Until 2012 the Academy awarded two separate awards to recognize the achievements of the country’s film and television industries. The Genie Awards were given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema and the Gemini Awards were awarded to recognize excellence in the television industry. They were regarded as the equivalents of the Oscars and the Emmys, respectively.
In 2012, the Academy announced the merger of the two awards into a new award ceremony that would recognize all forms of Canadian media, including television (English-language productions only), cinema, and digital media. Canadian French-language television has its own award ceremony held separately, the Gémeaux Awards (Prix Gémeaux).
The Canadian Screen Awards are given in more than a hundred categories divided into three groups: Film, Television, and Digital Media. As we’ve already mentioned, only English-language productions are eligible for television categories. Film categories have no language restrictions. This means that all Canadian films, regardless of language, are eligible to receive the Canadian Screen Awards. There also are the Academy Special Awards.
The first Canadian Screen Awards ceremony was held on March 3, 2013 at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario. It was hosted by Canadian actor, comedian, singer, producer and writer Martin Short. The ceremony was broadcast live on CBC. The program was watch by more than 750,000 Canadian viewers, which was approximately double the typical ratings for Gemini or Genie ceremonies.
The week preceding the Canadian Screen Awards is referred to as the Canadian Screen Week. It features a number of events dedicated to Canadian cinema, television and digital media. They include receptions, galas, academy talks, screenings, industry forums, special events for fans, etc.
In 2020, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: Touchwood PR
