showbiz

'Ce qu’il faut pour vivre', 'Passchendaele' up for Genies

Posted on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009
by Andrea Miller - Cineplex Entertainment

Passchendaele

Benoît Pilon's Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life) leads the pack with the most Genie nominations at eight, including nods for Best Motion Picture, Achievement in Direction and Original Screenplay, as the nominees for Canada’s Oscar equivalent were announced today in Ottawa.

Another French-language film, Tout est parfait (Everything is Fine), followed closely behind with seven nods as the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television revealed their list of contenders, boasting an eclectic mix of films that deal with alienation, national and global identities and war.

Ce qu'il faut follows Tivii, an Inuit hunter whose life is uprooted when he leaves his family and northern home for Quebec City while recuperating from TB. Becoming depressed and suicidal, his pride in his language and culture are rekindled by his connection with a young orphan. Tout est parfait takes a modern look at adolescent angst and alienation when a young boy finds a group of his friends have made good on a suicide pact – without him.

Passchendaele - Paul Gross' epic tale of love and war set during watershed WWI battle (read Cineplex's interview with him here ), nabbed six nominations, including a lead actor nod for Gross' performance as a conflicted soldier.

Travelling all the way to India to tell an unassuming autorickshaw driver's layered and powerful story, brothers Richie and Shawn Mehta have parlayed their 2005 Telefilm Pitch This! win into six Genie nominations for their debut feature Amal. Based on Shawn's short story and adapted for the screen by both brothers, Amal takes a look at one man's humble existence in chaotic New Delhi.

Other nominees in the acting category include Canadian stalwart Christopher Plummer, Hard Core Logo alum Callum Keith Rennie and blond cutie Kristin Booth for her performance in the brazenly-titled comedy Young People F---king.

The 2009 Genie Awards will be held in Ottawa on April 4.

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