Canadian Film Award
The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation.[1]
The awards were taken over by the Academy of Canadian Cinema, and formally renamed the Genie Awards, in 1980.[2]
History
The award was first established in 1949 by the Canadian Association for Adult Education,[1] under a steering committee that included the National Film Board's James Beveridge, the Canadian Foundation's Walter Herbert, filmmaker F. R. Crawley, the National Gallery of Canada's Donald Buchanan and diplomat Graham McInnes.[1] The initial jury consisted of Hye Bossin, managing editor of Canadian Film Weekly; M. Stein of Famous Players; CBC film critic Gerald Pratley; Moira Armour of the Toronto and Vancouver Film societies; and Ian MacNeill from CAAE.[1]
The first presentation was held on April 27, 1949 at the Little Elgin Theatre in Ottawa.[1]
With only a handful of Canadian films released each year, they were generally a small affair. In several years no film was found to merit the best picture award.[1] The awards were also almost totally dominated by the National Film Board. Globe and Mail film critic Jay Scott described them as "honours given by presenters no one knew, to recipients no one recognized, to films no one had seen."
In 1968, a bronze award statuette was designed by sculptor Sorel Etrog and the award was often referred to as an Etrog Award.[1] Two special awards, the John Grierson Award for outstanding contribution to Canadian cinema and the Wendy Michener Award for outstanding artistic achievement, were also added in later years.[1]
Awards ceremonies
The following is a listing of all Canadian Film Awards Ceremonies.
| Ceremony | Date | Host(s) | Venue | Film of the Year | Feature Film (1964–78) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Canadian Film Awards | April 27, 1949 | Robert Winters | Little Elgin Theatre, Ottawa, Ontario | The Loon's Necklace | None awarded |
| 2nd Canadian Film Awards | April 19, 1950 | Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent | Little Elgin Theatre, Ottawa, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 3rd Canadian Film Awards | April 22, 1951 | Mary Pickford | Odeon Theatre, Ottawa, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 4th Canadian Film Awards | April 27, 1952 | Sidney Earle Smith | Victoria Theatre, Toronto, Ontario | Newfoundland Scene | None awarded |
| 5th Canadian Film Awards | April 30, 1953 | Jacques des Baillets (with guest Dorothy Lamour) | Avenue Theatre, Montreal, Quebec | Tit-Coq | None awarded |
| 6th Canadian Film Awards | May 10, 1954 | J. R. White (Imperial Oil president) | Kent Theatre, Montreal, Quebec | The Seasons | None awarded |
| 7th Canadian Film Awards | 1955 | No public ceremony | No public ceremony | The Stratford Adventure | None awarded |
| 8th Canadian Film Awards | August 6, 1956 | Maurice Evans | Avon Theatre, Stratford, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 9th Canadian Film Awards | June 15, 1957 | Leonard Brockington | King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 10th Canadian Film Awards | June 21, 1958 | Davidson Dunton | King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | City of Gold | None awarded |
| 11th Canadian Film Awards | June 5, 1959 | W. J. Sheridan | King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 12th Canadian Film Awards | June 3, 1960 | Albert Trueman | King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 13th Canadian Film Awards | May 13, 1961 | Alphonse Ouimet | King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | Universe | None awarded |
| 14th Canadian Film Awards | May 26, 1962 | Andrew Stewart | King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | None awarded |
| 15th Canadian Film Awards | May 10, 1963 | Jeanine Beaubien | Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, Quebec | Lonely Boy | None awarded |
| 16th Canadian Film Awards | May 8, 1964 | Wayne and Shuster | Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | Pour la Suite du Monde | À tout prendre |
| 17th Canadian Film Awards | May 15, 1965 | Max Ferguson | Westbury Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | The Luck of Ginger Coffey |
| 18th Canadian Film Awards | May 6, 1966 | Rich Little | Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, Quebec | The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam | Le Festin des Morts |
| 19th Canadian Film Awards | Sep. 23, 1967 | Fred Davis | Inn on the Park, Toronto, Ontario | Warrendale | Warrendale |
| 20th Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 4, 1968 | Bill Walker, Louise Marleau | Seaway Towers Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | A Place to Stand | The Ernie Game |
| 21st Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 4, 1969 | Fred Davis | Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar | None awarded |
| 22nd Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 3, 1970 | Bill Walker | Imperial Theatre, Toronto, Ontario | Psychocratie | Goin' Down the Road |
| 23rd Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 1, 1971 | Leslie Nielsen | Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | Mon oncle Antoine |
| 24th Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 13, 1972 | Jacques Fauteux | Ontario Place Cinesphere, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | Wedding in White |
| 25th Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 12, 1973 | Press conference, no formal ceremony | Chevalier Theatre, Montreal, Quebec | None awarded | Slipstream |
| No Ceremony in 1974 | The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz | ||||
| 26th Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 12, 1975 | Peter Gzowski | Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario | Les Ordres | Les Ordres |
| 27th Canadian Film Awards | Oct. 21, 1976 | Lorne Greene | CFTO-TV Studios, Scarborough, Ontario | None awarded | Lies My Father Told Me |
| 28th Canadian Film Awards | Nov. 20, 1977 | Gordon Pinsent | Hilton Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | J.A. Martin photographe |
| 29th Canadian Film Awards | Sep. 21, 1978 | John Candy, Catherine O'Hara | Ryerson Theatre, Toronto, Ontario | None awarded | The Silent Partner |
| Genie Awards from 1980 | |||||
| Ceremony | Date | Host(s) | Venue | Film of the Year | Feature Film (1964–78) |
Award winners
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Townend, Paul. "Canadian Film Awards". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ↑ "The Genie Awards". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
Further reading
- Topalovich, Maria; Sheffer, Andra (1984). A pictorial history of Canadian film awards. Don Mills, Ontario: Stoddart. ISBN 0-7737-2036-7.