Montreal: Two Quebec box-office champs, C.R.A.Z.Y. and Maurice Richard, lead the nominations going into the eighth annual Prix Jutra. Each film garnered 14 nominations and will compete head-to-head at the Quebec film awards for best picture, best direction, best script and best actor.

Maurice Richard’s Charles Binamé and Ken Scott got the nod for director and script, respectively, while leading man Roy Dupuis scored a best actor nom for his turn as the titular Quebec hockey legend. Dupuis will face off against C.R.A.Z.Y. star Marc-André Grondin, while its helmer Jean-Marc Vallée is up for best directing and script. Vallée shares his writing nomination with François Boulay.

On the surface, the sports biopic and the growing-up-gay drama couldn’t be more different. But both tell distinctly Quebec stories and, as a result, have connected with audiences on their home turf.

‘People are always telling me that they relate very strongly to some element in the film,’ says Pierre Even, coproducer of C.R.A.Z.Y. ‘People will say to me, ‘My father was just like that!’ or ‘That’s my mother in your movie!’ It has obviously touched a nerve with many people in the Quebec audience, as well as international audiences.’

Other contenders include L’Audition, the directorial debut of popular actor Luc Picard, which nabbed 10 nominations, including best picture and best actor for Picard, and La Neuvaine, Bernard Émond’s spiritual film about the unlikely bond between a man and a suicidal woman, which got eight nods, including best picture and best director for Émond.

The nominations, announced Feb. 7, include:

* Best picture: L’Audition (Luc Martineau, Lorraine Richard, Cité-Amérique); C.R.A.Z.Y. (Pierre Even, Jean-Marc Vallée, Cirrus Communications); Maurice Richard (Denise Robert, Daniel Louis, Cinémaginaire); La Neuvaine (Bernadette Payeur, ACPAV)

* Best direction: Charles Binamé, Maurice Richard; Bernard Émond, La Neuvaine; Ricardo Trogi, Horloge biologique; Jean-Marc Vallée, C.R.A.Z.Y.

* Best actress: Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc, Aurore; Suzanne Clément, L’Audition; Elise Guilbault, La Neuvaine; Julie LeBreton, Maurice Richard

* Best actor: Patrick Drolet, La Neuvaine; Roy Dupuis, Maurice Richard; Marc-André Grondin, C.R.A.Z.Y., Luc Picard, L’Audition

* Best screenplay: Bernard Émond, La Neuvaine; Luc Picard, L’Audition; Ken Scott, Maurice Richard; Jean-Marc Vallée, François Boulay, C.R.A.Z.Y.

Jutra organizers say they are thrilled with the level of participation in the nomination and voting process. ‘This year we had 50% more ballots submitted,’ says director general Henry Welsh. ‘We had 1,600 ballots coming in from technicians, artists and writers, all of whom were eager to vote.’

At the nomination ceremony, Welsh also paid tribute to Playback’s former Montreal bureau chief Leo Rice-Barker, who passed away on Jan. 29. ‘This is a very sad time for us,’ said Welsh. ‘Leo was with us last year. This year he’s not. Leo wrote about the industry a great deal over the years.’