Olivia Cavallaro Culture 09.12.2022 04:Sep AM EDT

Harry Styles, Rest of Amazon Prime Video's 'My Policeman' Cast Receive TIFF Tribute Award for Ensemble Performance

The singer and actor played the lead in a film about a gay love triangle set in the 1950s.

Halfway through the much anticipated Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film organization celebrated the annual TIFF Tribute Awards presented by BVLGARI with a gala fundraiser at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Sunday. There, director Michael Grandage's "My Policeman," a drama starring Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, and David Dawson, was honored with the TIFF Tribute Award for Ensemble Performance.

Variety noted Styles' humble demeanor as he and Corrin, who famously played the late Princess Diana in "The Crown," received the TIFF Tribute Award for "My Policeman," which will be released in the US on October 21 and will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video beginning November 4. The film is set in Brighton, England, in the 1950s, where rules and attitudes about homosexuality were not as welcoming as it is today.

Styles, 28, addressed the awards ceremony saying, "Thank you so much to everyone here, on behalf of all of us, for this wonderful, wonderful award. We all loved working on this film so much. And we hope you enjoy it."

Harry Styles Stars in 'My Policeman,' To Be Released on Amazon Prime Video

Grandage's "My Policeman" is based on the 2012 novel of the same name that was written by Bethan Roberts. The film follows Styles' Tom Burgess, a closeted gay police officer who gets engaged to and marries Corrin's Marion Taylor despite having developed feelings for Dawson's Patrick Hazlewood, an art gallery curator. The story spans several decades, as the film also follows the older versions of Tom, Marion, and Patrick, who are played by Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett, respectively. Deadline reported that this year's

At TIFF, Styles and the rest of the cast shared their thoughts on "My Policeman" and how they hoped the film would be received by audiences. The singer and actor, who also starred in this year's "Don't Worry Darling," admitted that he took the role because of the "timeless quality of his character and its authentic complexity," Deadline reported.

Styles underscored the themes of searching for love and freedom, describing them as "incredibly timeless" and citing them as reasons why the film "works so well" no matter what time period it's set in. The Grammy Award-winning singer also highlighted the character's good qualities and flaws that viewers could connect with and relate to.

'My Policeman' Adds to Societal Debate Over Homosexuality

Grandage, who is an award-winning theater director and producer, opened up about why he was drawn to Roberts' novel and why he decided to adapt it into a film. The 60-year-old said that the novel did a good job at depicting how society's attitude towards sexuality had changed in the last 60 years and how it is now feeling "a little fragile" amidst changing legislation.

"My Policeman" will be released in theaters in the US by Amazon Studios on October 21 and will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video beginning November 4.