Filmmaker Atom Egoyan gets Canada’s highest artistic honor

PanARMENIAN.Net - Filmmaker Atom Egoyan, singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and director Jean-Marc Vallée are among the 2015 winners of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, CBC News reports.

Founded in 1992, the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are given to Canadians whose accomplishments are deemed to have inspired and enriched the country.

Five Canadians were named for the country's highest honor for lifetime artistic achievement Walter Boudreau, C.M., composer, conductor and artistic director; Atom Egoyan, film and stage director;Diana Leblanc, actress and director; Sarah McLachlan, singer, songwriter; R.H. Thomson, C.M., actor, director, producer and arts advocate.

The award is accompanied with a $25,000 cash prize contributed by the Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative medallion produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.

The awards will be handed out by Canada's Governor General David Johnston at a special ceremony in Ottawa's Rideau Hall on May 29. The recipients will be celebrated with a star-studded gala featuring special performances and tributes at the National Arts Centre on May 30.