Denis VilleneuveThe Globe and Mail
The Oscar-bound Quebec film Incendies is continuing to pile up accolades, snagging a leading 10 nominations Wednesday for the province's prestigious Jutra Awards.
Nods for Incendies include best film, best director for Denis Villeneuve, best screenplay, and best actress for both Lubna Azabal and Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin.
Barney's Version, based on Mordecai Richler's last novel, nabbed four Jutra nominations, including best screenplay, art direction, makeup and hair styling.
Xavier Dolan's Les amours imaginaires ("Heartbeats"), also received four nominations: best film, best director, editing, and hair styling.
The best actor category at the Jutras will feature a bit of Hollywood star power this year. Jay Baruchel ( Knocked Up, How to Train Your Dragon) is nominated for The Trotsky, in which he plays a teen who believes he is the reincarnation of communist icon Leon Trotsky.
Incendies tells the wrenching story of Quebec twins who travel to the Middle East and uncover dark secrets from their mother's past.
It will compete in the best foreign-language film category when the Oscars are handed out on Feb. 27. It has also landed 10 Genie Award nominations, including best film. The Genies will be held March 10.
Incendies also picked up an audience award at the Rotterdam Film Festival last weekend, beating out nine other films, including Academy Award-nominated Black Swan and Biutiful.
Three films received five Jutra nominations apiece on Wednesday.
Cabotins notched a best supporting actress nod for Dorothee Berryman, as well as nominations for art direction, sound, costumes and hair styling.
La Cité will vie for best director, art direction, cinematography, costumes and original score, while Les sept jours will compete for best supporting actor (Martin Dubreuil), as well as in the categories of cinematography, editing, sound and makeup.
Others nominees include 10 1/2 (best film, best director, best screenplay and best actor for Claude Legault) and La Dernier fugue, which got nods for best actor for Jacques Godin, best supporting actor for Yves Jacques, best supporting actress for Isabelle Miquelon and editing.
The Jutra Awards started in 1999 and are named for acclaimed Quebec director Claude Jutra, who died in 1986. They will be handed out March 13.