Canadian hopefuls going for the gold
Hollywood North continues its long history with the academy
From Mary Pickford winning best actress for the 1929 film Coquette, Canadians have almost always had a hand in at the Oscars.
To name just a few, there have been studio boss Jack L. Warner, directors Norman Jewison and James Cameron and filmmaker Domee Shi, who won last year for best animated short.
This year, Canadians who worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies, such as 1917 and the third How to Train Your Dragon, are up for Oscar gold.
Vancouver’s Dennis Gassner, nominated for best production design on the First World War drama 1917, marks his seventh nod in a long career that includes an Oscar for 1991’s Bugsy and a nomination for that year’s Barton Fink.
“This one is particularly sweet because it was such an uphill climb,” Gassner told The Canadian Press. “You are in the trenches, literally, in this film, in all kinds of conditions.”
Writer and director Dean DeBlois of Aylmer, Que., nominated for best animated feature for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden
World, is up against such heavy hitters as Toy Story 4.
“When it comes to the Oscars and awards in general, I try not to think about it,” DeBlois said. “Otherwise I kind of carry this guilt of representing 400-plus people who worked on the movie.”
Sami Khan, from Sarnia, Ont., nominated with Smriti Mundhra as co-directors of the documentary short St. Louis Superman, celebrated his nod by dancing around the living room with his family.
“I was like, ‘Yes, I am nominated for an Academy Award — but did you also know we also successfully potty-trained our toddler this week?’” Khan said. “So it’s kind of been a huge week on both fronts.”
The film follows black activist, political figure and rap-battler Bruce Franks Jr. as he is voted into the Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives.
Also nominated is sound mixer Paul Massey, who started his career in Toronto, for his work on Ford v Ferrari. He won the category last year for Bohemian Rhapsody. And Montreal-based director Meryam Joobeur is nominated for best live-action short for Brotherhood.