Two Canadian films up for Academy Awards

TORONTO, February 22, 2005 -- York University Film and Video Professor Seth Feldman says Canadian film enthusiasts should cheer at having two Canadian films nominated for Academy Awards this year.

 

“Canadians should be pleased at having two home-grown productions in Oscar contention: Ryan and Hardwood,” says Feldman. “Although feature film nominations are higher profile, here are two fine films and worthy nominees.”

 

Ryan’s premise is simple: director Chris Landreth interviews two-time Oscar nominee Ryan Larkin, a hugely influential Canadian filmmaker and artistic genius who now lives on welfare after years of drug and alcohol abuse. But Feldman says it’s the unique and innovative style of animation the filmmaker employs that caught the eye of the Academy. Using cutting-edge, 3-D computer imaging Landreth conjures up a world he calls “psychological realism.”   

 

One of Prof. Feldman’s colleagues, York film and video professor Laurence Green, has a unique reason for wishing Ryan success at the Oscars. His own latest documentary, Alter Egos, is about the complex relationship that developed between Landreth and Larkin during the making of Ryan and contains virtually all of the 13-minute nominated film.

 

“Ryan has done very well at animation festivals all year – it has won 30 international awards already. I think that shows it has a good chance of winning the Oscar this year,” continues Feldman.

 

That’s not to downplay the chances of best documentary short subject nominee, Hardwood, which Feldman describes as a well-made personal essay depicting a journey of self-discovery by rookie director Hubert Davis, the son of a former Harlem Globetrotter now residing in Canada.

 

Feldman says, “I know Hardwood’s compelling message of reconciliation between father and son – of restoring the family – resonates strongly with audiences. We’ll see if that edge appeals to members of the Academy.”

  -30-

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.

 

 

For further information, please contact:

Jeff Ball, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22086/ jball@yorku.ca