French kisses for Arcand

CBC News Online with files from Meredith Dellandrea, The Arts Report

MONTREAL - Denys Arcand was the big winner on two continents this weekend as his latest film The Barbarian Invasions took top honours at both the Csar Awards in Paris Saturday and the Jutra Awards in Montreal on Sunday.

After being named a Commander of the ordres des arts et des lettres -- France's highest cultural honour -- on Saturday afternoon, the Quebec director went on to win three Csars, the country's equivalent of the Oscars. Arcand took home awards for best original screenplay, best director and best film for his story of a cranky Montreal intellectual who is dying of cancer.

"It's too much, it's way too much, but I'll take it anyway," joked Arcand.

At Montreal's Place des arts Sunday night, Arcand duplicated his Csar wins, taking three Jutra Awards -- named after late Quebec filmmaker Claude Jutra -- for best screenplay, best director and best film.

"I feel absolutely wonderful because this is home, these are the people I work with," Arcand said. When accepting for best director, he saluted his fellow nominees, acknowledging the number of highly acclaimed films that came from Quebec last year.

Another hit movie and Sundance favourite, The Seduction of Dr. Lewis , was the most decorated film, with its producers taking home seven Jutra awards.

Marie-Jose Croze also had a repeat triumph: after winning the best actress distinction at last year's Cannes Film Festival for her role as a junkie in Barbarian Invasions , she followed Sunday with a best actress Jutra. Serge Theriault won best actor for his role in Gaz Bar Blues .

The film awards season wraps this Sunday with the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where Arcand is nominated for best original screenplay and The Barbarian Invasions for best foreign film.

He will be joined by fellow Quebecois Benot Charest, who won a best original music Csar for his work in the animated feature The Triplets of Belleville . Charest's song Belleville Rendez-vous is nominated for best original song at the Feb. 29 Oscar ceremony.

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