Genie Awards announce Claude Jutra Award for Anne Émond's Nuit #1

Anne Émond Wins Claude Jutra Award for Nuit #1

(Toronto, ON) February 22, 2012 - The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce that this year’s Claude Jutra Award goes to Anne Émond for her film Nuit #1.

This Special Genie Award honours outstanding achievement by a first-time feature filmmaker. It was established in 1993 in honour of the late Quebec director Claude Jutra, best known for Mon Oncle Antoine.

“The Academy is thrilled to present cinéaste Anne Émond with the Claude Jutra Award for Nuit #1 which is a very daring and accomplished debut feature,” says Helga Stephenson, Interim CEO,Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

In addition to winning the Claude Jutra Award, Nuit #1 is in the running for two Genies: Best Original Screenplay, for Anne Émond and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, for Catherine De Léan.

The 32^nd Annual Genie Awards will be presented on March 8^th in Toronto at the Westin HarbourCastle.

Nuit #1 stars Catherine De Léan (2 fois une femme) and Dimitri Storoge (Dédé à travers les brumes). Clara and Nikolaï meet at a rave and go back to Nikolaï’s dingy apartment for a one-night stand. Once the lovemaking is over, they begin to talk, and continue until dawn. The conversation becomes profoundly poignant as they reveal their darkest secrets, opening up about sex, intimacy and love. Sharing and arguing, the two fleeting lovers confide their anxiety and despair about self-centered society and the emptiness of life.

Prior to writing and directing her début feature, Émond had already garnered national and international acclaim for her accomplished short films. Since 2008, several of her shorts have played the festival circuit and picked up awards along the way. L’Ordre des choses, for example, won Best Short Film at the 2009 Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, while Naissances took Best Narrative Short at the 2010 Brooklyn International Film Festival and was named in Canada’s Top Ten 2009.

Nuit #1 had its world premiere at TIFF, where it earned a Canada First! special jury mention. It went on to shine at events around the globe, including the Pusan International Film Festival (South Korea), the Vancouver International Film Festival (Best Canadian Feature), the Montreal Festival du nouveau Cinéma (Daniel Langlois Innovation Award), the Tübingen-Stuttgart Festival du film francophone (Grand Prize) and the Amiens and Rotterdam festivals (in official competition).

The film has been sold in the United States to Adopt Films, and distributor K-Films Amérique recently announced sales to Japan, Spain, South Korea and Russia.

Anne Émond lives and works in Montreal. She holds a BA in film from Université du Québec à Montréal. The Academy is particularly proud to present her with the Claude Jutra Award since, after graduating Anne Émond was selected for the National Apprenticeship Training Program, which is designed to assist promising new talent into careers in film, television and new media.

The 32^nd Annual Genie Awards will be broadcast live from Toronto on Thursday, March 8^th on CBC at 8 P.M. (8:30 p.m. NT).

About the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
Established in 1979, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a national, non-profit, professional association dedicated to the promotion, recognition and celebration of exceptional achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media. Unifying industry professionals across Canada, the Academy is a vital force representing all screen-based industries.