'Bella' shock winner at Toronto festival

Mexican romance Bella was the shock winner at the Toronto Film Festival - along with the controversial Death of a President.

Collecting the People's Choice Award, which is often seen as an indicator of Academy Award success, director Alejandro Monteverde made it clear he was genuinely surprised. "I really hope that this is not a dream and that I don't wake up at film school," he commented. "This festival is my first festival, it's my first film. It's my first everything."

Death of a President, meanwhile, took the Fipresci prize - voted for by the critics. The movie is half documentary, half fiction, and shows the assassination of US President George W. Bush. It was recognised "for the audacity with which it distorts reality to reveal a larger truth."

Elsewhere, The Diesel Discovery Award, chosen by journalists, went to Norwegian entry Reprise, while Canadian winners were Sur la trace D'Igor Rizzi, Manufactured Landscapes and Les Jours.