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Water is Canada's pick for the Oscars® in 2007

Montreal, September 21, 2006 - Telefilm Canada, Chair of the Canadian selection committee for the 79th Annual Academy Awards®, is proud to announce that director Deepa Mehta's Water has been submitted to represent the country in the bid for a nomination in the Best Foreign-Language Film category.

Water is a Hamilton-Mehta Productions Inc. production, produced by David Hamilton. The film is distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media, in the United States by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and internationally by Celluloid Dreams.

Starring H.T.J. Sarala, Lisa Ray, John Abraham and Seema Biswas, Water is the number one highest grossing foreign-language film in North America in the past year with a worldwide box office of $10 million to date. In addition, the film is currently the all-time highest grossing all Hindi-language film in North American history.

The Opening Night Gala film at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, Water was described by festival organizers as "[Deepa] Mehta's richest and most complex film to date. It is the work of a humanist, made with incredible tenderness and true concern for the plight of all her characters."

Eligible films for Best Foreign-Language Film
Eighty-three countries have been invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to submit their top films for consideration. According to Academy rules, an eligible film must be first released in the country submitting the film no earlier than October 1, 2005 and no later than September 30, 2006, and be first publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film for a run of at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre. In addition, the recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed film must be predominantly in a language or languages other than English.

The 79th Academy Award® nominations will be announced on January 23, 2007.

The Canadian Committee
Chaired by Telefilm Canada, the pan-Canadian selection committee is comprised of 25 voting Canadian film delegates representing major industry associations and government agencies.

This year, Water was selected, by majority vote, from a total of 9 eligible films submitted by producers.

Only one picture is accepted from each country. The Academy then votes for the five films that will eventually receive official nominations. Films submitted for Best Foreign-Language Film Award consideration may also qualify for other categories, provided they meet the requirements of the special rules governing those categories.

Over the course of the history of the Academy Awards®, Canada has made the shortlist for Best Foreign-Language Film three times: Denys Arcand's Le Déclin de l'empire américain (The Decline of the American Empire) in 1986, Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) in 1989 and, the country's first-ever winner, Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions) in 2004.

Developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry
Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to the development and promotion of the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. The Corporation also administers the funding programs of the Canadian Television Fund.

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Media inquiries:
Douglas Chow, Deputy Director, Strategic Communications
(514) 283-6363 or 1-800-567-0890, chowd@telefilm.ca