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The 13th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival runs weekends from Aug. 13 through Aug. 29 at Webster and Washington Universities. Courtesy of Cinema St. Louis

The 13th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — presented by TV5MONDE, sponsored by the Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation, and produced by Cinema St. Louis (Csl) — celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s extraordinary cinematic legacy, offering a revealing overview of French cinema.

The Robert Classic French Film Festival is the first Csl in-person event since the Covid-19 pandemic. The host venues — Washington University on Aug. 13-15 and Webster University on Aug. 20-22 and 27-29 — have not yet determined whether capacity limits or masks will be required. Details will be announced on the Csl website when available.

The fest annually includes significant restorations, and this year features a quintet of such works: Melvin Van Peebles’ “The Story of a Three-Day Pass,” Diane Kurys’ “Entre Nous,...

The 13th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — presented by TV5MONDE, sponsored by the Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation, and produced by Cinema St. Louis (Csl) — celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s extraordinary cinematic legacy, offering a revealing overview of French cinema.

The Robert Classic French Film Festival is the first Csl in-person event since the Covid-19 pandemic. The host venues — Washington University on Aug. 13-15 and Webster University on Aug. 20-22 and 27-29 — have not yet determined whether capacity limits or masks will be required. Details will be announced on the Csl website when available.

The fest annually includes significant restorations, and this year features a quintet of such works: Melvin Van Peebles’ “The Story of a Three-Day Pass,” Diane Kurys’ “Entre Nous,” Joseph Losey’s “Mr. Klein,” Jacques Deray’s “La piscine,” and the extended director’s cut of Jean-Jacques Beineix’s “Betty Blue.

In tune with socially distanced festivities, the more melancholy end of the seasonal movie spectrum beckons, with an undertaker, sudden death and doomed romance

Even in a year that has made us numb to strangeness, it’s been a funny old December: a festive season largely without festivities, while many will be spending Christmas apart from their usual crowd. With that in mind, the usual seasonal viewing options – those extravagant Christmas films that pile on the tinselly cheer – may feel out of step with the collective mood.

A time, then, for Christmas films that permit a little wintry chill, some room for loneliness or pensive melancholy. Or exquisite misery, if you feel like plunging into the anti-Christmas genre at its most extreme with Mon Oncle Antoine – a Canadian classic that I hadn’t seen until recently. Made in 1971, Claude Jutra’s film is an unsentimental coming-of-age tale, following a Quebecer...

Quebecois Oscars expunge disgraced director over revelations as more victims speak out – one claiming he was as young as six during abuse

Quebec’s top film awards have been renamed – at least temporarily – after the renowned film-maker whose name they bore for 17 years was posthumously accused of being a paedophile.

Film historian Yves Lever sent shockwaves through the Quebecois film industry earlier this month when his new biography noted that Claude Jutra, arguably Canada’s first great film director, regularly slept with underage boys. In the wake of the allegations, the annual Prix Jutra awards organiser, Québec Cinéma, reportedly held an emergency meeting to discuss changing the name of the ceremony.

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Quebecois Oscars expunge disgraced director over revelations as more victims speak out – one claiming he was as young as six during abuse

Quebec’s top film awards have been renamed – at least temporarily – after the renowned film-maker whose name they bore for 17 years was posthumously accused of being a paedophile.

Film historian Yves Lever sent shockwaves through the Quebecois film industry earlier this month when his new biography noted that Claude Jutra, arguably Canada’s first great film director, regularly slept with underage boys. In the wake of the allegations, the annual Prix Jutra awards organiser, Québec Cinéma, reportedly held an emergency meeting to discuss changing the name of the ceremony.

Continue reading...

Organisers of Prix Jutra ceremony may consider removing late director’s name following biographer’s claim he slept with underage prostitutes

He is known as the grandfather of Quebecois cinema, his name still garlanding the Canadian province’s annual equivalent of the Oscars more than three decades after the actor and celebrated director drowned himself in the St Lawrence River, aged 56. But Claude Jutra’s legacy as a Canadian film icon has been called into question following the publication of a new book that claims he was a paedophile.

Film historian Yves Lever’s biography of Jutra, who was openly gay, claims the director of Mon Oncle Antoine and Kamouraska regularly had sex with boys as young as 14 and 15, and in one case under 14. In a section titled plainly “Claude Jutra and boys”, Lever writes: “During shoots, especially those in the country, promiscuity renders secrets impossible to keep. People quickly...

The revamped The X-Files series doesn't air until January of next year, but we are getting a look at some more teaser images to hold us over until then. Also: a trailer for Body, Mystery Science Theater 3000 Kickstarter details, a Bang Bang Baby release announcement, and TeeFury's ugly Christmas sweaters.

The X-Files Series: "David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their iconic roles as Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully in the upcoming event series which will encompass a mixture of stand-alone investigative episodes and those that further the original show’s seminal mythology. In the opening episode, Mulder and Scully take on a case of a possible alien abductee. The all-new episodes will feature appearances by guest stars, including Joel McHale (“Community”), Robbie Amell (“The Flash”), Lauren Ambrose (“Dig,” “Six Feet Under”), Annabeth Gish (“The Bridge”), Annet Mahendru (“The Americans”), Rhys Darby (“Flight of the Conchords”), Kumail Nanjiani...

Updated April 1: Jane Levy and Justin Chatwin star in the sci-fi musical, which Random plans to take on limited theatrical release in the autumn.

Jeffrey St Jules makes his feature directorial debut on the story of a young woman who lives in a quiet 1960’s town with her alcoholic father and dreams of a better life when there is a leak at the local chemical plant.

Bang Bang Baby earned the Best Canadian First Feature Film Award following its world premiere at Toronto 2014.

St. Jules won the Claude Jutra Award at the Canadian Screen Awards, while Chatwin was nominated for best supporting actors.

Search Engine Films holds Canadian rights.

An earlier version of this article stated Random Media held Canadian rights. The article was corrected on April 1.

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The Battle for ‘Lawrence of Arabia’: How T.E. Lawrence’s family and friends opposed bringing his story to the screen

T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) ranks among the 20th Century’s oddest heroes. This short, smart, and mischievous British soldier helped organize the Arab Revolt against Turkey, a secondary front of the First World War. He became Emir Feisal’s trusted ally, painfully conscious that the Allies wouldn’t honor promises of independence. After the Paris Peace Conference, Lawrence retreated into the Royal Air Force and Tank Corps as a private soldier, T.E. Shaw… read the full article.

Holding Out For a Heroine: On Being a Woman and Loving Star Wars

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a little girl in possession of a good imagination must be in want of a heroine. At least, this was the truth of my childhood. Like many people of my generation, my...

The Bitter Ash

A rather precious thing happened in Montreal in the mid 1970s. Canadian cinema had been dominated by the National Film Board since its formation in 1940, and the generally-perceived character of Canadian film was all educational documentary, and not a lot of fun. Directors such as Claude Jutra, Don Owen, and Gilles Groulx struck off on their own to make the first Canadian new wave fiction films (A tout prendre [1963], Nobody Waved Goodbye, and Le chat dans le sac [both 1964] respectively), on the back of independents like Sydney J. Furie’s groundbreaking A Dangerous Age (1959) and Larry Kent’s student feature The Bitter Ash (1963), but for all their youthful, semi-bohemian trappings, these were still quite po-faced affairs. Then came the “genial loser” films of the 70s, led by Owen’s Goin’ Down The Road (1970), and others such as The Rowdyman (Peter Carter, 1972) and Paperback Hero (Peter Pearson, 1973), for the...

7. The Truman Show

Directed by Peter Weir

Written by Andrew Niccol

USA, 1998

Apart from the obvious death-match featured in The Hunger Games, the film’s text is thematically provocative, its allegorical elements highlighting the way the “Games” amplify today’s obsession with reality television. Perhaps one of the greatest cinematic commentaries on all-pervasive media manipulation is in Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey. For Carrey detractors, The Truman Show proves his talent reaches far beyond physical humour. Carrey remains in complete control throughout, commanding and exhibiting the charm and charisma needed for a role that calls for much sympathy and likeability.

Truman Burbank lives a happy life, but what he doesn’t know is that his life is completely manufactured within a giant domed television studio. He’s been the focus of a reality TV show ever since his birth; filmed, observed, scrutinized every second of his life.

6- The 10th Victim (La Decima vittima) (The Tenth Victim)

Directed by Elio Petri

Written by Tonino Guerra, Giorgio Salvioni, Ennio Flaiano and Elio Petri

Italy,1965

The 10th Victim was the first film to offer up the concept of a TV show wherein people hunt and kill one another for sport and to expand the idea into a satire on gameshows. Set in the 21st Century, the government and the private sector have joined forces to create a solution to crime by giving it a profitable outlet titled “The Big Hunt,” a popular worldwide game show in which contestants are chosen at random to chase one another around the world in a kill or be killed scenario. The winner of the first round moves on to the next. After ten wins, a player is retired from the game and gets a cash prize of one million dollars, but very few make it that far.

If there is one director who has made his presence felt with a debut in 2011, it is Sébastien Pilote from Canada. Few have heard of him, and even fewer have seen his first feature film The Salesman. The Salesman is probably one of the most powerful films from Canada in recent decades that recall the quiet intensity of the works of Canadian directors Claude Jutra and Norman McLaren, some forty or fifty years ago. The Salesman was honoured with the Jury’s Grand Prize and the Best Actor Silver Gateway award at the recently concluded Mumbai International Film Festival where the competition section is only open to debut films across the world. Having caught up with the film at the International Film Festival of Kerala, one realizes that the Mumbai jury had honoured the two aspects of the movie that truly make it a rewarding experience—the direction and the acting.

Mon Oncle Antoine

Directed by Claude Jutra

Canada, 1971

Mon Oncle Antoine could easily have been directed by Louis Malle. Its bittersweet tone, its curious, naïve protagonist, its meandering semi-narrative structure all find cousins in such films as Murmur of the Heart (released the same year, 1971), Lacombe Lucien, and Au Revoir Les Enfants.

For that matter, Mon Oncle Antoine could easily have been directed by Bill Forsyth. Its rejection of traditional narrative principles, its look at a small, tightly-knit community, its balancing act of comedy and coming-of-age all find cousins in such films as That Sinking Feeling, Gregory’s Girl, and Gregory’s Two Girls.

While Malle, Forsyth, and Claude Jutra might form some distinct directorial triumvirate, Mon Oncle Antoine is still uniquely Jutra.

The plotting is simple. Adolescent Benoit (a magnificent Jacques Gagnon) lives in foster care with his uncle Antoine (Jean Duceppe) and aunt Cecile (Olivette Thibault). Also in...

As Fantasia rings in its 15th anniversary, they are celebrating the founding fathers of Quebec’s genre cinema heritage — the legendary producing team of John Dunning and André Link a.k.a. the Roger Cormans of Canada. The duo regularly took risks supporting exciting new talent, kickstarting the careers of some of Canada’s greatest filmmakers such as David Cronenberg, Denys Arcand, Ivan Reitman, Denis Héroux, George Mihalka, Claude Jutra, Jean-Claude Lord, Don Cormody and Larry Kent, to name a few. Fantasia will be screening a ton of old Canuxploitation films for free throughout the fest, but there are also a number of promising Canadian features set to premiere. Below is a list of the three Canadian films I feel are most promising.

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1- Beyond The Black Rainbow

Panos Cosmatos‘ debut, Beyond the Black Rainbow, is one of the must see films at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.

As Fantasia rings in its 15th anniversary, they are celebrating the founding fathers of Quebec’s genre cinema heritage — the legendary producing team of John Dunning and André Link a.k.a. the Roger Cormans of Canada. The duo regularly took risks supporting exciting new talent, kickstarting the careers of some of Canada’s greatest filmmakers such as David Cronenberg, Denys Arcand, Ivan Reitman, Denis Héroux, George Mihalka, Claude Jutra, Jean-Claude Lord, Don Cormody and Larry Kent, to name a few. Fantasia will be screening a ton of old Canuxploitation films for free throughout the fest, but there are also a number of promising Canadian features set to premiere. Below is a list of Canadian films I look forward to with one addition that I can guarantee, is a must see.

#1 - Some Guy who Kills People

There are a few Canadian films that look extremely promising that are screening...

Canadian action thriller Exit 67 is coming to theatres, across Canada, April 1st. But, this is no joke and neither are the themes in Jephté Bastien first film. Exit 67 shows the complications of gang life, which is just as addicting as the drugs therein. Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver will be hosting premieres of this film, but keep in mind that this is a French language, or bi-lingual showing. The trailer and synopsis are below.

The synopsis for Exit 67 is here:

"Young Ronald’s life is turned upside down after his mother’s brutal murder — he has no family and nowhere to turn. Alone on the violent streets, Ronald has no choice but to join the ranks of a dangerous gang to survive.

Now a hardened criminal with money and power, Ronald is sickened by the man he has become. With his life spiraling out of control, he decides to take hold...

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...

Canada's Genie Awards were held this week and Incendies, which you'll remember was up for the Foreign Film Oscar, was the big winner. The "runner up" as it were, the movie that did very well for itself that didn't win the big one, was Barney's Version which was just Rosamund Pike short of sweeping all the acting trophies. Curiously, if you trust photos from the big event the Barney's Version team was curiously absent. That's so uncool when you win that many awards!

Melissa Etheridge performed (anyone know what song?) and here's a photo of presenters Mia Kirshner (more on her in a bit) and Rossif Sutherland. Yes, he's another spawn of Donald Sutherland -- I didn't know there was a post Kiefer! -- he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for a film called High Life. Perhaps he can co-star with Armie Hammer at some point since he appears...

It was Canada’s turn for glitz and glamour last night as the red carpet rolled out for The 31st Annual Genie Awards, Canada’s biggest night in film. Awards were handed out at the National Arts Center in our nation’s capital last night and hosted by icon and current funnyman William Shatner. The televised event on CBC only lasted a meager 1 hour, whereas the entire ceremony itself was an hour and a half. Several awards were already given out prior to the telecast, cutting to the chase for the night’s biggest contenders. The night’s biggest winners were also the ones who dominated the nominations: Incendies and Barney’s Version

Quebec’s critically and commercially successful Incendies took home the night’s top honor for Best Motion Picture, writer/director Denis Villeneuve snatched up honors for Achievement in Direction and Adapted Screenplay and star of the film...

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,...

The Claude Jutra Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a first-time feature filmmaker. Established in honour of renowned Quebec director Claude Jutra, this special award is chosen by the Genie Nominating committee, a group comprised of Academy members, filmmakers, critics, and industry professionals from across Canada.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Acct) announced earlier this week that this year’s Claude Jutra Award, recognizing the achievements of a first-time filmmaker, has been granted to Jepthé Bastien for his feature-length film, Sortie 67 (Exit 67). Jephté Bastien follows in the footsteps of previous Claude Jutra award-winners Xavier Dolan (J’ai tué ma mère) and Yves-Christian Fournier (Tout est parfait)

Bastien who will officially receive the award at the 31st Annual Genie Awards said, “To simply say that I’m happy would be an understatement. I’m deeply moved by this recognition from my peers. Sortie 67 is the embodiment of my entire being...

Yesterday, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Acct) announced the nominees for the 31rst Genie Awards, Canada's own Oscars.

Best Motion picture:

* 10 1/2

* Les amours imaginaires

* Barney's Version

* Incendies

* Splice

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

* Jay Baruchel in The Trotsky

* Paul Giamatti in Barney's Version

* Robert Naylor in 10 1/2

* Timothy Olyphant in High Life

* François Papineau in Route 132

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

* Martin Dubreuil in 10 1/2

* Dustin Hoffman in Barney's Version

* Alexis Martin in Route 132

* Callum Keith Rennie in Gunless

* Rossif Sutherland in High Life

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

* Lubna Azabal in Incendies

* Tatiana Maslany in Grown Up Movie Star

* Molly Parker in Trigger

* Rosamund Pike in Barney's Version

* Tracy Wright in Trigger

Best Actress In a Supporting Role:

* Sonja Bennett in Cole

* Anne-Élizabeth Bossé in Les amours imaginaires

* Minnie Driver in Barney's Version

* Terra Hazelton in Fubar 2

* Mary Walsh in Crackie

Best Adapted Screenplay:

* Michael Konyves...

Welcome to “Not In The English Language”, a new weekly column from HeyUGuys. Each week a different film not in the English language will come under scrutiny.

This week, with festivities in the air, Adam Batty takes a look at Claude Jutra’s 1971 French Canadian classic, Mon Oncle Antoine.

Jutra’s Christmas-set tale of life in rural Quebec provides a wonderful and unique spin on the festive movie. The story of Benoit, a 15-year old boy who works in his uncle’s general store, Mon Oncle Antoine follows him one Christmas Eve, in which Benoit accompanies the titular character to pick up the dead body of a local teenage boy. Somehow, in spite of this rather gloomy sounding set of events, Mon Oncle Antoine manages to capture the heart and soul of the festive period in a timeless and wholly convincing manner.

Granted, Jutra’s film is a tad macabre...

Yesterday, the Genie Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Oscars for those who don't know, were handed out. This year, Polytechnique dominated the Genie Awards and even took the award for Best Motion Picture. However, the presentation of the award on TV and on webcast was too short. Besides, it wasn't a live presentation and not all the awards were shows on TV/webcast. Second Besides: When will a TV network (and not some cable network that few Canadians have) broadcast the Genie Awards? Anyway, without further ado, here's the presentation of the winners.

1. Best Motion Picture

* 3 saisons.

* Before Tomorrow.

* Fifty Dead Men Walking.

* Nurse.Fighter.Boy.

* [Winner] Polytechnique.

2. Achievement in Direction:

* Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu for Before Tomorrow.

* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.

* Charles Officer - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.

* [Winner] Denis Villeneuve - Polytechnique.

* Bruce McDonald - Pontypool.

3. Best Original Screenplay:

* Atom Egoyan - Adoration.

* Émile Gaudreault and Ian Lauzon - De père en flic...

I Killed My Mother Xavier Dolan, Anne Dorval Polytechnique: Genie Awards 2010 At the other extreme, Xavier Dolan probably can’t believe he won nothing. Or almost. As previously reported, Dolan’s acclaimed J’ai tué ma mère / I Killed My Mother – winner of three of Quebec’s Jutra Awards two weeks ago, including Best Picture (Polytechnique had also been in the running) – was totally shut out of the Genies’ competitive categories. At the Genies, writer-director-actor Dolan had to content himself with a special Claude Jutra Award for best first feature. Dolan was not present at the ceremony. Kevin Tierney, vice-chairman of cinema for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, accepted the award on Dolan’s behalf. Backstage, Tierney told journalists (as quoted by [...]...

Perhaps the most discussed Canadian film on the festival circuit last year - and its submission to the Academy Awards, Xavier Dolan's "I Killed My Mother," was almost entirely snubbed at this morning's announcement of the 30th Annual Genie Awards, Canada's version of the Oscars. "Mother"'s sole recognition came as being the winner of the annual Claude Jutra Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievement of a first-time filmmaker. Instead, Dolan's fellow ...

Leading light in the emergence of French Canadian cinema

After years of neglect and discrimination by the dominant Anglophone culture, a distinctive French Canadian cinema emerged in the 1960s with the victory of René Lévesque's Liberal party in Quebec and the sponsorship of the National Film Board of Canada and the Quebec Film Commission. Among the beneficiaries was a group of young directors headed by Claude Jutra, Denys Arcand and Gilles Carle, who has died aged 80.

Carle, the most senior, was always an anti-elitist, independent figure, a social satirist whose films sought to expose "the secret order of things". Eroticism and violence are dominant themes in his critiques of middle-class rectitude, corruption and religious hypocrisy. He once described his movies as "social fables, allegorical tales rather than films of social protest".

At the heart of most of Carle's films is a beautiful, commanding, impulsive and defiant woman. The role...

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television had announced the winners of the 2009 Genie Awards on Saturday night, April 4, and "Passchendaele" came up victorious. On the awards ceremony held at Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, the World War I drama was announced this year's Best Motion Picture in addition to receiving five other nods.

Being the one which collected the most prizes on the special night, this Paul Gross-directed war movie also won kudos for Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design, Achievement in Costume Design, Achievement in Overall Sound and Achievement in Sound Editing. It brought home the Golden Reel Award as well for being the biggest box office gross of the year.

"The Necessities of Life" was another big winner as the movie about an Inuit hunter stranded in a Quebec hospital grabbed four kudos at the awards. It collected Best Director title for Benoit Pilon and Best Leading Actor for Natar Ungalaaq.

TORONTO -- Helmers Julia Kwan and Stephane Lapointe will share the Claude Jutra Award at the upcoming Genies, Canada's top film honors, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television said Wednesday.

The tribute to first-time directorial achievement will go to Vancouver-based Kwan for "Eve and the Fire Horse", which earned the special jury prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and to Quebec filmmaker Lapointe for "La Vie secrete des gens heureux," (The Secret Life of Happy People).

"Eve and the Fire Horse" portrays a young girl who uses her imagination to change her family's fate, while "La Vie secrete des gens heureux" captures the drama of a university student struggling to live up to his parents' dreams for him.

Past winners of the Claude Jutra Award include Robert Lepage, Thom Fitzgerald, Zacharias Kunuk and Keith Behrman.

The 2007 Claude Jutra Award presentation will take place Feb. 13 in Toronto.

TORONTO -- Quebec filmmaker Daniel Roby on Monday was picked to receive the Claude Jutra Award at next week's Genie Awards for his debut feature, "La Peau Blanche" (White Skin). The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, which organizes Canada's film awards, said Roby will receive the Jutra Award in Toronto on March 21. Based on the novel by Joel Champetier, Le Peau Blanche stars Marc Paquet and Marianne Farley in a dark thriller about a young man who falls in love and becomes obsessed with a young woman owing to her white skin and dark secrets.