”Gabrielle” gets Canada’s Oscar selection for best foreign film

MONTREAL – Louise Archambault’s ”Gabrielle” has been selected as Canada’s candidate in the best foreign film category at next year’s Oscars.

Telefilm Canada, which chairs the Oscar selection committee, made the announcement at a news conference in Montreal today.

”Gabrielle” traces the burgeoning independence of a young woman with Williams syndrome, a genetic condition marked by developmental delays and strong social personalities.

It stars Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, who has Williams syndrome.

Finalists will be announced in January with five short-listed films to be named by the end of that month.

The 86th Academy Awards will be handed out on March 2.

The Oscars have been kind to Canada, especially Quebec, in the past three years.

This year, child-soldier drama “Rebelle” (“War Witch”), was in the race for Oscar glory but lost out to “Amour,” a French-language drama written by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke.

In 2012, Philippe Falardeau’s tender tale, “Monsieur Lazhar,” made the final group at the Oscars, while a year earlier Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” also made the list of finalists before losing.

Both of those films were from the Quebec production team of Luc Dery and Kim McCraw, who are also behind ”Gabrielle.”

Canada’s last win was in 2004 for Denys Arcand’s “The Barbarian Invasions.”