GOLDEN REEL AWARD
De père en flic/Father and Guns
Producers: Denise Robert (Playback’s 2009 Producer of the Year), Daniel Louis
Distributor: Alliance Vivafilm
Canadian box office in 2009: $10,780,170

Grossing nearly $11 million at the Canadian box office in 2009, De père en flic/Father and Guns is this year’s Golden Reel Award winner for highest domestic box office. The action-comedy about two cops, father and son, who can’t stand each other, took in two-thirds of the summer’s ticket sales for French-language films in Quebec and out-grossed Hollywood fare by more than a 50% margin. It is now the highest-grossing French-language film ever released in Quebec and Canada.

ACADEMY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Mel Hoppenheim

Mel Hoppenheim, president and CEO of La Cité du Cinéma and benefactor of Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, is the 2010 recipient of the Academy Achievement Award, inrecognition of ‘his enduring passion and lasting contributions to the Canadian film industry.’

In 1965, he founded Panavision Canada, a film equipment rental company. Based in Montreal, additional facilities were opened in Toronto (1972) and Vancouver (1977).

In 1988, Hoppenheim acquired the historic Theatre Expo de la Cité du Havre and opened La Cité du Cinéma, a state-of-the-art soundstage and one of the most modern facilities available to the Canadian film and television industry. Today, Cité du Cinéma is a favorite for many large domestic and international productions.

In 1997, Hoppenheim made a generous donation to Concordia, which was used to establish the renowned Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, the largest university-based center for the study of film animation, film production and film studies in Canada. Hoppenheim also assisted in the development of Montreal’s Institut National de l’Image et du Son (INIS), a respected private school for the development of world-class writers, directors and producers for film and television.

CLAUDE JUTRA AWARD
Xavier Dolan
J’ai tué ma mère/I Killed My Mother

Xavier Dolan has captivated critics and audiences around the world with his debut feature film J’ai tué ma mère/I Killed My Mother. A compelling work exploring the complex and explosive relationship between a teenage boy, Hubert (played by Dolan), and his mother Chantal (Anne Dorval), the film is an intimate and poignantly funny portrait of modern-day family strife.

The Claude Jutra Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a first-time feature filmmaker. Established in honor of renowned Quebec director Claude Jutra (a member of Playback’s Canadian Film & Television Hall of Fame), this special award is chosen by the Genie nominating committee (above left), a group comprised of Academy members, filmmakers, critics and industry professionals from across Canada.