(Montreal) Canada Post unveiled Tuesday evening a stamp in the image of internationally renowned Quebec filmmaker Denys Arcand.
The main interested party and his relatives attended the unveiling of the stamp, presented in a giant format of 3.6 by 6 meters, Tuesday evening at the Outremont Theater.
Although the applications are studied by an independent committee, which then makes recommendations to the board of directors, the choice to honor Denys Arcand is a source of pride for Canada Post, which has chosen to immortalize the filmmaker with a snapshot of Bertrand Carrière crunched in 1985 during the filming of the film The Decline of the American Empire, said Serge Pitre, vice-president, business development at the state-owned company.
“For our series of personalities, we are looking for people who make Canada shine internationally, exceptional people who have promoted Canadian and Quebec values,” summarizes Mr. Pitre. Mr. Arcand’s candidacy certainly meets these criteria. »
The many accomplishments of the filmmaker, recipient of eight Genie awards and the Governor General’s Award for the Arts, Companion of the Order of Canada and Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, have earned him this honor.
In his career spanning over six decades, he has written and directed over twenty films, television shows and documentaries. He became the first Quebecer and the first Canadian to win the Oscar for best foreign language film, in 2003 for Les invasions barbares.
The process of creating a personality stamp takes 18 to 24 months, says Pitre. “The design of the stamp is entrusted to accredited graphic designers who make sure to produce the most representative image of the chosen theme,” he says.
The special stamp booklet, put into circulation on Wednesday, includes six permanent stamps whose place of cancellation is Deschambault, where Mr. Arcand spent his childhood.
The print run will be limited to 130,000 booklets and 7,000 Official First Day Cover.
Among other Quebec personalities who have been immortalized on a postage stamp, we note the singer Ginette Reno, the actress Monique Mercure and the group Beau Dommage.
