The Imitation Game, a film about the tragic British genius who broke Germany’s Enigma Code during the Second World War, has won the Grolsch People’s Choice Award as the most audience-friendly film at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

“Yummy delicious!” actor Benedict Cumberbatch said from afar, sending the message through TIFF staff, who announced it with the award at Sunday’s annual awards brunch which brought the 39th edition of the fest to its close.

Cumberbatch plays the real-life role of Alan Turing, the revolutionary mathematician who broke the code, helping to end the war early. Turing later died of an apparent suicide after being persecuted for his homosexuality by the primitive, homophobic English legal system of the 1950s.

Other key prizes included triumphs for two Montreal-born filmmakers. Maxime Giroux’s Felix and Meira took the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey St. Jules’s Bang Bang Baby took the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film.

The two prizes show the impressive depth of directing talent Quebec is producing in both official languages.

The People’s Choice augers well for The Imitation Game, which was directed by Norwegian Morten Tyldum. Last year’s winner, 12 Years a Slave, best on to the best picture Oscar. So did The King’s Speech (2010) and Slumdog Millionaires (2008). Two other winners, Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Precious (2009) were nominated as best picture.

The runners-up could not be more different. Right behind the winner was an American dramatic comedy, Isabel Coixet’s Learning to Drive, which re-unites Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson.

Another American effort, Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent with Bill Murray in an acclaimed performance, placed third in the public voting. Murray referred affectionately to Melfi as “a nobody” during the filmfest but the Brooklyn-born director is quickly becoming “a somebody” with his first feature.

The People’s Choice for the Midnight Madness series went to What We do in the Shadows, a loving vampire mockumentary co-directed by New Zealanders Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.

In accepting the award, Clement had TIFF regulars howling with delight when he deadpanned that most of the people in his film “couldn’t make it because they’re vampires and, unfortunately, one of the disadvantages is that they can never make brunch ceremonies.”

On a more “serious” note, Clement denounced “the disgusting sport of vampire hunting, which is being practised all around the world, including Canada.”

He lamented: “They are being hunted for their lifestyle choices, for sport and for their culinary preferences. We want this stopped. And we want to name-and-shame the quite prominent people in the film industry who are vampire hunters. We are talking about Sir Anthony Hopkins and the Australian Hugh Jackman!”

The Midnight Madness runners-up were Kevin Smith’s Tusk and Jalmari Helander’s Big Game.

Most of the TIFF prizes are for the bragging rights. But four come with cash, too. Giroux earned $30,000 for his Best Canadian Feature Film prize, while St. Jules took home $15,000 for Best Canadian First Feature.

The Vimeo Award for Best Canadian Short Film went to Randall Okita for The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer, earning him $10,000, while the same amount went to Sotiris Dounoukos for her France-Australia co-production, A Single Body. Her short won the first ever Vimeo Award for Best International Short Film.

Other awards included the Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI) for Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind and Abd Al Malik’s May Allah Bless France! The NETPAC award for Asian Cinema went to Shonali Bose’s Margarita, With a Straw.

The People’s Choice Award for documentaries went to Hajooj Kuka’s Beats of the Antonov, a film that promotes peace, love and cultural expression amid the tribal wars that have afflicted Sudan for decades.

PAST PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS

Toronto filmfest co-directors Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey never tire of praising Toronto audiences for their taste and enthusiasm for cinema. Both factors are in play with the People’s Choice Award, which has been given out under various name sponsors since 1978. Here is a look back at the past six winners:

• 12 Years a Slave (2013): Won the Oscar as best picture, with two other Academy Awards, including the hugely popular best supporting actress win for Lupita Nyong’o. Earned $188 million in worldwide box office.

• Silver Linings Playbook (2012):Nominated as best picture in the Oscar race, with Jennifer Lawrence winning as best actress. Earned $236 million worldwide.

• Where Do We Go Now? (2011):Sadly, Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki’s cross-cultural dramatic comedy never prospered after TIFF. While it truly is an audience-pleaser, it is also challenging to actually get audiences in to see foreign-language films during their theatrical runs. North American box office flatlined at $530,000.

• The King’s Speech (2010):Another winner of the best picture Oscar after its TIFF launch! In addition, the film won three other Academy Awards, including a best actor prize for Colin Firth. Earned $414 million worldwide.

• Precious (2009): Breaking out of Cannes and then TIFF, the film pushed on to six Oscar noms, including for best picture. Despite the heart-breaking story it tells, the film did well for an indie drama, earning $64 million worldwide.

• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): This is now a legendary story. Toronto launched Danny Boyle’s film into theatres, into the Oscar race, and onto the stage for an astonishing eight Academy Awards — including one as best picture. The People’s Choice film earned a robust $378 million worldwide, not bad for something that was originally set for direct-to-DVD release.