It was a joyous day for Juno on Tuesday as the teen pregnancy comedy snagged a handful of prestigious Oscar nominations, including best picture, best actress for Halifax's Ellen Page, best director for Montreal-born Jason Reitman and best original screenplay for first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Toronto's Sarah Polley, who's won various film critics' association awards for her direction of the moving Alzheimer's drama Away From Her, picked up a surprise best adapted screenplay nomination for her deft reworking of an Alice Munro short story.
The film's reclusive British star, Julie Christie — who had to be cajoled by Polley for months before agreeing to appear in Away From Her — also got a best actress nod.
Proving itself the Little Miss Sunshine of 2007, Juno is the only comedy among the dark best picture offerings. It's competing against No Country for Old Men, a crime saga about a drug deal gone bad, There Will Be Blood, an historical epic set in California's oil boom years, the melancholy wartime romance Atonement and the legal drama Michael Clayton.
Except for There Will Be Blood, all of the best picture nominees had their North American premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Juno had its world premiere at the festival and was a fan favourite.
The National Film Board of Canada's Madame Tutli-Putli, which also screened at the festival, got a nod in the best animated short category, as did I Met The Walrus, from Toronto animator Josh Raskin.
The 20-year-old Page, who still lives in Halifax in a house she shares with friends, seemed stunned to hear of her nomination when she appeared on NBC's The Today Show early Tuesday.
“It's extremely humbling to be recognized with these other actresses, people I respect and admire — it's crazy,” said Page, who once had a role on the goofy Showcase hit Trailer Park Boys.
“I just feel so grateful to be part of the film and I'm so happy that people have responded to it in the way that they have.”
Page and other Canadians may not get their moment in the Hollywood spotlight, however — the ongoing screenwriters strike may very well prevent the glitzy awards ceremony from being held on Feb. 24, despite producer Gil Cates's insistence that the show will go on with or without writers.
The stars said they would refuse to cross any picket lines set up at the Golden Globes, forcing the cancellation of the Jan. 13 televised gala — and many of them were vowing to do the same come Oscar night. That could also force the axing of an annual movie-lover's tradition that attracts a billion viewers worldwide.
“I would never cross a picket line ever. I couldn't,” said Tony Gilroy, a directing nominee for “Michael Clayton,” told The Associated Press.
“I'm a 20-year member of the Writers Guild. I think whatever they work out is going to be one way or the other but no, I could never cross a picket line. I think there's a lot of people who feel that way.”
Viggo Mortensen — up for best actor for his role as a Russian mobster in David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises — said he was hoping for the best.
“I have a feeling they'll solve it,” he said. “I hope they do. I'm sure my mom would like to see me on TV and so forth. But if there's a strike, I'm not crossing the line.”
In addition to Christie, Page is up against Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose, Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Laura Linney for The Savages.
Past Oscar winner Blanchett also received a supporting actress nomination for the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There.
