The Canadian Screen Awards held their third and final gala in Toronto last night, with host Martin Short celebrating Canadian film and television by spreading the love around.
In the film section, Louise Archambault’s Gabrielle was named the year’s Best Picture, and its star Gabrielle Manon-Rivard took home the Best Actress prize for her performance as a developmentally challenged young woman determined to live life on her own terms.
Gabriel Arcand won Best Actor for his performance in the Quebec drama The Dismantlement, while Gordon Pinsent was named Best Supporting Actor for The Grand Seduction, Don McKellar’s East Coast remake of the Quebecois hit Seducing Dr. Lewis.
Denis Villeneuve’s psychological thriller Enemy won a total of five Screenies (yeah, I’m just gonna keep calling them that until someone comes up with a better nickname) including Best Director, Best Supporting Actress for Sarah Gadon, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Original Score.
The Screenies use the Canadian film-festival system to determine the eligibility of a given title most of the movies up for prizes this year played at TIFF but are still awaiting a commercial release. Enemy opens in Toronto this Friday The Grand Seduction is tentatively set for spring, and The F Word is slated for a summer release. The Dismantlement, which played at Cannes and TIFF, is not currently scheduled to open in English Canada.
Documentary prizes were awarded to Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky’s Watermark (feature) and Anne Wheeler’s Chi (short). Shannon Masters won Best Original Screenplay for Empire Of Dirt Elan Mastai won Best Adapted Screenplay for The F Word. Patrick Cederberg and Walter Woodman’s Noah was named best live-action short and Chris Landreth’s Subconscious Password took Best Animated Short.
On the television side, the big winner was Jason Priestley’s series Call Me Fitz the show was named Best Comedy Program Or Series, while stars Priestley and Tracy Dawson took the Actor and Actress awards for the genre.
Orphan Black was named Best Dramatic Series, while star Tatiana Maslany – who plays multiple roles in the SF-flavoured series – won Best Performance By An Actress In A Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Flashpoint’s Hugh Dillon won the corresponding Actor prize.
The CBC biopic Jack won two acting awards, as Rick Roberts and Sook-yin Lee were honoured as Best Actor and Best Actress in the Dramatic Program Or Mini-Series category for their performances as Jack Layton and Olivia Chow. And CTV’s Lisa LaFlamme was named Best National News Anchor.
In a pre-show ceremony, The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones won Screenies for Best Make-Up, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing and Best Overall Sound it had previously been awarded the Golden Reel Award, presented every year to the top-grossing Canadian film. City Of Bones made $5.2 million in Canadian theatres, a considerable percentage of its $31.1 million North American take.
