OTTAWA, January 25, 2011 - The accolades for Canadian director and screenwriter Denis Villeneuve and for producers Luc Déry and Kim McGraw continue to pour in. Their film Incendies was chosen today as one of five nominees for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, which will be given out at the Academy Awards ceremony taking place on February 27, 2011.
Incendies earned the prize for Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was also honoured at the Telluride Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival.
Thanks to the outstanding quality of his film adaptation, Denis Villeneuve is allowing film lovers in Canada and around the world to discover the works of playwright Wajdi Mouawad. Films like Incendies are able to move us, make us think, and make us proud of Canadian cinema.
On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Denis Villeneuve and his team for this well-deserved nomination. I wish them much success at the prestigious ceremony, when proud Canadians across the country will look to them.
I would also like to congratulate Adrien Morot for being nominated in the Best Makeup category for the movie Barney's Version. This Canada-Italy coproduction is also helping Canada shine on the international scene.
Codie Taylor
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Official Languages
819-997-7788
