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Imagined Community The Role of Popular and Critically Acclaimed Québécois Films in Sustaining the Nation Kevin Elstob California State University, Sacramento Abstract This essay investigates the different ways in which films having had box-office success and those having received critical acclaim treat Quebec sovereignty. Generally speaking, films having had box-office success lean towards a reinforcement of Québécois identity whereas the films that have had critical successes call into question, or deviate from the independentist line putting Quebec in an international arena. The article leads towards an interesting crossover point in C.R.A.Z.Y. which won the Jutra for its box-office success and also the best film of the year award, and offers a nuanced Québécois agenda. Le Québec à l’aube du nouveau millénaire 389 For Benedict Anderson in Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (1983), the nation is an “imagined community”, constructed through recurring enactments of certain stories and points of view (Tarr, 2005, p. 9). Given Anderson’s proposition, the annual awarding of national prizes for films can be seen as a regularly occurring event that focuses a country’s attention on its particular stories and points of view. In 1999, the first Nuit des Jutras gave awards in various categories to talented artists working in and behind Quebec’s cinema.1 The Jutras are, however, one among many award ceremonies around the world held by all kinds of different film associations. Therefore, before examining the specifics of Québec’s situation, it is worth considering what prize-giving means, since these days there seem to be prizes everywhere. There are numerous prizes today for films, many of which are handed out at televised, media-saturated ceremonies that transform the art world into a version of the sports world. Prognosticators and commentators pick the favorites and the outsiders, and the events crescendo with the grand prize (Cowley, 2006). The awards process prompts astute marketing managers to incorporate the nominations or prizes films have received into billboards and newspaper ads announcing the movies at multiplexes throughout the world. Is this convergence of art and commerce a sign of cultural decadence? Does the abundance of prizes devalue the prize itself? How seriously can prize-giving be taken since the hype of a particular prize quickly fades? Of course the whole prize-giving culture is bound up with celebrity and commerce , however, when a certain group of adjudicators picks out a particular film, the recognition earned is worth examining for what winning that particular prize is saying about the prize recipient, the association or academy giving out the prize, and the socio-economic or socio-political context in which the prize is given. Quebec’s Jutras have a lot in common with the Oscars. Indeed, when asked what the Jutras are, an informed respondent is likely to answer, “They’re Quebec’s version of the Oscars”. Unlike the Oscars, however, the films that are nominated for a Jutra come from a particular place, Quebec. Films nominated for Oscars, with the exception, of course, of the foreign-language film category, do mostly come from the USA, but the discussions and commentaries about the Oscars focus on what the films are saying about Hollywood and the film industry rather than as reflections on US national identity. By contrast, the Jutras are part of Quebec’s identity as a distinct culture and society within North America. The Jutras are felt to be a grand celebration of Quebec cinema. Normand Brathwaite, the host in 2007 and 2006, says that, for him, la Soirée des Jutras is a time for making a connection between the general public and Quebec’s film industry. 1. The Jutra prizes are a recent addition to the recent proliferation of cinema awards prizes. In 1999, the prix Guy L’Écuyer became the Jutra. The Guy L’Écuyer award was created in 1987 by les Rendezvous du cinéma Québécois in memory of the actor Guy L’Écuyer. The Jutra was named after Claude Jutra, the esteemed Québécois cinema director. The Jutra Awards honor the talent in and behind Quebec films. At this annual event, the industry’s professional associations present the Jutra Tribute Award to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Quebec cinema. The APFTQ (l’Association de producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec) is proud to sponsor this award, which carries...

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