Quebec's Dolan vies for top French film award

Up-and-coming Montreal filmmaker Xavier Dolan will face off against such blockbuster directors as James Cameron, Clint Eastwood and Danny Boyle for France's top film award.

The French Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled on Friday the list of nominees for its annual César Awards.

Dolan's J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother) is one of seven films in the race for the César best foreign film title.

Fellow Canadian Cameron is nominated for his record-breaking 3-D blockbuster Avatar, while Eastwood and Boyle are up for Gran Torino and Slumdog Millionaire, respectively.

Rounding out the list is Gus Van Sant's Milk, Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon and A Town Called Panic by Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar.

Leading the César nominees is the acclaimed French prison drama A Prophet, which scored nods in 13 categories, including best picture and best director for Jacques Audiard. The film's star, Tahar Rahim, is nominated in two categories: best actor and best breakthrough performance.

The movie, the 2009 Grand Prix-winner at Cannes, is also in the running for a best foreign film Oscar.

The dramas A l'Origine (At the Beginning) and Welcome were also lead César contenders, nabbing 11 and nine nominations, respectively.

The 35th annual César Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Paris on Feb. 27.