OTTAWA – Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated saga "Incendies" blazed through the Genie Awards to claim Canada’s top film prizes Thursday, clinching wins for best film, best director, best adapted screenplay and best actress.
The dark drama won a leading eight Genies at the bash, marking the second year in a row that Villeneuve dominated the country’s most prestigious movie awards.
Last year, the soft-spoken Quebec director swept the field with his haunting, black-and-white rendering of the Montreal massacre, "Polytechnique."
"To be honest I was sure I would not win this year," Villeneuve said backstage about his remarkable haul. "I think that the competition has never been that tough."
"Barney’s Version," the cinematic adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s sprawling final novel, followed close behind "Incendies" with seven prizes, including acting trophies for stars Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman and Minnie Driver, who were absent at the ceremony.
Giamatti took the best actor prize for his portrayal of curmudgeonly, hockey-mad protagonist Barney Panofsky, widely seen as an alter-ego of Richler himself.
In January, the "Sideways" star also won a Golden Globe for the role, using his acceptance speech to profess his love for Canada and Montreal, where the film was shot.
He expanded those sentiments Thursday.
"I’m very, very sorry not to be there in person this evening," Giamatti said in a statement read by co-star Rachelle Lefevre.
In a pre-telecast ceremony, screen legend Hoffman won the best supporting actor Genie for his turn as Panofsky’s free-spirited father, Izzy. Driver earned the best supporting actress trophy for playing Giamatti’s status-obsessed second wife.
"Incendies" claimed the remaining acting prize. Belgian actress Lubna Azabal fought back tears as she took the stage to offer an emotional thank you to Villeneuve for guiding her through a harrowing role as a mother with a violent, war-torn past.
The Genie for best documentary, meanwhile, went to Montreal filmmaker Lixin Fan for "Last Train Home."
He was also nominated for a prestigious Directors Guild of America Award for the film. He shared the Genie recognition with Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross. The Jay Baruchel comedy "The Trotsky" also got some love from the Genies, with an original screenplay nod for Jacob Tierney, who directed the film.
The Claude Jutra Award, which goes to a first-time director, was presented to Jephte Bastien for his film "Sortie 67" ("Exit 67").
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.