TORONTO – A look at some of the Canadians nominated for an 84th Academy Award.
Christopher Plummer
Toronto-born, Montreal raised acting legend Christopher Plummer nabbed a best-supporting actor nomination for “Beginners,” in which he plays a dying widower who embraces his homosexuality. Despite an astonishing body of work, this is only Plummer’s second Oscar nomination, following recognition two years ago for the Tolstoy tale “The Last Station.” The master thespian – who’s set to debut a one-man show at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival this summer – comes from an auspicious lineage: his great-grandfather on his mother’s side was Prime Minister John Abbott.
Howard Shore
Toronto-born composer Howard Shore is an Academy Award veteran who has taken home three gold statuettes, all for his work on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. This time, he’s up for best score for “Hugo,” which marks his sixth collaboration with director Martin Scorsese. A one-time musical director for “Saturday Night Live,” Shore has also frequently collaborated with David Cronenberg and composed the music for the Canuck director’s latest effort, “A Dangerous Method.”
Philippe Falardeau
A year after Denis Villeneuve’s searing “Incendies” was nominated for best foreign-language film, another Quebec movie is in the running for film’s big prize. Philippe Falardeau’s “Monsieur Lazhar” tells the story of an elementary school class dealing with the suicide of their teacher. It’s backed by the same team that rode “Incendies” all the way to the Kodak Theatre in 2011, where the film ultimately lost out to Danish director Susanne Bier’s “In A Better World.”
Patrick Doyon, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
The National Film Board of Canada is a perennial Oscar favourite and it was celebrating again with two nominations in the category of best animated short film. The shortlisted filmmakers are at opposite ends of the experience spectrum. Montreal’s Patrick Doyon is up for his short “Dimanche/Sunday” – his debut professional film. Meanwhile, Calgary-based filmmakers Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby are in the running for their Prairie-based picture “Wild Life.” That’s the second Oscar nomination the pair has shared, while Tilby earned a third nom for her 1991 short “Strings.”
David Giammarco
Welland, Ont.-raised David Giammarco hit a home run with a nomination for best sound mixing for the Brad Pitt baseball flick “Moneyball.” Giammarco has worked on an exhaustive list of movies and was previously given an Oscar nomination for his work on the Russell Crowe western “3:10 to Yuma.”
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The Oscars will air from a Hollywood theatre Feb. 26 at 8:30 p.m. EST.
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