Monsieur Lazhar was considered director Philippe Falardeau's breakthrough film in 2011 and was nominated for many awards including Best Director at the 2012 Genie Awards, Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards, and Audience Award at the 2011 Whistler Film Festival.
Monsieur Lazhar is a 2011 Canadian French-language drama film directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Mohamed Said Fellag, Sophie Nelisse and Danielle Proulx. The film was subsequently nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, and also won six Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture. After premiering at the Locarno International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and the Variety Piazza Grande Award, it received critical acclaim. Monsieur Lazhar debuted at the Locarno International Film Festival in August 2011, followed by a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011. It was released in Toronto and Vancouver on 27 January 2012, a few days after it was announced in January 2012 that it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. 
26 February 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Philippe Falardeau Nominated 8 March 2012 Best Director Philippe Falardeau Won Best Adapted Screenplay Won 11 March 2012 Best Director Best Screenplay Philippe Falardeau Won Won 2011 Most Successful Film Outside Quebec Variety Piazza Grande Award UBS Audience Award Philippe Falardeau Nominated Won Won 18 January 2013 Best French-Language Film Nominated 14 December 2011 Best Canadian Film Won 818 September 2011 Best Canadian Film Won 2011 Audience Award Won 
