Xavier Dolan arrives for the screening of “Tom à la Ferme” at the Venice Film Festival on September 2. PHOTO GABRIEL BOUYSGABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
Well the success story continues for Xavier Dolan.
Dolan’s latest film Tom à la ferme has won the critics’ prize at the Venice Film Festival. The prize, which was given to Dolan Friday, is awarded by the Federation internationale de la presse cinematographique (FIPRESCI).
Dolan called it “a notable honour” to receive the award.
The FIPRESCI jury called the film “an energetic psychological thriller, that’s sensual and has lots of tension.”
“It’s very inspiring,” said Dolan, in a phone interview with La Presse. “As a director, you hope to reach your family and your close friends with your work. So it’s very touching to see your work recognized by critics.”
Adapted from the play by Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard, it’s a drama about a young man Tom (Dolan) who meets his lover Guillaume’s family for the first time after Guillaume’s death and he’s shocked to learn that the family has no idea of his existence and that his lover’s mother didn’t even know her son was gay.
It stars Dolan, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy and Evelyne Brochu.
It received mostly very positive reviews following its screening in Venice earlier this week though The Hollywood Reporter published a savage review that accused Dolan of directing himself in an egotistical fashion. The review led Dolan to publicly roast the Hollywood Reporter critic.
Tom à la ferme is in the official competition at Venice, the first French-language Quebec film to nab that honour in 25 years. The competition awards will be doled out Saturday. The Venice jury is headed by Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci.
The Dolan film will have its North American premiere this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
