 |
| Francois Girard's Hochelage, Land of Souls |
It's official! Canada is sending Francois Girard's Hochelaga, Land of Souls to the Oscars as its official submission in the race for Best Foreign Language Film. The decision was announced this afternoon by Telefilm Canada's Carolle Brabant via Livestream. Hochelaga was selected by the Pan-Canadian committee of representatives from across the Canadian film industry. Although chaired by Telefilm, the body itself does not get a vote in the submission.
Hochelaga, Land of Souls is a spectacular and stunning achievement. It’s a sweeping and essential offering for Canadian film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival with its epic scope, impressive scale, and artistic merit.
The grand production values alone make François Girard’s latest film one to watch, particularly for Nicholas Bolduc’s gorgeous cinematography that gives the film its remarkable grandeur, but the ingenuity of Hochelaga and the inclusivity of its retelling of history are the facets of the film that impress the most.
It might be one of our lower-profile films going into the race, but it's a smart choice to showcase the history of the nation in one grand production with top notch production values to take on the international competitors.
Canada has once won the Academy Award in this category for The Barbarian Invasions in 2003. The Irish-Canadian coproduction Song of Granite is Ireland's submission in this category.
Girard's The Red Violin previously won an Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1999.
