The Great White North will be well represented at this year’s Academy Awards, with at least five Canucks up for the coveted prize.
1. Kim Nguyen
Director Kim Nguyen
Nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category, Montreal-based Kim Nguyen’s heart-wrenching drama War Witch about child soldiers in sub-Saharan Africa has already won a handful of awards worldwide.
While odds are slim that it will take home the Oscar (it’s up against Michael Haneke’s wildly-acclaimed Amour), this is the third year in a row that a Canadian movie has made the short list for best foreign film after Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies was nominated in 2011 and Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar was nominated in 2012.
ow.ly/hTE8o > Rachel Mwanza, the child star of #Montreal director Kim Nguyen’s film ‘Rebelle’ to attend the #Oscars
— Global Montreal (@Global_Montreal) February 20, 2013
2. Mychael Danna
Composer Mychael Danna
Manitoba-born Mychael Danna received two Oscar nods for his work composing the score to box office hit Life of Pi. Recognized in both the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories, the Toronto-based composer has an extensive portfolio of films he’s written music for, including Moneyball, Capote, Lakeview Terrace and The Time Traveler’s Wife.
He is widely tipped to take home the Oscar for Best Original Score.
3. Jim Erickson
Production Designer Jim Erickson
Originally from British Columbia, Jim Erickson sealed a nomination this year for Best Production Design for his work on Steven Spielberg’s bio-epic, Lincoln. He also received a nomination in 2008 for Best Achievement in Art Direction for There Will Be Blood.
OSCARS: ‘Lincoln’ Production Design: Veteran set decorator Jim Erickson, nominated with production designer Rick… binged.it/XLqUec
— Lincoln News (@LincolnNENews) February 15, 2013
4. Guillaume Rocheron
Guillaume Rocheron’s work on ‘Life of Pi’
Born in France but a resident of British Columbia, Guillaume Rocheron is also up for an Oscar for his work on Life of Pi, but in the category Best Visual Effects. Tipped to win on Sunday night, Rocheron has worked on dozens of films, including the as-of-yet unreleased Man of Steel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Batman Begins and The Matrix Reloaded.
Great start to the year! VFX Supes, Richard Stammers(Prometheus) and Guillaume Rocheron(Life of Pi) at the Oscar lunch twitter.com/MPC_VFX/status…
— MPC (@MPC_VFX) February 5, 2013
5. Yan England
A still from Yan England’s ‘Henry’
Montreal actor, writer and director Yan England is up for Best Live Action Short for Henry, an unabashed tribute to his late grandfather. The short tells the story of an elderly pianist who longs for one last concert with his wife after she goes missing. England won a handful of awards in 2007 for his only other live action short, Moi.
Oscar Nominated Shorts 2013: Yan England, ‘Henry’ (Best Live Action Short): youtu.be/fgOmUkXz4Wcvia @youtube @yanengland
— Yannick Rozon (@firestart32) February 16, 2013