Chinook Film Group

When Matthew Kennedy first saw the 56-year-old pickup truck at auction, he thought he’d nabbed a bargain for his first set of wheels.Then, the 16-year-old saw it on the Oscars — in the film clip for the Academy Award-nominee Brokeback Mountain — and decided to turn his bargain into a college fund.The Grade 11 student is auctioning off his 1950 GMC pickup on eBay, touting the truck’s supporting role in the story of two cowboys’ love affair. His on-line sales pitch says it is the half-ton driven by Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal’s character) when he first meets Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) at the beginning of the film, and in later scenes when the two sheep herders — by then, lovers — part ways.Brokeback Mountain had become a runaway hit, even before winning three Oscars, but Mr. Kennedy said he didn’t know much about the film when he bid for the pickup at an auction about a year ago. “All I knew was, it was about cowboys and filmed around here,” he said. “I had no idea it was about gay cowboys.”The film was shot in the foothills of Alberta, not far from Pincher Creek, two hours’ drive south of Calgary.He bought the truck because he likes the style of the era, and had planned to restore the black, three-speed truck. Then came the Oscar mania surrounding the film, and he changed gears.So far, there are only two bids in Mr. Kennedy’s on-line auction, both for $9,000 (U.S.). He said that is a little lower than the minimum price he has set, but that the current bidding would still allow him to turn a small profit. There is no certificate of authenticity, but Mr. Kennedy said he has the cancelled cheque and receipt from last year’s auction, which prove the truck was used in Brokeback Mountain.He said he’ll put any proceeds into a savings account for his post-secondary education.As for the film, Mr. Kennedy said he saw it last month and liked it well enough — but the highlight was seeing his truck on screen. “That was pretty cool.”

PATRICK BRETHOURCALGARY –

The hit film C.R.A.Z.Y. swept Quebec’s version of the Oscars Sunday, about a week after its domination of the Genie Awards.

Marc-Andre Grondin won the best actor Jutra for his starring role in ‘C.R.A.Z.Y.’ at the 2006 Prix Jutras gala in Montreal Sunday. (CP Photo/David Boily)

C.R.A.Z.Y. picked up 14 trophies at the Prix Jutra gala in Montreal Sunday evening, taking the prize in every category for which it was nominated, including best picture, best direction and best screenplay.

“We won more than our fair share, but it’s all of Quebec cinema that is being honoured,” the film’s producer, Pierre Even, said in accepting the best picture Jutra.

C.R.A.Z.Y.’s Marc-André Grondin won the best actor Jutra for his starring role as a teen growing up gay in Catholic Quebec from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Michel Côté and Danielle Proulx – who played Grondin’s on-screen parents – won the best supporting actor and supporting actress categories.

Last Monday, Côté won best actor and Proulx best supporting actress at the Genie Awards, the annual Canadian celebration of the year’s best homegrown films. At that Toronto ceremony, C.R.A.Z.Y. was also named best picture.

Other films that took home awards included La Neuvaine, with Élise Guilbault winning best actress for her starring role, L’Audition, which won a Jutra for its music, and Dehors novembre, which won best animated film.

C.R.A.Z.Y.’s sweep at the Jutras meant that, like at the Genies, other multiple nominees were largely or completely shut out, including a biopic about hockey legend Maurice Richard that had entered the gala equalling C.R.A.Z.Y. ’s 14 nominations.

Last Updated Mon, 20 Mar 2006 09:28:50 EST
CBC Arts

TORONTO (CP) – As expected, the Genies went crazy for C.R.A.Z.Y.Montreal director Jean-Marc Vallee’s poignant but funny tale of growing up in Catholic Quebec from the 1960s to the ’80s won 10 awards Monday – including best picture – plus the Golden Reel Award given to the Canadian film with the biggest annual box office take. “I’m touched,” Vallee said, in accepting the best director award. “This has been something – a crazy experience.”Paul Gratton, chairman of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, called it “a gay coming-of-age story that’s been given a different and totally delightful original spin based on style and the use of pop music.”The Academy oversees the Genies, which honour the best in home-grown cinema.C.R.A.Z.Y., the third feature from Vallee, was Canada’s unsuccessful submission this year for a best foreign film Oscar nomination.It also won Genies for best director, editing (Paul Jutras), actor (Michel Cote), supporting actress (Danielle Proulx), original screenplay (Vallee and Francois Boulay), art direction/production design, costume design, sound and sound editing.A distant runner-up with three Genies was Water, the third in Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s elements trilogy. It won for cinematography, original music score and best actress (Seema Biswas).Best supporting actor was Denis Bernard for L’Audition.Atom Egoyan’s showbiz scandal drama Where the Truth Lies won for Egoyan’s own adapted screenplay.In a pre-recorded acceptance speech, Egoyan held up some pages that he said were rewrites and that he could have made it better.Velcrow Ripper’s ScaredSacred won best documentary, while David Ostry’s Milo 55160 was named best live action short. Best animated short was Chris Hinton’s CNote.Louse Archambault’s Familia, a Quebec film that had been nominated in the best picture category, had to settle for the Claude Jutra Award, given annually to the most promising first-time director.Francophone cinema dominated the awards last year as well, with The Triplets of Belleville (a Canada-France co-production), Ma vie en cinemascope and Looking for Alexander the big winners. The year before that it was Denys Arcand’s The Barbarian Invasions and Seducing Dr. Lewis.While Quebec films do well in Quebec – C.R.A.Z.Y. netted some $5 million in ticket sales – their success is seldom repeated elsewhere in the country.

John Mckay, Canadian Press

Published: Monday, March 13, 2006

The donated materials tab now lists all the titles (93!) available for loan from the Chinook Film Group Collection at the Cochrane Public Library