Official statement by Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada, following Mommy’s win at Cannes
Telefilm Canada congratulates Xavier Dolan, winner of the Jury Prize (tied with Goodbye to Language by Jean-Luc Godard) for Mommy at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
Montreal, May 24, 2014—“On behalf of my colleagues at Telefilm Canada, I would like to warmly congratulate Xavier Dolan, whose film Mommy has just won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. This honour recognizes Xavier Dolan’s amazing career, which since its very beginnings has been marked by passion, daring and creativity. From J’ai tué ma mère [I Killed My Mother] in 2009, to Les Amours imaginaires [Heartbeats]in 2010, Laurence Anyways in 2012 and Tom à la ferme [Tom at the Farm]in 2013, Xavier’s has been a truly unique and compelling voice, one that resonates on the international scene and does Canada’s film industry proud. Mommy’s triumph is even more remarkable because Xavier almost single-handedly guided his film, as director, writer, editor, costume designer and co-producer—and he’s only 25!
“This very prestigious award, as well as the critical raves and the more-than-10-minute-long ovation that greeted Mommy at its screening, herald the start of an international and, no doubt, truly dazzling career. Bravo to Xavier Dolan, to co-producer Nancy Grant of Métafilms, and to stars Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément and Antoine Olivier Pilon for this very beautiful movie that offers a wonderful message of hope for today’s youth.
This distinction crowns what has been a historic year for Canada at Cannes. For the first time in the history of Canadian cinema, three films were vying for the Palme d’Or: Mommy, David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars, and Atom Egoyan’s The Captive. I hope that Canadian audiences become aware of Canada’s increasingly celebrated cultural success on the world stage, and that they discover or rediscover the work of our highly talented filmmakers.
“Finally, congratulations also to Julianne Moore who takes home the best actress prize for her role in David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars.”
About Telefilm Canada
Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada’s audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.
For more information, please contact:
Douglas Chow, Manager, External Communications
Telefilm Canada
(514) 283-0838, ext. 2225 or 1-800-567-0890
douglas.chow@telefilm.ca