In what should provide a major boost to the Oscar buzz surrounding The Barbarian Invasions, Denys Arcand’s latest was nominated for a Golden Globe on Dec. 18 in the foreign-language film category. The Golden Globes, awarded each year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is thought to be a strong indicator of what films will be considered Oscar worthy.

The Barbarian Invasions, which is Canada’s official submission for an Oscar, has already won a string of festival awards including honors at Cannes for best screenplay going to Arcand and best actress to Marie-Josee Croze. It also took the top foreign film prize from the National Board of Review in the U.S. and was honored as best non-European film at the European Film Awards.

Invasions is produced by Denise Robert and Daniel Louis of Montreal’s Cinemaginaire and distributed by Alliance Atlantis in Canada and Miramax in the U.S.

So far, the film has earned $6 million in North America and US$8million in France.

The nomination sets Invasions up as a legitimate contender, vying with other high-profile international titles including Good Bye, Lenin! from Germany and Osama from Afghanistan.

Last year, three films – Hero from China, The Crime of Father Amaro from Mexico and Nowhere In Africa from Germany – received noms for both a GG and Oscar.

In 1986, Arcand’s The Decline of the American Empire was nominated for an Oscar but did not get a Golden Globe nom. The Assault from the Netherlands won both prizes.

Canada has twice been honored in a foreign film category by the HFPA, first in 1967 for The Fox and again in 1975 for Lies My Father Told Me.

The Golden Globes will be awarded Jan. 25, two days before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces its Oscar noms.

-www.hfpa.org

-www.oscars.org