Killer debut wins critics' prize for Xavier Dolan

Young Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan has won a new $5,000 prize for emerging talent created by the Toronto Film Critic's Association.

Dolan's film, J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother), earned accolades at last year's Cannes Film Festival and is Canada's pick for foreign-language film Oscar in 2010. It has won a clutch of other awards from Canadian film festivals.

On Tuesday, Dolan's publicist announced he had won the Jay Scott Prize for emerging talent, established last year in honour of influential Globe and Mail film critic Jay Scott, who died in 1993.

Dolan, 20, wrote, directed and starred in I Killed My Mother, a searing portrayal of a constantly bickering single mother and her teenage son.

A second prize created by the film critics last year —the Allan King Documentary Feature Award — was won by Louie Psihoyos's The Cove, the association announced Wednesday.

The Cove was the shocking expose of a Japanese dolphin slaughter filmed by a crew of stealthy scuba divers.

The prize is named for the late Canadian documentary maker who created films such as Warrendale and Dying at Grace.

The two awards will be presented Jan. 12 at a gala in Toronto.

At the same gala, the Toronto critics will announced the best Canadian feature film of the year.

The three films nominated for the $10,000 award are:

• The Necessities of Life, directed by Benoît Pilon.
• Polytechnique, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
• Pontypool, directed by Bruce McDonald.