'Merci beaucoup': Montreal visual effects company wins Oscar for Blade Runner
The Denis Villeneuve movie also won for best cinematography
Montreal got a special shout-out at last night's Academy Awards as Richard Hoover accepted an Oscar for best visual effects for Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049.
Hoover works at Framestore, a company based in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood, which created the movie's opening sequence, several of the scenes taking place in Las Vegas as well as in the shipyard.
"To all my friends in Montreal," Hoover said, bending into the mic and holding up the golden statue as music wrapping up the group's speech played.
"Merci beaucoup. This is for you!"
Hoover was nominated with John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer and Paul Lambert for the film.
On Daybreak this morning, Hoover said he wanted to make sure to pay tribute to his Montreal crew during his speech.
"I wouldn't be there without them," he said.
Hoover said provincial tax breaks have helped give rise to a thriving hub of special effects companies in Montreal.
It was the third time Framestore has been nominated for an Oscar. The company also got a nod in the same category this year for Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
During the speech, Nelson, the visual effects supervisor for Blade Runner, thanked Denis Villeneuve, "whose guts are seen in every frame of this film, especially the visual effects."
Villeneuve wasn't nominated for any Oscars, but Blade Runner also won for best cinematography, led by Roger Deakins.