Louis Cyr, Gabrielle top Quebec film awards

While Quebec's annual film awards, the Soirée des Jutra, celebrated the best in Québécois cinema on March 23, it also turned into a plea for moviegoers to support homegrown films.

Louis Cyr: l'homme le plus fort du monde headed into the awards in the lead with 11 nominations, and collected nine awards, including best film, best box office performance (over $4 million), best actor (Antoine Bertrand), and best supporting actor (Guillaume Cyr) by the evening's end.

The biopic tells the story of the legendary Quebec strongman who made records lifting weights in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The film screened here at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois et francophone de Vancouver in February.

Gabrielle, about a woman with special needs who wants to live as an independent adult and falls in love with a guy in her choir, also was a big winner, collecting five awards, including best direction and screenplay (both for Louise Archambault), and best supporting actress (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin). It was also named the most successful film outside Quebec.

The film also won several major awards, including best film, at the Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto on March 9.

The Jutra Award for Lifetime Achievement went to actor, director, screenwriter, and musician Micheline Lanctôt, who has starred in films such as The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions), and Sarah Prefers to Run. She won a best director Genie Award for her 1984 Sonatine.

The evening was marked by several speeches urging audiences to support the Quebec film industry, which has long been one of the strongest in Canada but has fallen into decline at the box office over the past few years.