News that Arcand was working on a sequel to his 1986 film was received with a skeptical and negative response from critics . The film was screened at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival in May , where it received a 22-minute standing ovation , with distribution to 30 countries assured by the time Arcand received his Best Screenplay award . It was afterwards selected to open the gala at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival in September , and also opened the Vancouver International Film Festival that month . The film began playing in Quebec theatres in May and ran for months , with its Canadian distributor being Alliance Films . It opened across Canada on November 21
Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Barbarian Invasions