American Beauty (1999)

This dark dramedy about a suburban father in the throes of a mid-life crisis screened at TIFF in 1999 and won the People's Choice Award. Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley and Chris Cooper, American Beauty was nominated for eight Oscars in 2000 and walked away with five golden statues, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Kevin Spacey) and Best Director (Sam Mendes).