Telefilm Canada Announces Canada’s Oscar Pick for 2010

I Killed my Mother submitted as Canada’s representative for nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category

Montréal, Quebec, September 22, 2009 – Telefilm Canada is proud to announce that I Killed my Mother (J’ai tué ma mère), directed by Xavier Dolan, has been submitted for nomination as Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd annual Academy Awards, to be held March 7, 2010.

Telefilm Canada chairs the pan-Canadian selection committee and is a non-voting member. The committee comprises 24 voting members representing major film industry associations and government agencies. This year, I Killed my Mother (J’ai tué ma mère) was selected from among 18 eligible films. The nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced on February 2, 2010.

“A Canadian film in the race for the Oscars provides outstanding exposure for Canadian productions among domestic as well as international audiences,” stated Sheila de La Varende, Telefilm Canada’s Director of National and International Business Development. “We applaud the precious work accomplished over the past few weeks by the selection committee, which gathers together industry representatives from all regions of Canada.”

I Killed my Mother (J’ai tué ma mère) tells the story of sixteen-year-old Hubert Minel, who has a personality conflict with his mother to the point of hating her. Resentful of the feelings of hatred he bears against her, Hubert tries to rekindle the great relationship they used to have.

Selection process for the category of Best Foreign Language Film

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 96 countries to submit their top film for consideration as a possible Best Foreign Language Film nominee. Academy rules state that qualifying films must first be released in the country submitting it no earlier than October 1, 2008, and no later than September 30, 2009, and be publicly screened for the first time in 35mm or 70mm film or in a qualifying digital cinema format for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre. In addition, the recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed film must be predominantly in a language or languages other than English.

Only one film per country is accepted. The Academy will subsequently vote to choose the five films to be nominated in the foreign film category. Films submitted for consideration for the Best Foreign Language Oscar may also be eligible in other award categories, so long as they comply with the particular requirements governing these categories.

Last year, The Necessities of Life (Ce qu’il faut pour vivre), directed by Benoit Pilon, was Canada’s Oscar pick, but the film was not subsequently selected as one of the official nominees. Over the years, four Canadian films have been nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. Deepa Mehta’s Water was nominated in 2006, and three films by Denys Arcand have been so honoured: Le Déclin de l’empire américain (The Decline of the American Empire) in 1986, Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) in 1989, and Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions), which won the coveted award for 2003.

Canadian Selection Committee – 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)
Alliance québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son (AQTIS)
Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ)
Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ)
Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma
British Columbia Film
Canada Council for the Arts
Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)
Directors Guild of Canada
Film Nova Scotia
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Manitoba Film & Sound
National Film Board of Canada
New Brunswick Film
Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation
Ontario Media Development Corporation
SaskFilm and Video Development Corporation
Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC)
Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma du Québec (SARTEC)
Technology PEI
Telefilm Canada (Chair, non-voting)
Union des artistes
Yukon Film & Sound Commission

Developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry
Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. The Corporation also administers the funding programs of the Canadian Feature Film Fund, the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund. Visit www.telefilm.ca.

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Media enquiries:
Eva Hartling
Communications Specialist
Telefilm Canada
514-283-0838, ext. 2090 or 1-800-567-0890
hartlie@telefilm.ca