Tinseltown authority Variety picks three Canadians for influential list
It seems the Hollywood powers that be are expecting big things from three of our hottest directorial talents. The film industry trade mag Variety recently published its influential “10 Directors to Watch” list, and Canadians Denis Villeneuve, Patrick Lussier and Ed Gass-Donnelly each earned a coveted spot.
Villeneuve has been making headlines for his latest effort, the family drama Incendies, which is Canada’s official pick for Oscar consideration in the foreign film category. Lussier is best known for horror flicks like 2009’s My Bloody Valentine 3D, and has a Nicholas Cage–fronted thriller due out this year called Drive Angry. The lone Torontonian in the bunch is Gass-Donnelly, whose crime story Small Town Murder Songs screened last September at TIFF and gained critical acclaim on the subsequent international festival circuit (it’s also been making the rounds on Air Canada’s in-flight service).
It’s unusual to see three Canucks on the select list, though it’s not the first time a Canadian has made the cut: Sarah Polley won the honour back in 2007, and Hamilton’s Floria Sigismondi got the nod last year.
Incendies opens January 21 and Drive Angry on February 25; Small Town Murder Songs will open in select Canadian cities in February.
• Variety taps Canadians among directors to watch [CBC] • Three Canadian directors rank among Variety’s ones to watch [National Post]
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