MONTREAL – Telefilm Canada said it will allow Quebec’s film industry to take the lead on what to do about awards bearing the name of a famous director accused of sleeping with young boys.
Quebec Cinema has formed a committee to determine whether to keep its awards show named after Claude Jutra.
A Jutra biography released Tuesday includes four pages of testimony from “close friends” of the late film director who allege he slept with boys.
Telefilm Canada sponsors the Claude Jutra Award, given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for the year’s best feature film by a first-time director.
That award, which began in 1993, is separate from the Quebec ones.
Spokesman Douglas Chow said Telefilm Canada has no comment on the allegations against Jutra and that it will wait to see what Quebec Cinema does.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television issued a brief statement on the matter.