Denis Villeneuve working on Footnotes in Gaza film
Animated feature inspired by Joe Sacco's graphic novel
CBC News
Posted: Feb 2, 2012 1:01 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 2, 2012 1:00 PM ET
Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, seen in 2011, is working on an cinematic adaptation of Joe Sacco's graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)
Genie-winning Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, most recently acclaimed for his searing drama Incendies, is working on adapting comic artist and journalist Joe Sacco's Footnotes in Gaza for film.
French production company Tu Vas Voir revealed details of the project, which has Quebec filmmaker Villeneuve co-writing and eventually directing an adaptation of Sacco's 2009 graphic novel.
"It took a long time for us to convince Joe Sacco that we were the right people to adapt the work," Tu Vas Voir producer Amiel Tenenbaum told industry publication Screen International.
"Joe was always adamant that it was important for him to have confidence in the director… from the beginning we'd had Denis in mind."
The film, slated to be a feature-length animation film inspired by Sacco's original drawings, is one of several projects to which Villeneuve is attached. He is also set to direct a big-budget U.S. thriller entitled Prisoners.
Villeneuve earned kudos for films such as Maelstrom and Polytechnique, but rose to international fame for Incendies, based on Wajdi Mouawad's play about siblings who travel to the Middle East to uncover secrets about their late mother. The 2010 film won a raft of Genie and Jutra awards, film festival honours and was a best foreign film Oscar contender.
In Footnotes in Gaza, Sacco delves into two mass killings of Palestinian civilians that took place in 1956. He juxtaposes the pair of forgotten tragedies against contemporary life in Gaza. The Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist is renowned for his illustrated explorations of conflict, including his celebrated graphic novels Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde.
Paris-based company Tu Vas Voir also produced the 2004 Walter Salles film Motorcycle Diaries.
Comic artist and journalist Joe Sacco, seen in Gaza in 2003, is known for his illustrated explorations of conflicts. (Khalil Hamra/Associated Press)
Share Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 11:40 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Lisa Raitt closer to ending CP Rail strike
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Rail strike if necessary, after both CP Rail and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt tells CBC News she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Stratford prepares for new director as season opens
- As the Stratford Shakespeare Festival opens its 60th season, high profile artistic director Des McAnuff is preparing to hand to reins to his successor Antoni Cimolino. Deana Sumanac reports. more »
- Quebec actress captures Cannes prize
- Canadian Suzanne Clement has been awarded the Best Actress prize in the Cannes Film Festival's sidebar competition, Un Certain Regard. more »
- Lady Gaga nixes Indonesia show after threats
- Lady Gaga cancelled her sold-out show in Indonesia after Islamist hard-liners threatened violence, claiming her sexy clothes and provocative dance moves would corrupt the youth. more »
- Sweden defeats Russian grannies in Eurovision song contest
- Sweden's Loreen clinches the top spot at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her dance hit Euphoria, pushing aside competition from a sextet of Russian grannies and a Serbian balladeer. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 25, 2012 5:57 PM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 25, 2012 4:57 PM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Teen struck by lightning in Ottawa dies
- Missing Winnipeg children found in Mexico
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- Quebec tornadoes cause millions in damage
- Montreal protesters march in peaceful defiance
- Remains found in bag on Cape Breton river ID'd
- Woman's remains found in hockey bag on Cape Breton river
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Accused in blast that killed Alberta mom handled her funds
