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The runner-up for the prize was "Learning to Drive," a film about a Manhattan writer, played by Patricia Clarkson, who finds comfort in her lessons with a Sikh driving instructor, played by Ben Kingsley.

"St. Vincent," starring Bill Murray, took second runner-up.

The People's Choice award for top film in the Midnight Madness program, which often showcases horror and offbeat films, went to "What We Do in the Shadows," a mockumentary about vampires living in a New Zealand suburb.

"I'd like to use this forum to bring attention to a more serious matter: the disgusting sport of vampire hunting," said co-director and co-star Jemaine Clement.

The People's Choice award for top documentary went to "Beats of the Antonov," which follows refugees from the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains in Sudan.

Started in 1976, the Toronto festival now ranks with Cannes and Sundance as one of the world's top movie gatherings. The festival often serves as a launching point for films and performances that go on to win Academy Awards, as well as international films seeking distribution deals.

This year saw the festival's highest film sales after a bidding war ended with Paramount buying Chris Rock's "Top Five" for a reported $12.5 million, organizers said. Forty-one film sales have been announced so far, including 24 major sales to US distributors.