Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar and Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s The Intouchables are the winners of the 2012 Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards. Monsieur Lazhar was named Best Canadian Film and The Intouchables was selected as the Best International Film. 

The Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards is part of the TIFF’s (Toronto International Film Festival) national film outreach program Film Circuit.

Nominated for an Academy Award, Monsieur Lazhar follows the story of Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. As he helps the class through their long healing process, Bachir must also cope with his painful former life—and a secret too great to reveal. Monsieur Lazhar won the City of Toronto Best Canadian Feature Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and was recognized through TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten in 2011. 

Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s The Intouchables has become a worldwide sensation. Nominated for nine César Awards, with Best Actor honors going to Omar Sy, The Intouchables tells the story of the improbable friendship between Philippe (François Cluzet), a wealthy quadriplegic, and Driss (Sy), a young offender of Senegalese descent who is hired as his live-in caregiver.