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Canadians hoping to nab an Oscar nod gathered with fellow nominees in Los Angeles Friday for a luncheon to honour Canada's Academy Awards hopefuls.

"I have a deep personal affection for Canada," says Best Actress nominee Julie Christie.

"I made three films there. Every time, I'm impressed by the responsibility of the Canadian people in how they don't follow the rest of the world. I'm impressed by the fact that you don't send troops into all of America's wars … I'm very sorry that your present Prime Minister is sending troops in and things are changing."

This afternoon, Christie, nominated for her starring role in Sarah Polley's directorial debut Away From Her, is a guest of the Canadian Consulate, who is hosting the luncheon in Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, due to her shooting schedule in Toronto — where she is acting in a film alongside Adrien Brody — Polley couldn't attend today's party (she's nominated for her film's screenplay adaptation).

Her star's face lights up, however, with just the mention of Polley. "Sarah is delightful," she beams. "Working with her is a gift."

Despite her legendary career, Christie is humble about having had to speak with a Canadian accent for her latest role. "That was difficult," she admits. "It's a complicated accent, because it's so like American. I didn't get it completely. I can hear, now, whenever I hear a bit from the film, I think, 'Oh God, no! Not that!' "

As for the big night itself, Christie says she "will be glad when the whole thing is over."

Though the 80th-annual Academy Awards presentation is just two days away, today's celebratory luncheon is laid back and casual, with a camaraderie that makes it feel like an intimate get together in someone's backyard.

In keeping with the event's personal tone, Canadian director Ivan Reitman is present to support his son, Jason, whose sophomoric feature Juno has garnered him two Oscar nominations, Best Feature Film and Best Director.

"It's the greatest thing that can happen to a father — to see his child do so extraordinarily well," he says.

The Reitman pair look like father and son. Both are dressed, coincidentally, in corduroy pants, blue sweaters and long sleeved button-down shirts.

"My father's over the moon for me," says the younger Reitman. "My parents made me who I am. It's as much their nomination as it is mine." As a Canadian, Jason Reitman is disappointed that he wasn't eligible for a Genie Award.

"You know what?" he says. "I wish we'd been eligible for the Genie. I still don't understand why. It's a Canadian director, Canadian cast, Canadian crew, shot in Canada. How are we not eligible for a Genie when David Cronenberg's film which was about Russians living in London, shot in England with a British crew and British cast is eligible? I'm sorry, someone is going to have to explain that to me."

Reitman is eager to talk about other Canadian nominees. Having been a juror at Sundance, he saw and loved both of Canada's Oscar nominated animated shorts, Madame Tutli-Putli and I Met The Walrus. Montrealers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, Madame Tutli-Putli's filmmakers, are especially proud to be Canadian. "I'm delighted to be representing our country," says Szczerbowski.

"We feel like we've brought something out of our hermetic frozen little mountain and thrown it back at Americans. We put them in a situation where they have to contend with it and we're proud of that."

Standing nearby, Madame Tutli-Putli producer Marcy Page comments on what distinguishes Canadians based upon what she has seen on tour along with all the Canadian Oscar nominated animators.

"It's great that we have a country that supports culture. We've become the envy of so many other countries [because] we have our priorities straight in terms of supporting culture."

Though they are in competition, the Montreal filmmakers are friends with I Met The Walrus filmmakers Josh Raskin and Jerry Levitan. Raskin comments that this luncheon is like a little piece of Canada dropped into California. With a wide smile and eyes lit up, he says, "The Canadian presence at the Oscars is awesome. It's amazing. It's a huge honour to be nominated among the other films." His partner, Levitan, jokes that if they win, instead of an acceptance speech, they are going to sing Guns N' Roses cover of Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die a capella.

Though actress Ellen Page, Sarah Polley and director David Cronenberg were absent from the event due to conflicting schedules, clearly their spirits were floating around the outdoor luncheon's tent. The unique bond between Canadians in film is palpable all afternoon. Director Norman Jewison is effusive when speaking about his fellow Canadians and their Oscar nods.

"It's great this year," he says. "It's always been good. We've always had a strong presence for the size of our country, but this is an unusual year with Sarah Polley's film getting this kind of attention, a tiny little Canadian film, a 28 year old director, it doesn't get any better than that. I think if Julie Christie wins, it's going to mean a lot for a very small Canadian film. And Ellen Page: That's just clear talent. She's extraordinary."