Dennis Villeneuve at TIFF on Saturday.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Denis Villeneuve's Incendies on Monday became the third Canadian film to score a U.S. distribution deal at TIFF.
eOne Films International announced the sale to Sony Picture Classics just before the film had its TIFF bow at the new Bell Lightbox that evening.
The movie, adapted by Villeneuve from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play Scorched, is in French and Arabic, with English sub-titles. It features a double-track narrative, one involving a search by twins to find a brother they never knew existed and a father they believed was dead, the other a flashback to the twins' mother's own attempt to find the son she was forced to give up.
Naturally, there's much speculation that Incendies will get the nod from Telefilm Canada later this month as Canada's official entry in the best foreign-language Oscar joust. Other Canuck films that have landed U.S. deals in recent days are Barney's Version and Casino Jack.