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Filmmaker Monia Chokri loves a zoom lens. Such is the fun aesthetic of her third feature The Nature of Love. Often the image jumps forwards or backwards, accenting an emotional moment with a punchy, visual exclamation point. It shouldn’t work, yet it does. The film stars Magalie Lépine Blondeau as Sophia, a 40-year-old professor in a comfortable marriage to Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume). “Not unhappy,” she describes herself at one point. Early on, Sophia is intrigued and quickly entranced by Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), the craftsperson renovating Sophia and Xavier’s country home. The affair is immediately sexy, exciting, and passionate.

Cinematographer André Turpin’s camera matches the excitement. When things are turbulent––be they good or bad––the camera gets a bit impatient. When things are stale, the camera gets a bit complacent. Consider one of the best moments of the film: Sylvain’s seductive introduction. The camera runs slowly down a corridor,...

Monia Chokri’s “The Nature of Love” opens by introducing us to 40-year-old philosophy professor Sophia (Magalie Lépine Blondeau) and her husband Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume), as they enjoy a dinner party with friends. Said friends (one of whom is played by the director) are similarly middle-class progressive types with nice homes and comfortable lives; Sophia’s job in particular allows a strand of metatextual self-commentary in an otherwise predominantly broad and sexy comedy. It is, of course, a cast-iron rule of cinema that if a film opens with a middle-class dinner party, you’re about to see somebody’s bourgeois certainties undermined, and Chokri doesn’t disappoint.

On the drive home, Sophia and Xavier gossip about their friends’ love lives. Supposedly one of the other couples has sex three or four times a week, but also fights constantly. Xavier is of the opinion that a peaceful but sexless life is preferable,...

Coming off the still-fresh release of her sophomore film in Babysitter (it was a Sundance world preem albeit virtual edition), production has already begun on Monia Chokri‘s third feature, Simple Comme Sylvain. Thanks to the socials we learn that Magalie Lépine Blondeau (the actress who toplined Chokri’s brilliant 2013 short Quelqu’un d’extraordinaire) once again reteam with the director. A project that was mentioned as early as 2019 and benefitted from some Sodec and Telefilm coin is being produced by Metafilms’ Sylvain Corbeil and Nancy Grant. Production is taking place just outside of Montreal. Xavier Dolan’s regular Dp André Turpin is the cinematographer here.…...

Though their “’80s Horror” lineup would constitute enough of a Halloween push, the Criterion Channel enter October all guns blazing. The month’s lineup also includes a 19-movie vampire series running from 1931’s Dracula (English and Spanish both) to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, the collection in-between including Herzog’s Nosferatu, Near Dark, and Let the Right One In. Last year’s “Universal Horror” collection returns, a 17-title Ishirō Honda retrospective has been set, and a few genre titles stand alone: Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The House of the Devil, and Island of Lost Souls.

Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...

"We're so bounded by time, by its order. But now I am not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings." There's a lovely new video on YouTube to watch titled "The Beauty of Denis Villeneuve." It's made by a French movie lover who runs a Yt channel called "The Beauty Of" making short videos about the beautiful cinematography found in various films & TV & games. This one is all about Villeneuve and his movies, from Incendies to Dune and everything else (he has made 10 features in total so far). All set to the music "On the Nature of Daylight" also heard in Arrival. Villeneuve has worked with these great cinematographers: Greig Fraser, Roger Deakins, Bradford Young, André Turpin, Nicolas Bolduc, and Pierre Gill. There's many other memorable shots not seen in this video, but this just makes me want to rewatch every last one of his movies. Thanks to Kottke for the tip on this.

The U.S. lineup at Mubi next month has been unveiled, featuring films by Claude Chabrol, Paulo Rocha, Ulrich Köhler, and more. Notable new releases include Pedro Costa’s striking Locarno winner Vitalina Varela as well as the Julia Fox-led Pvt Chat (check out our extensive interview with director Ben Hozie here.).

As part of their series Thrills, Chills, and Exquisite Horrors, the Martin Scorsese favorite Wake in Fright joins Mubi, along with Fabrice Du Welz’s Alleluia, Nicolas Winding Refn’s underseen Fear X, and Ben Wheatley’s trippy A Field in England.

Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.

October 1 | Alléluia | Fabrice Du Welz | Thrills, Chills, and Exquisite Horrors

October 2 | Styx | Wolfgang Fischer

October 3 | The Green Years | Paulo Rocha | Double Bill: Paulo Rocha

October 4 | Change of Life | Paulo Rocha | Double Bill: Paulo Rocha

October 5 | Your Day Is My Night | Lynne Sachs

October 6 | Hey, You!

Xavier Dolan's Matthias & Maxime is showing exclusively on Mubi in many countries starting on August 28, 2020.Notebook: Matthias & Maxime feels like such a layered and nuanced work. What’s the main thing you want viewers to take away from the film?Xavier Dolan: I think the main thing that I’d love to know someone’s taken away from this is the sense of friendship, actually—towards my characters and towards the viewer’s own friends. This movie was always a love declaration to my friends, so, to me, it just makes sense that one would think of theirs while watching it, and just want to cherish them, and miss them. It might sound silly but I think it would be enough for me. And maybe also to know that it started, amongst men, maybe, a conversation about what it means to be masculine, what it means...

Of the many labels Xavier Dolan’s Matthias & Maxime came attached with ahead of its Cannes premiere, few felt as apt as those that billed the Canadian’s eighth feature as “a return.” Three years after railing at Cannes’ “culture of hatred” for the mauling his Grand Prix winner It’s Only The End of the World received from critics–and less than one since the even bigger misfire The Death and Life of John F. Donovan bowed in Toronto–Matthias & Maxime shipped Xavier Dolan back to the festival that first welcomed him in 2009, when his I Killed My Mother left the Directors’ Fortnight with a Camera d’Or for best first feature. Homing in on two best friends grappling with a sprawling bromance, Matthias & Maxime also promised to dwell into the non-heteronormative dynamics Dolan had explored at length since his debut. And after two features set abroad, (the France-quartered...

It sounds like the premise of a Duplass brothers movie: Two lifelong dude pals, now approaching their late 20s and heading in very different directions, are convinced to make out as part of someone’s dumb student film; privately, but profoundly, the experience unlocks something at the heart of their friendship. In fact, it was the premise of a Duplass brothers movie (or at least a movie starring a Duplass brother).

Nevertheless, there is a world of difference between Lynn Shelton’s “Humpday” and Xavier Dolan’s new “Matthias & Maxime.” It’s a world of difference as clear but crossable as that between male friendship and male intimacy; gay panic and gay desire. Both films compellingly test the electric fence that runs along the parameters of heteronormative behavior, but only Dolan’s embraces the full seriousness of its story prompt.

In many ways the aging enfant terrible’s most...

Vimeo has announced its 2018 nominees for the Best of the Year Staff Picks Awards. Vimeo has recognized the best Staff Picks of the year by calling out the winners on its blog since 2016, but the company is elevating its end-of-the-year celebration this year by revealing nominations and bringing in a distinguished jury for each category to decide the winner. Each award recipient will receive a cash prize and a physical trophy, in addition to the Best of the Year badge, and the winning films will be screened at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on January 17th.

There are three jurors for each Staff Pick category, including the 2017 winners for each respective category. Categories include: Best of Action Sports, Best of Animation, Best of Comedy, Best of Documentary, Best of Drama, Best of Eye Candy and Best of Travel. Jury members include Alan Cumming, Roger Ross Williams, Reinaldo Green, and Sarah Schneider,...

In the decade since his directorial debut “I Killed My Mother,” treasured Quebecois star Xavier Dolan has gone from breakout filmmaking talent to bonafide auteur, all before the age of 30. His expressive dramas have increased in ambition and scale , from the sprawling trans saga “Lawrence Anyways” to the frantic mother-son intensity of “Mommy.” Even his maligned “It’s Only the End of the World” benefited from a host of world-class performances, from Vincent Cassel to Marion Cotillard, as Dolan continued to expand his scope.

Now comes the former child actor’s first English-language project, “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan,” a shocking misfire that nevertheless demonstrates the sheer confidence in his storytelling that Dolan has cultivated over a decade of movies. It’s the only possible explanation for this baffling ensemble piece, a campy (if at times inspired) burst of melodrama and ludicrous scenarios caving into each other...

Anytime Paul Thomas Anderson releases a new movie is cause for celebration, but this year doubly so.

Via Jeff Sneider, Eic of The Tracking Board, it was announced yesterday at the Focus Features presentation during Cinema Con that the writer-director’s next film, the yet-to-be-officially-titled collaboration with Daniel Day Lewis about a royal dressmaker in the 1950s, will be released here in the Us on Christmas Day 2017.

No footage was shown and that pesky working title — Phantom Thread­ — was neither confirmed nor denied, but by all accounts production is going swimmingly and an end-date is in sight. As I mentioned above, the film deals with a dressmaker, played by Day Lewis, but specifically the film “illuminates the life behind the curtain of an uncompromising dressmaker commissioned by royalty and high society.” Other members of the cast include Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies), Richard Graham (Titanic), and Vicky Krieps (Hanna). It wasn’t revealed whether the December 25th release...

The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards took place Sunday, August 28 from New York’s Madison Square Garden, where the hottest musical acts reunited to celebrate another year of creative, empowering and artistic videos from the past year.

This year Beyoncé led the pack with 11 nominations and took home eight Moonmen including Video of the Year. Although Adele, with her Xavier Dolan-directed “Hello,” garnered a successful eight noms, she left empty handed.

Other winners of the night include Drake, Dnce, David Bowie and Coldplay. See the full list of winners below.

Read More: MTV Vma 2016 Live Stream: Watch the Video Music Awards Live Online

Video of the Year

Adele – “Hello”

Director: Xavier Dolan

Beyoncé – “Formation”

Director: Melina Matsoukas

Drake – “Hotline Bling”

Director: Director X

Justin Bieber – “Sorry”

Director: Parris Goebel

Kanye West – “Famous”

Director: Kanye West

Best Female Video

Adele – “Hello”

Director: Xavier Dolan

Beyoncé – “Hold Up”

Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Beyoncé Knowles...

MTV has announced the nominees for the 11th annual Video Music Awards, with Beyoncé’s 11 nods leading the pack. Adele is up for eight awards, meanwhile, including Best Director for the Xavier Dolan–directed “Hello”; she’s up against Bey, Drake, Justin Bieber and Kanye West in that category. Full list below:

Video of the Year

Adele – “Hello”

Director: Xavier Dolan

Beyoncé – “Formation”

Director: Melina Matsoukas

Drake – “Hotline Bling”

Director: Director X

Justin Bieber – “Sorry”

Director: Parris Goebel

Kanye West – “Famous”

Director: Kanye West

Best Female Video

Adele – “Hello”

Director: Xavier Dolan

Beyoncé – “Hold Up”

Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Beyoncé Knowles Carter

Sia – “Cheap Thrills”

Director: Lior Molcho

Ariana Grande – “Into You”

Director: Hannah Lux Davis

Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work” (short version)

Director: Director X

Best Male Video

Drake – “Hotline Bling”

Director: Director X

Bryson Tiller – “Don’t”

Director: Cris

Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”

Director:...

Numerous sections that range from those that focus on particular geographical regions, to one that highlights features crafted by homegrown talent, another formed by stories about people who have left their hometowns to find a better life elsewhere, and even one that honors Minnesota’s Scandinavian heritage, are some of the blocks that build the extensive and boldly curated program of the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (Mspiff).

Discerning which films to watch from the couple hundred that will play in the Midwestern city during the next two weeks is a colossal task and one that is directed by taste and interests; however, there are plenty of options for adventurous audiences looking to watch a unique cinematic vision outside of their comfort zone.

The most audacious offers include a French animated featured focused on a war-torn African country, Joel Potrykus follow-up to “Buzzard,” a subversive Lgbt drama about skaters in Mexico City, the story of a Somali man in Minneapolis who finds friendship in a lonely dog, a dark Swedish comedy that resembles the humor of celebrated Nordic masters, or a Brazilian coming-of-ager centered on a girl obsessed with the recent murders of local women. Just from the premises is easy to predict that these will not be your typical experience at the movies, but that's not to say they won't be exponentially more entertaining and eye-opening.

Here is a list with 12 unconventional choices, including those mentioned above, playing at Mspiff that we can't wait to see.

Synopses courtesy of the festival.

The 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival takes place runs April 7-23. For the full program and tickets visit Here.

"Adama"

Dir. Simon Rouby

France

12 year-old Adama, voiced by French-Malian child actor Azize Abdoulaye Diabaté, lives in an idyllic village sheltered by cliffs. When his brother Samba defies their elders and flees to join the ‘Nassara’ (colonialist French army), Adama follows in an attempt to bring Samba home. Experimental animation combining laser-scanned sculptures of clay and sand with painterly animated scenes bring magical realism to Adama’s journey north from West Africa to Europe’s Western Front in 1914. A heroic odyssey mixes elements of mysticism and allegory with action, adventure, and a little known historical African narrative

Screens April 20 at 2:30 Pm and April 16 at 3:45

"The Alchemist Cookbook"

Dir. Joel Potrykus

U.S.

Sean is a young hermit, living in near total isolation and obsessed with a mysterious alchemic and somewhat manic pursuit that challenges the laws of nature. Off the grid and turning his back on civilization, his days play out inside an old trailer in the swamps, conducting experiments. When a demonic entity appears in the shadows, Sean’s self-induced seclusion is shattered by a true force of evil. Joel Potrykus delivers another meditation on the idiosyncratic side of the male psyche that feels like a dark and demented modern-day folk tale.

Screens April 14 at 9:50 Pm and April 21 at 10:00 Pm

"The Ardennes"

Dir. Robin Pront

Belgium

Robin Pront's feature-film debut opens with a powerful punch and continues with a slow burn downward spiral of brotherly betrayal and brutal retribution. After a robbery goes hopelessly wrong, Dave escapes the scene leaving his brother Kenny behind to take the rap. Flash forward four years and Dave has been able to turn his life around while time has stood still for Kenny, now out on parole, who was left simmering in jail. The palpable tension between Dave and Kenny builds to brutal and thrilling crescendo in the shadows of Belgium's Ardennes forest.

Screens April 10 at 9:40 Pm and April 22 at 9:45 Pm

"A Decent Man"

Dir. Micha Lewinsky

Switzerland

This provocative drama chronicles a family vacation that turns into every parent’s nightmare. Thomas, an amiable man in his mid-forties, resolves that his family will take their annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps even though neither his wife or daughter are interested. But things soon become more complicated when his manipulative boss pressures him to include his difficult daughter, Sarah. A convincing portrait of an insecure man whose failure to be a beloved father, brilliant journalist and understanding husband is sending him over the edge.

Screens April 8 at 4:45 Pm and April 19 at 9:40 Pm

"Dragonfly"

Dir. Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene Epstein

U.S.

Told with heart, humor, and a little bit of magic, "Dragonfly" is a film about homecoming and healing for a Midwestern family divided by divorce and illness. When Anna’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Anna returns home to help but not without some reluctance tied to her emotional family baggage. As she unpacks her past, Anna rediscovers a mysterious mailbox from her childhood and embarks on a search to solve its mystery. What she learns along the way may be the key to her own reconciliation.

Screens: April 10 at 7:10 Pm and April 16 at 4:40 Pm

"Endorphine"

Dir. André Turpin

Canada

What’s the connection between trauma, memory and the relativity of space and time? Endorphine sends you down a rabbit hole where time and existence are scrambled into a Lynchian fever dream. After 12-year-old Simone helplessly witnesses the murder of her mother, she is thrust into an endless loop that explores alternate realities and parallel lives, including what may or may not be adult versions of herself. Expertly crafted by André Turpin (cinematographer on Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and Tom at the Farm and Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies), "Endorphine" is a dark and visually arresting head trip.

Screens April 10 at 9:15 Pm and April 18 at 9:30 Pm

"The Garbage Helicopter"

Dir. Jonas Selberg Augustsén

Sweden

An old Roma woman is seized by a sudden urge to reclaim her antique clock, sending her three grandchildren on an odyssey across the lonesome, big-sky highways of northern Sweden (captured in beautifully bleak black-and-white). The action takes place in the deadpan absurdist territory pioneered by Jarmusch, Kaurismäki, and Andersson. Here, crosswords are completed (including the mysterious entry, "garbage helicopter"), a speed-trap camera is demolished, a Holocaust museum is visited, the world’s second-biggest chair is solemnly viewed, and a gang of art thieves is encountered.

Screens April 21 at 9:40 Pm and April 23 at 7:05 Pm

"Kill Me Please"

Dir. Anita Rocha da Silveira

Brazil/Argentina

Anita Rocha da Silveira’s stunning debut drops us directly into the psyche of a middle-class teenage girl, piqued by raging hormones and fueled with fearless curiosity. A string of grisly neighborhood murders of women captures the imagination of a clique of girls, but especially Bia who feels more and more connected to the dead women than her high school friends. The incident ignites something in Bia, causing her to embrace fantasy and openly explore her sexuality. Built on a unique atmosphere devoid of adults, Kill Me Please is a dark yet pop-infused coming-of-age story.

Screens April 9 at 3:15 Pm and April 14 at 9:45 Pm

"I Promise Anarchy"

Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón

Mexico

Miguel and Johnny are friends from opposite sides of the tracks, but that doesn’t inhibit their romance with one another that revolves around sex, drugs and skateboarding. To support their devil-may-care lifestyle, the boys sell their own blood—and occasionally the blood of their friends and whomever they can find—to an underground network run by the drug cartel. When one such arrangement goes wrong, Miguel and Johnny find themselves way over their head. Director Julio Hernandez Cordon’s stylishly blends a breezy romance of wayward youth with a gritty nior thriller on the streets of Mexico City.

Screens April 8 at 9:15 Pm and April 11 at 9:50 Pm

"Schneider vs. Bax"

Dir. Alex van Warmerdam

Netherlands/Belgium

This black comedy makes a point of turning the hitman genre on its head with unconventional setups that spiral into absurdism. Schneider wakes to his adoring wife and two young daughters planning his birthday party only to have it interrupted by a call from his boss with a job that must be done right away: an easy hit on an isolated novelist named Bax that he can finish by noon. Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Schneider vs. Bax is as much about the contrast and comparison of these two men and their families, as it is the nascent yet ineffective real-world cage match.

Screens April 10 at 9:35 Pm and April 14 at 9:40 Pm

"A Stray"

Dir. Musa Syeed

U.S.

In the microcosm of Minneapolis’ large Somali community, Adan has run out of options. Looking to turn his life around, he finds solace, friendship and a job as a janitor at the mosque. Finding an even better job driving a taxi, Adan unexpectedly finds a new friend in a stray dog. But the mosque sees the dog as impure, and Adan finds himself on the streets again. Director Musa Syeed brings the streets of Riverside and the struggles of young Somalis to the big screen in this vivid and moving drama.

Screens April 15 at 7:20 Pm and April 17 at 3: 50 Pm

"Wednesday, May 9"

Dir. Vahid Jalilvand

Iran

Leila works in a chicken packing factory to support her family, but still has no money left over to save for a much-needed operation for her disabled husband. Setareh secretly married against her family’s wishes, and when her tyrannical cousin finds out, an altercation lands her young husband in jail, requiring 30 million tomans in “blood money” for his release. The two tragic stories of these women are connected to a potential benefactor who could help them in Vahid Jalilvand’s incredible debut feature of carefully drawn characters and bold statements of humanism.

Screens April 8 at 4:50 Pm and April 19 at 4:30 Pm...

André Turpin isn't exactly a household name though you've likely seen some of his work; he is a celebrated cinematographer who has worked regularly with Denis Villeneuve (Maelstrom and Incendies) and most recently with Xavier Dolan (Tom at the Farm and Mommy).

Though best known for his work as a Dp, Turpin has made a number of films in the past though it's been well over a decade since he made a feature film and if the first trailer for Endorphine is anything to go by, the wait has been well worth it.

Also co-written by Turpin, the movie brings together the apparently unrelated lives of three women named Simone. Here's the official synopsis from the movie's world premiere at Tiff last year:

Twelve-year-old Simone (Sophie N&eacut [Continued ...]...

With Mommy expanding wide earlier this year, his thriller Tom at the Farm finally arriving in the United States this summer, and production wrapping on his Marion Cotillard-led drama, it’s already been quite a year for director Xavier Dolan. Capping things off, he’s delivered what will likely be his most-watched work yet with the music video for Adele‘s new single Hello.

Marking her first new music in three years — perhaps well-timed after wishing the Spectre theme song was more like her stellar Skyfall ballad — the Montreal-set music video is shot by Dolan regular André Turpin with a sepia tone. “It was incredible working with him,” Adele tells Beats1’s Zane Lowe (via The Verge). “I learned a lot and it made me want to be an actress. He had me crying and acting… and I’m really, really proud of it. It’s not like a...

The 44th edition of the Festival du Nouveau Cinema has just announced their entire lineup and it’s pretty insane! The festival which takes place in Montreal from October 7 to 18 is screening nearly 400 films and events in only 11 days. This includes 151 feature films and 203 short films from 68 countries – 49 world premieres, 38 North American premieres and 60 Canadian premieres. Give credit to the team of programmers: Claude Chamberlan, Dimitri Eipides Julien Fonfrède, Philippe Gajan, Karolewicz Daniel, Marie-Hélène Brousseau, Katayoun Dibamehr and Gabrielle Tougas-Frechette.

Below is the lineup. There’s a lot to process so take your sweet time!

Opening and closing

The whole New Testament directed by Jaco Van Dormael (Toto the Hero, Mr Nobody, The Eighth Day), will kick off this 44th edition.

After its world premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last May, the new opus unconventional Belgian director, starring Benoît Poelvoorde (Three Hearts, Ransom of Glory), Yolande Moreau (Mammuth,...

Following the rare footsteps of Nicolas Roeg, Mario Bava, Barry Sonnenfeld, Zhang Yimou, Jack Cardiff, and more, cinematographer André Turpin also tries his hand at directing every so often. After beautiful work on Mommy, Tom at the Farm, Incendies, he recently returned to Tiff with his first directorial work in 14 years, the mystery drama Endorphine. We now have the first trailer following the premiere, which has us highly intrigued with its evocative imagery and plotting, and hopefully U.S. distribution will follow soon.

“The intricately crafted script keeps us constantly uncertain whether what we’re seeing is present, past, future, or alternate reality,” Tiff’s Magali Simard says. “Turpin compounds the complexity with an extraordinary editing technique, putting the images through an obsessive process of repetition that reveals layer after layer of meaning. From its mysterious opening sequence to its absorbing conclusion, Endorphine is a relentless intellectual stimulant, inducing an...

Read More: Tiff Artistic Director Cameron Bailey On The Promise of Canadian Cinema A new trailer has been released for André Turpin's latest film, "Endorphine," giving a glimpse into a backwards world where time and reality are never quite as they seem. The film follows three women, all named Simone. The first Simone is a young girl with Ptsd; the second Simone is a woman who confronts her mother's killer; and the third Simone is a celebrated doctor who can only achieve orgasm in her sleep. As the three Simones learn to cope with their personal traumas, they are led down a hypnotic and confusing rabbit-hole of self-discovery. Based on the trailer above, the film seems to promise some mind-bending moments of altered reality. At one point, the eldest Simone says, "The external world exists. Perhaps. Perhaps not." Sophie Nélisse, Myléne Mackay and Lise Roy star as the three Simones,...

Exclusive: Anick Poirier has been promoted to svp of international sales at Seville International as the company arrives in Toronto with a seven-strong slate.

The Montreal-based boutique sales division of eOne handles sales on festival world premiere selections Andrew Currie’s The Steps, Julio Medem’s Ma Ma and Hany Abu-Assad’s The Idol.

Also receiving their world premieres are Leena Yadav’s Parched and André Turpin’s Endorphine, while Andrew Cividino’s Sleeping Giant and Tim Godsall’s Len And Company are in line for North American premieres.

Poirier most recently served as vp of international sales at Seville International, which launched in March 2014. She joined the eOne fold when the company acquired Les Films Séville in 2008.

She has overseen an inaugural slate that featured Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and upcoming release It’s Only The End Of The World, as well as Sophie Deraspe’s The Wolves and The Olive Tree by Iciar Bollain.

“It...

Vice-president of international sales Anick Poirier has assembled a sales slate that includes five festival selections including the world premiere of Leena Yadav’s tale of four ordinary women in India.

Parched (pictured) will screen in Special Presentations and stars Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla, Adil Hussain, Lehar Khan, Riddhi Sen, Mahesh Balraj and Chandan Anand. Gersh represents Us rights.

The roster includes Special Presentation world premieres of Julio Medem’s Ma Ma starring Penélope Cruz as a woman with cancer, as well as Hany Abu-Assad’s The Idol, which Poirier and her team have sold widely.

André Turpin’s Endorphin gets its world premiere in Vanguard and weaves together the lives of three seemingly unconnected women all named Simone De Koninck.

Andrew Currie’s Contemporary World Cinema dysfunctional family drama The Steps also gets its world premiere and stars Jason Ritter, Emmanuelle Chriqui, James Brolin, Christine Lahti and Vinay Virmani.

Rounding out the...

Films set to show at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), updated as announcements are made in the run up to the event.

Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.

Tiff 40

Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.

GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPDisorder (Maryland) (France-Belgium), Alice Winocour NAPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPMan Down (Us), Dito Montiel NAPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPMiss You Already (UK), Catherine Hardwicke WPMississippi Grind (Us), Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden CPMr. Right (Us), Paco Cabezas WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall ([link...

Films set to show at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), updated as announcements are made in the run up to the event.

Tiff will open on September 10 with Jean-Marc Vallée’s Demolition starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts.

Tiff 40

Key: Wp = world premiere; Nap = North American premiere; IP = international premiere; Cp = Canadian premiere.

GALASBeeba Boys (Canada), Deepa Mehta, WPDemolition, Jean-Marc Vallée WPThe Dressmaker (Aus), Jocelyn Moorhouse, WPEye In The Sky (UK), Gavin Hood WPForsaken (Canada), Jon Cassar, WPFreeheld (Us), Peter Sollett, WPHyena Road (Canada), Paul Gross, WPLolo (France), Julie Delpy, NAPLegend (UK), Brian Helgeland, IPThe Man Who Knew Infinity (UK), Matt Brown, WPThe Martian (Us), Ridley Scott, WPThe Program (UK), Stephen Frears, WPRemember (Canada), Atom Egoyan, NAPSeptembers Of Shiraz (Us), Wayne Blair, WPStonewall (Us), Roland Emmerich, Wpspecial PRESENTATIONSAnomalisa (Us), Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, CPBeasts of No Nation (Ghana), Cary Fukunaga, CPBlack Mass (Us), Scott Cooper, CPBorn To Be Blue (Canada-uk), Robert Budreau WPBrooklyn (UK-Ireland-Canada), John...

Organisers unleashed their latest volley of programming, an embarrassment of riches featuring new non-fiction work about education activist Malala Yousafzai, Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre, the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the iconic tango pairing of María Nieves and Juan Carlos Copes.

Midnight Madness brings a Turkish glimpse of hell, new work from the directors of Almost Human and The Loved Ones, a cyborg Pov story and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, which premiered in Cannes and backer Broad Green Pictures recently made available for Us distribution after electing not to self-release.

Vanguard entries include Gaspar Noé’s Love, Alex de la Iglesia’s My Big Night and Ryoo Seung-wan’s South Korean cop thriller Veteran.

The Masters Of Cinema programme features Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, Alexander Sokurov’s Francofonia and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Our Little Sister, while the Tiff Cinematheque selection of restored classics includes Luchino Viconti’s Rocco And His Brothers and Marcel Ophüls...

A selection of films from the 2015 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival have been unveiled, with films by Terrence Davies, Pablo Larraín, Deepa Mehta, Charlie Kaufman, and many more!GalasBeeba Boys (Deepa Mehta, Canada)Demolition (Jean-Marc Vallée, USA)The Dressmaker (Jocelyn Moorhouse, Australia)Eye in the Sky (Gavin Hood, United Kingdom)Forsaken (Jon Cassar, Canada)Freeheld (Peter Sollett, USA)Hyena Road (Paul Gross, Canada)Legend (Brian Helgeland, United Kingdom)Lolo (Julie Delpy, France)The Man Who Knew Infinity (Matthew Brown, United Kingdom)The Martian (Ridley Scott, USA)The Program (Stephen Frears, United Kingdom)Remember (Atom Egoyan, Canada)Septembers of Shiraz (Wayne Blair, USA)Stonewall (Roland Emmerich, USA)Special PresentationsAnomalisa (Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, USA)Beasts of No Nation (Cary Fukunaga, USA/Ghana)Black Mass (Scott Cooper, USA)Born to be Blue (Robert Budreau, USA)Brooklyn (John Crowley, United Kingdom/Ireland/Canada)The Club (Pablo Larraín,...

One of the more notable aspects of the Toronto International Film Festival, due to its location, has been its emphasis on Canadian cinema. The festival’s popularity and prominence among film fans around the world has led to Tiff becoming a key platform for Canadian films and Canadian filmmakers to showcase their talents, with the festival’s opening film often coming from a Canadian. The 2015 incarnation is no different in this regard, with Jean-Marc Vallée’s newest feature Demolition set to open the event, and filmmakers like Deepa Mehta, Atom Egoyan, Jon Cassar, and Paul Gross showcasing their newest films at the festival. The Festival organisers, however, have now revealed the other Canadian features that will be playing at the event, across a variety of programs. The list can be seen below.

Special Presentations

Born to be Blue, directed by Robert Budreau, making its World Premiere Into the Forest, directed by Patricia Rozema,...

World premieres for Patricia Rozema, Guy Édoin and Stephen Dunn are among the selection scheduled to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff).

”The festival is excited to showcase these distinctively Canadian voices,” said Tiff senior programmer Steve Gravestock.

“From compelling documentaries on pressing social issues and complex, affecting dramas to political satires, we are proud to share the impressive range and talent of Canada’s directors.”

“This year’s filmmakers represent the depth and diversity of Canadian storytelling,” said the festival’s film programmes manager Magali Simard.

“By presenting the strong perspectives of the best and brightest in the film industry from across the country, we share with audiences the unique ways Canadians view the world.”

The films will compete for the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film, while the City Of Toronto Award For Best Canadian First Feature Film is also up for grabs.

This year’s Canadian awards jurors are director...

Xavier Dolan tied contemporaries Philippe Falardeau and Denis Villeneuve by winning his second Best Feature award at the 17th annual Jutra Awards. Quebec’s answer to the Oscars was a rather suspense-less affair as Mommy claimed nine (plus the top box office award honor) awards winning in all major categories with the exclusion of Best Supporting Actor category win, which would only end up going to Dolan’s other nominated film, Tom at the Farm. Pierre-Yves Cardinal was sublime in his predatory type role and as was the case for several nominees, was hard at work on another project and therefore not on hand for trophyware. Ricardo Trogi’s throwback to awkward teen years tale 1987 did win a trio of awards, but if there were any surprises in the Dolan camp it was the acceptance speeches: Dolan delivered a keynote speech type quality for the last win of the night...

It’s hard not to empathize with this troubled teen and his equally mercurial mother, but the writer-director undercuts his characters by wallowing in classist squalor

The artist shows us the world and demands that we face its injustices and explore our own role in perpetuating them. The brat, meanwhile, sulks in his room and grumbles, “The world sucks, man.”

Writer-director Xavier Dolan wears both hats in his latest film, “Mommy,” which wavers between gritty, poignant drama and a wallow in how much it sucks to be poor and to wear unattractive clothes. (It’s the same kind of classist...

Not unlike the previous year, a whopping eight thousand plus short films were submitted to Sundance this year. Among some of the filmmaker names that we are already familiar with, we find several feature filmmakers moonlighting back to the short form; basically the short is healthier than ever. Topping the 2015 crop, we have Jake Mahaffy (whose feature, Free in Deed appears to be somewhere in post) who contributes to our understanding of 13th century rule with the year specific, A.D. 1363, The End of Chivalry. We have Cutie and the Boxer helmer working in the fiction form with Hugh the Hunter and form the same vintage 2013 year, fellow feature film helmer Shaka King (director of Newlyweeds) turns in a short in Mulignans (see pic above). Michael Mohan who has been to Sundance with features One Too Many Dates and Save the Date, returns with Pink Grapefruit.

Crossing into the international shorts,...

Top brass have announced 60 films culled from 8,061 submissions across four categories – Us and international narrative, documentary and animation.

“This year’s short film-makers have broken through their limited timeframe with a high level of artistry and story that will resonate with audiences long after each film has ended,” said senior programmer Mike Plante.

The Short Film programme is presented by YouTube.

Sundance 2015 is set to run in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah, from January 22 to February 1.

All synopses provided by the festival.

Us Narrative Short Films

Actresses

Jeremy Hersh

The film follows the relationship between a young, aspiring actress and an established off-Broadway star.

A.D. 1363, The End Of Chivalry (USA-New Zealand)

Jake Mahaffy

A little-known historical catastrophe leads to the definitive end of the era of chivalry and questing.

Color Neutral

Jennifer Reeves

A color explosion sparkles, bubbles, and fractures in this handcrafted 16mm film. Jennifer Reeves utilises...

There will be some Eloise and Lena Dunham, protests from Hong Kong, self-declared pop-ups from Canada, and unbelievable animated images of the final moments of a World War II hero. Those are just a few of the offerings among the 60 short films revealed today by the Sundance Film Festival. In the last of its four official announcements, the 31st annual Park City shindig rolled out an eclectic mix culled from the 8,061 submissions in the category that perhaps shows the true scope of Sundance most acutely.

The fest runs January 22-February 1. (As in past years, Deadline co-Editor-in-Chief, Film Mike Fleming Jr. and myself will be in Park City.)

Here is the full short films list:

U.S. Narrative Short Films

Actresses / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeremy Hersh) — The film follows the relationship between a young, aspiring actress and an established off-Broadway star.

A.D. 1363, The End of Chivalry / U.

Birdman, Fury and Leviathan among main competition titles; Roland Joffé to preside over main jury.

Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.

The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:

Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki

Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding

Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha

Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski

Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski

David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov

Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt

Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...

The festival’s 25th edition will feature a contribution from Ai Weiwei and competition titles including Whiplash, Nightcrawler and Foxcatcher.

The Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 5-16) is to present its Achievement Award to Us actress Uma Thurman.

The Kill Bill star will will visit Stockholm to receive the prestigious Bronze Horse and meet the audience during an exclusive “Face2Face”.

Thurman will also take part in the inauguration ceremony, which will include the unveiling of an ice sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

Weiwei was a Stockholm jury member last year but since he wasn’t allowed to leave China, he sent an empty chair named ”The Chair for Non-attendance” as symbol of his absence.

He is still not allowed to leave China so will send a design that will be portrayed in the form of a large ice sculpture symbolising this years’ Spotlight theme - Hope.

Brazil

The festival will focus this year on Brazil...

Mommy

Written and directed by Xavier Dolan

Canada, 2014

Montreal actor, writer and director Xavier Dolan’s fifth film Mommy is without a doubt one of the best of the year. Although thematically similar to his 2009 debut J’ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother), which won three separate awards at Cannes that year, Mommy follows the mother’s perspective of the relationship instead of that of the son’s. It is interesting, despite their many parallels, how very different the two films actually are. With Mommy, Dolan not only seems more assured of himself as a filmmaker but appears to have developed into quite an auteur as well. Creating a film so close in theme to his first can be seen as somewhat of a gamble, for many individuals might fear the film to be repetitious, a carbon copy, yet here is where Dolan demonstrates his disturbingly instinctual talent.

Critics and scholars often refer to young, accomplished Québécois filmmaker Xavier Dolan as the “enfant terrible” of French-Canadian cinema. This moniker is likely not because Dolan is breaking the rules and conventions of filmmaking though, because for the most part, he is not. Instead, it could be due to how his stories focus on actual enfant terribles, fussy and privileged kids going through issues of sexuality, identity and self-worth.

Dolan is far from the Godard of modern Québécois cinema, but more akin to Truffaut, full of freewheeling energy and insight and throttled by character rather than concept. Just 25 years old, the director is already making one good or interesting film a year and in 2014, he has just given us his most accomplished feature yet, Cannes favorite Mommy, which features the most terrible enfant in any film from recent memory.

That obnoxious and self-serving but charming teenager, Steve (Antonie-Olivier Pilon), is...

The luxurious banquet hall in Toronto’s Royal York hotel was electric with excitement as Tiff senior programmers including Steve Gravestock and Agata Smoluch Del Sorbo announced the robust lineup of Canadian films (several world preems) at this year’s Tiff plus the 40+ short titles (out of an astounding 840 short films — an increase of over 200 titles from last year) that will screen at the prestigious festival. With features populating almost every section at the fest, among the headliner items from English Canada, Cairo Time‘s Ruba Nadda returns to the fest with October Gale, while also world preeming is Bang Bang Baby — Jeffrey St. Jules marks his feature film debut with a film that is equal parts Rocky Horror Picture Show and early Cronenberg. Starring Jane Levy of the recent About Alex, it revolves around a small-town teenager in the ’60s whose dream of becoming a famous singer is dashed...

With Mommy, Xavier Dolan, at the age of 25, solidifies himself in the pantheon of great directors. It may sound hyperbolic, but the film features an explosive freshness, a delicate balance between humour and tragedy that's simply intoxicating. Mommy is a beautifully realized piece that speaks to both mainstream audiences and the festival crowd. It included numerous visual quirks, including the decision to frame it using the vertical aspect used by those who don't know how to hold their camera phones when shooting video. This 9:16 framed within the widescreen frame could be an obnoxious gimmick, but thanks to some clever positioning by Dolan and his cinematographer André Turpin (shooter of the glorious Incendies by Denis Villeneuve), the narrow field literally opens a window into the fractious world...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

If Canadian director Xavier Dolan’s debut, “I Killed My Mother,” served as the petulant revenge of a misunderstood son upon the single mom who raised him, then his unexpectedly self-effacing fifth feature, “Mommy,” acknowledges that perhaps the lack of understanding went both ways. This time, the offscreen director puts himself in his mom’s shoes, casting Anne Dorval once again as a strong, independent woman overwhelmed with the task of caring for a teenage tyrant. It’s uncanny how much Dolan’s style and overall solipsism have evolved in five years’ time, resulting in a funny, heartbreaking and, above all, original work — right down to its unusual 1:1 aspect ratio — that feels derivative of no one, not even himself.

Though scarcely known in the States, where his sophomore feature “Heartbeats” earned just shy of $600,000, and “I Killed My Mother” and the gender-resistant romance “Laurence Anyways” received only minor arthouse releases,...

For short films, the Tribeca Film Festival is a must. Winning the award for Narrative Short or Best Documentary Short automatically qualifies a film for the Academy Awards. Their track record isn’t too bad either. Shawn Christensen’s Curfew had its New York premiere at the Festival and went on to win the Academy Award.

This year, Tribeca will show 60 short films in eight categories, from a variety of new and returning directors (including Christensen with Grandma’s Not A Toaster), and featuring performances from a number of Hollywood stars. Elijah Wood plays a standup comic who attempts a daring set in Setup,...

I will soon post a list of films I have already seen that I highly recommend as well as a list of my most anticipated films screening at this year’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema. For now here is the press release from the festival. Make sure you read carefully because there are a ton of great films to check out.

Montreal, Tuesday September 27, 2011– Montreal’s Festival du nouveau cinéma will be celebrating its 40th edition from October 12 to 23. For the past 40 years, Canada’s oldest film festival has offered film buffs a selection of the year’s most exciting new films — a bold lineup with plenty of whimsical and surprising elements, but one that also turns its lens on social realities and the evolution of film and new technologies. Over the course of this year’s 11-day Festival, audiences of all ages can take in features and shorts, fiction films and documentaries,...

Director: Denis Villenueve Writers: Denis Villenueve, Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, Wajdi Mouawad Cinematographer: André Turpin Starring: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard Studio/Running Time: Sony Pictures Classics, 130 min. One of the questions at the heart of Incendies is whether the search is as important as what’s found at the end. The taut drama follows a pair of twins trying to fulfill a request from their mother’s will: to find their lost brother and unknown father and hand them a pair of mysterious letters. It soon turns out that the pair knew little of their mother’s life, so their...

Incendies, Barney’s Version, and the other winners of the 2011 Prix Jutra (Jutra Awards) have been announced. The 13th Annual Jutra Awards (Prix Jutra or La Soirée des Prix Jutra) are Canadian annual cinema awards “that recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in the province of Quebec. First introduced in 1999, the Jutra Award is named after Quebec film-maker Claude Jutra and awarded for performance, writing and technical categories such as best actor, actress, director, screenplay, et cetera. This year’s awards were handed out on March 13, 2011 at the Théâtre St-Denis in Montreal. The full listing of the 2011 Prix Jutra (Jutra Awards) winners is below.

Best Film

Incendies – Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

Best Director

Denis Villeneuve - Incendies

Best Actress

Lubna Azabal - Incendies

Best Actor

Claude Legault - 10 ½

Best Supporting Actress

Dorothée Berryman - Cabotins (Entertainers)

Best Supporting Actor

Jean Lapointe - À l’origine...

Yesterday, the winners at the 13th Jutra Awards, Quebec's Oscars, were revealed. Denis Villeneuve's Incendies dominated the show with 9 awards, especially the Jutra Award for best film. The following is the full list of winners.

Best film: Incendies

Best direction: Denis Villeneuve (Incendies)

Best leading actress: Lubna Azabal (Incendies)

Best leading actor: Claude Legault (10 1/2)

Best supporting actress: Dorothée Berryman (Cabotins)

Best supporting actor: Jean Lapointe (À l’origine d’un cri)

Best screenplay: Denis Villeneuve, with the collaboration of Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne (Incendies)

Best cinematography: André Turpin (Incendies)

Best art direction: André-Line Beauparlant (Incendies)

Best sound: Sylvain Bellemare, Jean Umansky et Jean-Pierre Laforce (Incendies)

Best editing: Monique Dartonne (Incendies)

Best original score: Guy Bélanger et Benoît Charest (Route 132)

Best costume: Sophie Lefebvre (Incendies)

Best make-up artist: Adrien Morot (Barney's Version)

Best hairdressing: Réjean Goderre (Barney's Version)

Best documentary: Pierre Falardeau (Carmen Garcia et German Gutierrez)

Best short film: M...

Unlike last year's two filmmaker/film horse race between Denis Villeneuve's Polytechnique and Xavier Dolan's J'ai tué ma mere, this year it was all "Villeneuve" and "Incendies". Repeating his wins in all the same categories it won at the Canadian Oscars (Genies) this week (this includes Editing, Screenplay, Best Cinematography by the excellent André Turpin, Best Actress in Lubna Azabal (who forced here co-star Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin to give her own thank you speech). These wins more than makes up for his loss last year when Villeneuve won the Best Director honor for Polytechnique, but lost in the Best Film category to J'ai tué ma mere. The predictable 13th edition also saw a Genie-Jutra winner from Barney's Version and in the Animated Film category, the Nfb (naturally) supported Theodore Ushev added a Jutra to his Genie for Lipsett Diaries. Best Film/meilleur film 10 1/2 - Pierre Gendron (Zoofilms) Les amours imaginaires - Xavier Dolan,...

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (Acct) revealed yesterday the winners at the 31rst Genie Awards (Canada's Oscars) in Ottawa. Two films, Incendies and Barney's Version, dominated the race.

Best Motion picture:

* Incendies

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

* Paul Giamatti in Barney's Version

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

* Dustin Hoffman in Barney's Version

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

* Lubna Azabal in Incendies

Best Actress In a Supporting Role:

* Minnie Driver in Barney's Version

Best Adapted Screenplay:

* Denis Villeneuve for Incendies

Best Original Screenplay:

* Jacob Tierney for The Trotsky

Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design:

* Claude Paré and Élise De Blois for Barney's Version

Achievement in Cinematography:

* André Turpin for Incendies

Achievement in Costume Design:

* Nicoletta Massone Barney's Version

Best Director:

* Denis Villeneuve for Incendies

Best Editor:* Monique Dartonne for Incendies

Best Make Up:

* Adrien Morot and Micheline Trépanier for Barney's Version

Best Original Score:* Pasquale Catalano...

HollywoodLife.com’s Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Fuller strolled the red carpet with her fellow Canadian stars! Check out all the pics!

Bonnie returned to her native Canada for the star-studded 31st Annual Genie Awards in Ottawa, Ont. and rubbed shoulders with some big Hollywood names — some you might not have realized were Canadian! Bonnie had the honor of presenting the fan-voted favorite actor category, which was awarded to Canadian cutie and star of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Jay Baruchel. Keep reading for a full list of winners!

Jay was most recently in the movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but you would also recognize him from hit movies like Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up, How to Train Your Dragon, and She’s Out of My League. He must have been super excited to win, because as he was accepting the awards he thanked his “fiancée,” actress Allison Pill, and accidentally announced his engagement for the first time!

Incendies, Barney’s Version, and the other winners of the 2011 Genie Awards (Prix Genie) have been announced. The 31st Annual Genie Awards were held by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and are handed out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema. The Genie Awards were “broadcast live from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on CBC, the awards presentation was hosted by the legendary William Shatner and featured musical performances from Melissa Etheridge, Serena Ryder, Johnny Reid, and Karkwa.” The full listing of the 2011 Genie Awards (Prix Genie) winners is below.

Best Motion Picture

Incendies – Luc Déry, Kim McCraw

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Paul Giamatti - Barney’s Version

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Dustin Hoffman - Barney’s Version

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Lubna Azabal - Incendies

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Minnie Driver...

While Denis Villeneuve's Incendies lost out in its Best Foreign Picture bid, but in what constitutes a nice consolation prize, the film picked up a total of eight awards, including Best Motion Picture, Achievement in Direction, Adapted Screenplay (both going to Villeneuve), and Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role which goes to versatile thesp Lubna Azabal at the Canadian Oscars otherwise known as The Genie Awards. The other big winner of the evening was Barney's Version -- it picked up seven awards (three in the acting departments and costume and make-up kudos). Xavier Dolan's sophomore film Heartbeats went zero for four - but that was to be expected when you measure it up to Incendies. This sunday are French Canada's Oscars (the Jutra awards) - and Villeneuve should will undoubtedly continue his winning streak. Here are all the winners/categories. Best Motion Picture: Incendies - Luc Déry,...