Quebec filmmaker Philippe Falardeau never dreamt of going to the Oscars.

"I never thought of it at any point in my career, at any point in my life," Falardeau told CTV's Canada AM shortly after the nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards were announced on Jan. 24.

Yet the night before the Oscar nominations were read, the director of the acclaimed Canadian drama "Monsieur Lazhar" had a change of heart.

"At around five minutes to midnight I thought to myself 'I want this. Why not?' I'm very happy to share this moment with my two producers, Luc Dery and Kim McCraw," said the beaming director.

Falardeau and his producers were at the Sundance Film Festival in Park city, Utah, promoting "Monsieur Lazhar" when they learned that their moving schoolroom drama had nabbed a nomination for Best Foreign Film.

That moment "was a mixture of total happiness and total relief," said Falardeau -- the man Variety called one of the 10 directors to watch in 2012.

Based on Evelyne de la Chenelière's play, "Monsieur Lazhar" tells a powerful story about an Algerian political refugee (Mohamed Said Fellag) who takes a job teaching a Grade 6 classroom in a Montreal school.

Unlike most Grade 6 students, these kids had more on their minds than video games and play time.

Their previous teacher had committed suicide by hanging herself. Traumatized by the event, the children learned to cope with the tragedy thanks to the mysterious Monsieur Lazhar.

In Sept. of 2011, Telefilm Canada selected the French-language movie from among 34 films eligible to represent Canada at the Oscars.

In the history of the Oscars, only five Canadian movies have been nominated for Best Foreign Film.

Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve and his drama "Incendies" vied for the award in 2011. Deepa Mehta also competed for this prize in 2007 with her drama "Water."

In 2004, director Denys Arcand won the Best Foreign Film race for "Les invasions barbares." Arcand also earned nominations in 1987 for "Le decline de l'empire américain" and in 1990 for the film "Jésus de Montréal."

This year's Oscar nomination for Falardeau showcases the best of Canadian filmmaking to the world once more. But the race is no done deal for Falardeau. Not by a long shot.

The 44-year-old director from Hull, Que. will take on Belgium's "Bullhead," the Iranian film "A Separation," Israel's "Footnote," and the Polish film "In Darkness" for this year's Oscar laurels.

Against such bullish competition, "Monsieur Lazhar" will have a fight on its hands. But the film's enormous favour on the festival circuit should give it a chance.

The accolades have been streaming in for "Monsieur Lazhar" since the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival -- most recently Best Canadian Film kudos from the Toronto Critics' Association and a wallop of Genie nominations, including Best Motion Picture.

The film's power, simplicity and universality have reached audiences and critics, according to Falardeau.

"This film tackles a lot of issues, but the characters never speak about these issues. They keep living and we keep accompanying them in their grieving. That touches people," said Falardeau.

The film's simple, classroom setting also draws people of all walks into this story about the dignified and compassionate Monsieur Lazhar and the children he befriends.

"We've all been to an elementary school. We all have recollections of that time," said Falardeau.

"On an emotional level, people could relate to what the characters were going through," he said.

"Although the film has a dramatic premise, I did my best to make it luminous with the images and the work of the kids."