Quebecois films continued their tradition of dominating the Genie Awards -- Canada's version of the Oscars -- when nominations for the 30th annual awardsfest were announced Monday. "Polytechnique" -- a black-and-white docudrama about a 1984 Montreal school shooting that left 14 women dead -- leads with 11 nominations, including best picture as well as bids by director Denis Villeneuve, lead actress Karine Vanasse and supporting actor Maxim Gaudette. The film was made simultaneously in both French and English and is considered the front-runner to win at the April 12 ceremony in Toronto.

The other four films in contention for the top prize are "Nurse Fighter Boy" (10 nominations), "Before Tomorrow" (nine), "Fifty Dead Men Walking" (seven) and "3 Saisons" (three).

"Grande Ourse: La Cle des Possibles" earned eight technical nominations but no best picture bid; neither did "De Pere en Flic" -- winner of the Golden Reel Award for its record-breaking box office of $11 million -- which contends only for original screenplay and twice for supporting actor (Patrick Drolet and Remy Girard).

Atom Egoyan -- who has won eight of his 22 previous Genie bids -- had to settle for a writing nomination for "Adoration." That film certainly did not live up to its title with the nominating committee of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, earning just one other bid -- for supporting actor Scott Speedman.

For the full list of nominees, visit the academy's website.

Image: "Polytechnique" poster. Credit: Don Carmody Productions

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