2003 Grand Pré Prize Recipients
Filmmaker Paul Emile d'Entremont of Halifax and the musical group BLOU are joint recipients of the 2003 Grand-Pré Prize awarded by the Department of Tourism and Culture.
They were honoured on Friday, Sept. 5 at an event in Grand-Pré and were each presented with $1,000.
The biannual award was established by the province in 1987 to recognize the work of Acadian Nova Scotians in the performing arts and film, the visual arts and crafts, and literary arts. This year the prize is being awarded in the category of performing arts and/or film. The purpose of the prize is to recognize those artists whose work reflects Acadian cultural values and traditions, while demonstrating excellence and originality.
"I am pleased to extend congratulations to this year's winners for earning this special recognition from their peers and from the province of Nova Scotia," said Tourism and Culture Minister Rodney MacDonald. "It is important that we continue to recognize artistic achievements within Nova Scotia's Acadian community."
Paul Emile d'Entremont is a young filmmaker whose work, Seuls, ensemble, produced by the National Film Board in 2000, received critical acclaim. The work also earned him the Linda Joy Media Arts Prize as the most promising new director. It was awarded by the Director's Guild of Canada Atlantic Regional Council at the 2001 Atlantic Film Festival. Mr. D'Entremont's recent projects are documentary work for CBC television, including features highlighting the careers of singer Measha Brüggergosman and cellist Denise Djokic.
BLOU is one of the most successful and popular Acadian musical groups from Nova Scotia. Founded 10 years ago, it has earned critical and popular acclaim under the direction of its founding leader, Patrice Boulianne. The group has won a number of prizes, including the 1999 East Coast Music Award for Best Francophone Album of the Year. It has performed extensively internationally, having toured in Canada, the United States, South America, the Caribbean, and throughout Europe. It has been among those leading the way for music based on Acadian traditions while creating a contemporary and lively sound.
Previous Grand-Pré Prize winners include author René LeBlanc for his novel Derrière les Embruns; University Ste-Anne for its series of publications sketching life in Acadian Nova Scotia; singer/songwriter Eric Surette; photographer, Francois Gaudet; artisan, Denise Robicheau for her porcelain angels; writer, Father Amselm Chiasson; filmmaker, Phil Comeau; and visual artists, Denise Comeau and Simone D'Eon.