Telefilm Canada Congratulates Denis Villeneuve on his Oscar Nomination
Montréal, January 25, 2011 – Telefilm Canada warmly congratulates Denis Villeneuve on his Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Feature category for Incendies. Announced at a press conference in Los Angeles this morning, Incendies is just one of five feature films now in the running for the Oscar, to be handed out on February 27, 2011.
“We are thrilled to see Incendies achieve such a high, and well-deserved, honour,” said Carolle Brabant. “We are proud to have supported Denis Villeneuve, who has helped elevate Canada’s reputation as world-class filmmakers with great artistic vision. The film’s message is universal, reaching beyond language or borders. ”
“Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McCraw and their French partners demonstrate the value of international coproduction in pooling creative resources and masterfully combining the best of each partner. Congratulations to everyone involved,” she added.
Incendies is the fifth-ever Canadian picture to be nominated in this category. Most recently, Toronto-based filmmaker Deepa Mehta was nominated for Water in 2006. Denys Arcand, three-time Oscar nominee, is the only Canadian director to have won the Foreign Language Oscar for Les Invasions barbars in 2004.
Incendies was selected for submission to the Academy by a pan-Canadian selection committee, chaired by Telefilm and comprised of 25 voting members representing major film industry associations and government agencies.
Written and directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film is based on the critically-acclaimed stage play by Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad. A Canada-France coproduction by micro_scope (Montréal), the PHI Group (Montréal) and TS Productions (Paris), it is currently being distributed by Les Films Christal in Canada and by eOne Entertainment internationally.
The film was financially-supported through the Canada Feature Film Fund. As well, on October 6, 2010, the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, hosted a special screening of Incendies for Parliamentarians in Ottawa.
About Telefilm Canada
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. Telefilm also administers the Canada Media Fund’s programs. Visit www.telefilm.ca.
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Media inquiries:
Élise Proulx
Telefilm Canada
514-283-0838 or 1-800-567-0890, ext. 2090
proulxe@telefilm.ca
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