Montreal, May 22, 2016 — “On behalf of Telefilm Canada and myself, I want to heartily congratulate Xavier Dolan for winning over the jury and the public with the film It’s Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde) at the Cannes Film Festival. By taking home both the Grand Prix, second only to the Palme d’Or, and the Ecumenical Prize, Dolan has once again put Canada in the spotlight on the international stage.

“At age 27, Xavier Dolan already has an outstanding track record: in seven years he has made six films, five of which have been invited to Cannes, a feat in itself. He has won numerous awards, charmed audiences and garnered attention far and wide. Today, the film world and movie lovers around the globe eagerly await his new productions—unique works with an inimitable style.

“Dolan’s two latest awards at Cannes are renewed recognition of his immense talent, of course, but also of the determined effort and sheer perseverance he has demonstrated from the outset. For all those reasons, he is a source of pride for us and for all Canadians. He also inspires emerging filmmakers, having shown that, with hard work and confidence, even the wildest dreams can come true. As he said in accepting the Jury Prize in 2014 for Mommy, ‘everything is possible for those who dream, dare, work and never give up.’

“Mr. Dolan, we applaud the excellence of your work and of the work of all those who contribute to the making of remarkable films like It’s Only the End of the World.

“Bravo as well to all the talented members of this year’s Canadian delegation.”

Media enquiries:
Françoise Lapointe, Advisor, External Communications, Telefilm Canada
(514) 283-0838, ext. 2028 or 1-800-567-0890
francoise.lapointe@telefilm.ca