Alternative Film Guide

Quebec’s 2007 Jutra Awards, presented on Sunday, Feb. 18, offered a whole array of surprises.

Even though the bilingual box-office smash Bon Cop, Bad Cop and the drama Un dimanche à Kigali / A Sunday in Kigali received the most nominations — 12 apiece — both were completely shut out of the film, acting, directing, and writing categories.

Instead, the comedy-drama Congorama came out on top as best film of 2006, in addition to best director (Philippe Falardeau), best screenplay (also Falardeau), best actor (double winners Paul Ahmarani and Olivier Gourmet), and best supporting actor (Gabriel Arcand). Overall, Congorama won five of its six nominations. (André Turpin lost in the best cinematography category to Pierre Mignot — his third Jutra in a row — for Un dimanche à Kigali.)

"This is one I didn’t see coming," Falardeau told the audience at Montreal’s Place des Arts after winning the best director Jutra. "It’s just like a bus that came out of nowhere."

A Can$5 million Franco-Belgian-Canadian production, Congorama follows a Belgian inventor (Gourmet) who, after discovering that he was adopted, travels to Quebec to learn about his family background. Following a car accident, he and a mentally unbalanced inventor (Ahmarani) experience a number of unusual adventures. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors Fortnight last year.

Though a major hit among film critics, Congorama failed to ignite the Quebec box office. Earlier in February, it won a single Genie — for best original screenplay (unlike the Jutras, the Genies have two writing categories) — at the Canadian Academy awards ceremony. (This year’s Genies were dominated by another Quebec-made film, Maurice Richard / The Rocket, which was up for last year’s Jutras.)

In spite of the Congorama sweep in the top categories, Un dimanche à Kigali was actually the most honored production, winning a total of six Jutras. Bon Cop, Bad Cop won only one — for best editing (Jean-François Bergeron) — in addition to a Billet d’Or as the top-grossing Québécois film of the year.

Céline Bonnier (left) was chosen best actress for her performance as an ex-con in Délivrez-moi. Fanny Malette was the best supporting actress for her suicidal escort in Cheech.

Another Jutra surprise was the choice for the "most illustrious (Quebec-made) film outside Quebec," which went — for the second year in a row — to Jean-Marc Vallée’s 2005 box-office smash C.R.A.Z.Y., a touching comedy-drama about a young gay man growing up in the Montreal of the 1960s and 1970s. C.R.A.Z.Y. swept both the Jutras and the Genies last year, and it has been sold to dozens of countries around the world. (Inexplicably — much too good for American audiences? — it hasn’t been released theatrically in the United States, though it has popped up on cable.)

As an aside … I find it curious that, at least online, the English-language Canadian media has devoted precious little space to the Jutras.

Full list of 2007 Jutra winners and nominees

Full list of 2006 Jutra winners and nominees

Philippe Falardeau quote: Toronto Globe and Mail

Interview (in French) with Philippe Falardeau at Canoë

STRAW DOGS (1971) by Sam Peckinpah: DVD Review

THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (2007) by Michael Polish: Film Review

César Awards - 2007 Winners

WNYC’s Academy Award Marathons

Oscar Party at the American Cinematheque in Hollywood

 

 

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