The Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles Celebrates the 94th Academy Awards®

Commemorating 13 Oscar Nominations Received by Canadians in Top Categories
Honouring Canadian Icons Ivan Reitman and Jean-Marc Vallée

Los Angeles, CA –To celebrate the 94th Academy Awards®, the Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, Zaib Shaikh, will host a festive reception at his official residence to honour Canada’s Oscar® nominees. Canadians have received a total of 13 nominations in the top awards categories including Best Picture (3), Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Costume Design, Production Design, Sound, Visual Effects (2), Makeup and Hairstyling (2), Documentary (Short Subject) (2), and Short Film (Animated). The reception will take place March 24, 2022.

The evening will also pay tribute to beloved industry icons, filmmakers Ivan Reitman and Jean-Marc Vallée who recently passed away.

The reception highlights the important and flourishing relationship between Canada, Hollywood and beyond. “Whether in front of or behind the camera, Canadians have been an integral and creative force in Hollywood from the beginning and this year has been an especially incredible one for Canadian film industry talent,” said Consul General Zaib Shaikh. “We celebrate the depth, diversity and the impact of that talent. One important Consulate mission is to recognize and advance Canadian culture and talent abroad, and we could not be more proud of how Canada’s pursuit of inclusion and equity are naturally and elegantly communicated through the incredible films nominated this year.”

Confirmed guests include Roger Frappier, producer of The Power of the Dog (Netflix), which leads with 12 nominations including Best Picture; filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, whose Best
Picture and Writing (Adapted Screenplay) nominations are among the 10 received by his epic Dune (Warner Bros). Guillermo del Toro, the director-producer-screenwriter of Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures) and producer J. Miles Dale, who both share the Best Picture nomination with Bradley Cooper, will also be in attendance. Nightmare Alley has received four Oscar® nominations.

Canada’s House, as the Consul General’s official residence in Los Angeles is known, will also welcome nominees in artisan categories: Nightmare Alley’s Luís Sequeira (Costume Design), Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau (Production Design) as well as Dune’s Joe Walker (Film Editing), Jacqueline West (Costume Design), Love Larson, Eva Von Bahr and Donald Mowat (Makeup and Hairstyling).

“This year’s nominations demonstrate how Canadian filmmakers are integral to the global, cross-cultural exchange which fuels the craft of motion picture production,” said Christa Dickenson, Executive Director & CEO of Telefilm Canada. “Dune’s nominations are the result of Canada’s finest working in collaboration with artists and writers who hail from Australia, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the U.S. Nightmare Alley is the result of Guillermo del Toro working in Ontario with international filmmakers including Denmark’s Cinematography nominee Dan Laustsen. Affairs of the Art is a NFB co-production with Beryl Productions of Wales. The nominees this year exemplify the incredible talent Canada has to offer to the world.”

Nominees in the short film categories who will be on hand include Ben Proudfoot, director of The Queen of Basketball and Geoff McLean, the producer of Audible (both Documentary Short Subject) as well as Joanna Quinn and Les Mills, the Cardiff director/producer duo behind the NFB’s 76th Oscar® nomination for their animated film, Affairs of the Art.

“NFB excellence in animation goes right back to pioneer Norman McLaren and the tradition of innovation and experimentation that he helped establish. Today, we’re proud to be the creative home for visionary animators and storytellers from across the country and around the world. Joanna Quinn and Les Mills have done such an amazing job of bringing Beryl and her unforgettable family to life. The same goes for our talented creative crew, and thanks to people like them, the NFB is recognized across the globe as the home of great animation storytelling.

This latest Academy Award® nomination is a testament to their talent and dedication,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson.

This year’s Oscar® nominations recognize exceptional filmmakers working across Canada from Nova Scotia-born Proudfoot to the Chester Set Decorator, Vieau, who shares a Production Design nomination for Nightmare Alley with Saskatoon-born Deverell, as well as the creatives from Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver behind Dune and Nightmare Alley.

About Zaib Shaikh
Zaib Shaikh began his mandate as Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles in December 2018. He is the Government of Canada’s senior representative in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.He comes to the posting after an extensive career in the media and entertainment industries, having worked as an actor and producer in theatre, film and television. His work includes acting roles in Deepa Mehta’s film Midnight’s Children, as well as starring in the CBC comedy series Little Mosque on the Prairie, which has been seen in more than 80 countries. Mr. Shaikh co‐produced the special Long Story Short: CBC Turns 75 and co‐wrote, directed and coproduced the film Othello: The Tragedy of the Moor. He also co-founded and served as an artistic producer of the Whistler Theatre Project in British Columbia. From 2014 until his appointment in 2018, Mr. Shaikh was the Film Commissioner and Director of Entertainment Industries for the City of Toronto. In that role, he oversaw and grew the city’s screen, music, live festival, sporting event and tourism sectors, helping to double the value of film production in Canada’s largest city, which surpassed $2 billion in 2016. Mr. Shaikh has served as a board member for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and, most recently on the board of AFC (formerly the Actors Fund of Canada). He has served on juries and committees for the Gemini Awards, ACTRA Awards, Ontario Arts Council, and Theatre Ontario Youth Program as well as an ambassador for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and for Amnesty International Canada. Mr. Shaikh is married to Ms. Kirstine Stewart. They have two children.

About Telefilm Canada
As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual coproduction treaties to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Launched in 2012, the Talent Fund raises private donations which principally support emerging talent. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Telefilm_Canada and on Facebook at facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

About the NFB
The NFB is Canada’s public producer and distributor of award-winning documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences, working with talented creators across the country. The NFB is taking action to combat systemic racism and become a more open and diverse organization, while working to strengthen Indigenous-led production and gender equity in film and digital media. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars®. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.

Consulate General of Canada to the United States in Los Angeles

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