Fraser and the ensemble cast of My Policeman in 2022; Jessica Chastain and Benedict Cumberbatch in 2021; Kate Winslet and Sir Anthony Hopkins in 2020; and Meryl Streep and Joaquin Phoenix in 2019.
Sing Sing is about a theatre troupe that finds escape from the realities of incarceration through the creativity of putting on a play. Based on the real-life arts rehabilitation program founded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, the film is being distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.
“Colman Domingo’s performances are a masterclass in the art of storytelling,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “Domingo’s presence, on stage and on screen, is a gift to audiences, and his work continues to resonate, leaving an indelible impact. He is a true visionary in the world of performance, and we’re excited to honor him this year.”
Domingo joins the recently announced 2023 TIFF Tribute Award honorees Andy Lau, recipient of the Special Tribute Award; Carolina Markowicz, recipient of the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by MGM Studios; Łukasz Żal, recipient of the TIFF Variety Artisan Award; Shawn Levy, recipient of the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award presented by The Budman Family; Pedro Almodóvar, recipient of the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant; and Spike Lee, recipient of the TIFF Ebert Director Award. Once again, the TIFF Tribute Awards honor the film industry’s outstanding contributors and their achievements, recognizing leading industry members, acting talent, directorial expertise, new talent, and a below-the-line artist and creator.
Domingo is an Emmy Award–winning actor, and has been nominated for a Tony®, Independent Spirit, Gotham, Lawrence Olivier, Drama Desk, Drama League, NAACP Image, and Black Reel Award as an actor, playwright, and producer. In June 2023, he appeared in and produced the unscripted AMC travel show You Are Here and was a producer on the Tony-nominated "Fat Ham." He is well known for his Spirit Award–nominated role in Janicza Bravo’s Zola as well as his work on stage in "The Scottsboro Boys" and Broadway’s "Passing Strange." Domingo and his husband Raúl Domingo have produced a myriad of work under their Edith Productions banner, including four seasons of the award-winning variety talk show Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s. Domingo co-wrote, produced, and starred in the Academy Award–shortlisted animated short film New Moon, based on his play "A Boy and His Soul." He also starred in and executive produced the award-winning short North Star.
The Tribute Awards gala is TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser, having raised $1.3 million in 2022, and is presented by Bulgari. This year, the Tribute Awards gala will support the Viola Desmond Cinema campaign, which was launched through the Every Story Fund in 2022.
