A drama about an Inuit family trying to survive a tuberculosis epidemic in the mid-1900s leads the crop of Canadian films vying for Genies this year.

Benoît Pilon’s “Ce qu’il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life)” wound up with a total of eight nods after nominations for the Genies, which honour the year’s best in Canadian cinema, were announced Tuesday.

The film is also up for best director and best original screenplay, while Natar Ungalaaq, the film’s star, received a nod for best actor.

The French- and Inuit-language drama was short-listed for a best foreign film Oscar but ultimately didn’t make the final five. It will begin its theatrical run in English Canada next week.

Meanwhile, “Tout est Parfait (Everything is Fine),” about a young man dealing with his friends’ suicides, received seven nominations, including best picture.

The rest of the best picture nominees also had strong showings — “Amal” and TIFF opener “Passchendaele” received six nods each, while “Normal” received four.

Competing for best documentary are Guy Maddin’s “My Winnipeg,” Yung Chang’s “Up The Yangtze” and Jean-Claude Labrecque’s “Infiniment Québec.”

For a full list of nominees, go to the official Genies website here.

The awards will be handed out in Ottawa on April 4.






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