As the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, which ran from May 12 to 23 came to a close, two awards were bestowed upon films by Canadian filmmakers.

Life, Above All, based on the novel Chandra's Secrets by Allan Stratton and adapted into a screenplay by Vancouverite Dennis Foon, won the Prix Franí§ois Chalais. The film, directed by South African director Oliver Schmitz, addresses the stigma of HIV/AIDS through the story of a young girl in an African city. The South African-German-Canadian coproduction was selected for the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes.

Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan's film, Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats), was also chosen for the same category. The CBC reported that the film won the Regards Jeunes Prize at Cannes.

The 21-year-old's second feature centres on two young Montrealers, a guy (played by Dolan) and a girl who wind up as rivals in love, as they compete for the same man.

His first film, J'ai tué ma mere (I Killed My Mother), won three awards at Cannes last year and widespread critical acclaim.