The Genie Awards paint a portrait of the evolving financial structures and production trends of feature filmmaking in Canada.

The 1999 Genies were the year of the majority Canadian coproduction, with four of the five films nominated for best picture structured as partnerships weighted on the Canadian side.

For the Genies 2000, two minority Canadian coproductions – Sunshine and Felicia’s Journey – have captured the most nominations, with 14 and 10, respectively, including best picture. A third minority copro, Grey Owl, received one nod, achievement in costume design for Renee April. Two majority copros – eXistenZ and Emporte-moi – are also contending for prizes.

This is the first year films with minority Canadian participation are eligible for nomination in the best picture category; in previous years, only the Canadian elements of these productions could be nominated in the craft categories. The non-Canadian cast members attached to these projects are eligible in all categories.

‘It was never an issue before,’ says Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Maria Topalovich.

But the Academy recognized that with the number of minority copros coming down the pike certified as Canadian by Telefilm Canada and cavco, and taking into account that Canada has 52 international treaties in place, the rules needed to be overhauled.

Response from film producers to the inclusion of minority copros is pragmatic. While many do not embrace the idea, they agree if a film is deemed Canadian under international copro treaties it should not be excluded from nomination.

Paul Gratton, a member of the Academy’s rules and regulations committee, says: ‘The Genies would have looked parochial and old school if we excluded films like Sunshine and Felicia’s Journey on a technicality. I see the Genies as evolving with the ability of Canadians to attract foreign money. It was an appropriate time for this change.’

The change in eligibility criteria has allowed for 21 of the 152 nominations to go to non-Canadian talent, the majority of these shared between Sunshine and Felicia’s Journey. Six countries – England, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Russia and the u.s. – are represented in the nominations. Among the nominees are British actors Ralph Fiennes (Sunshine) and Bob Hoskins (Felicia’s Journey) and Irish actress Elaine Cassidy (Felicia’s Journey).

In fact, only one Canadian, Quebec’s Sylvie Moreau (Post Mortem), is in the running for the best actress Genie, with the remaining nominees all hailing from outside Canada. Istvan Szabo (Sunshine) is the only non-Canadian vying for best direction.

On the Canadian end, the pooling of financial resources from around the globe is no doubt a financial necessity to increase budgets, but as Topalovich points out, it is also a sign of the increasing international stature of Canadian filmmaking.

‘Coproductions reflect the attractiveness of Canadian filmmakers to coproducers and talent from around the world,’ says Topalovich.

Beyond the theme of international coproduction, the nominated films this year also reflect the maturity of filmmaking talent and diversity of projects produced in Canada.

The features range from big-budget movies from experienced directors, such as David Cronenberg’s $31-million eXistenZ, to lower-budget first features like Louis Belanger’s Post Mortem, and follow-up films from sophomores like Jeremy Podeswa with his second feature The Five Senses.

Ten first-time directors submitted films this year and are eligible for the Claude Jutra award.

‘When you look at David [Cronenberg] and Atom [Egoyan] you are seeing the development of filmmakers we have nurtured for many years and who have progressed through the Canadian system,’ says Topalovich.

‘And each year Canada generates seven to 10 high-quality films from first-time filmmakers. This depth of talent bodes well for the future.’

A total of 22 feature films and 13 theatrical shorts and documentaries are nominated for the 20th Annual Genie Awards. Entries this year included 31 features and 24 theatrical documentaries.

As the profile of Canadian feature filmmaking grows, acct is finding more industry support for the Genies. This year, the Directors Guild of Canada has come on board as a key corporate sponsor, joining Telefilm, deluxe toronto, Kodak and socan. Other unions, guilds and production service companies are also showing support.

The award show is set for Jan. 30, 2000, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and will be broadcast live on cbc. Radio-Canada is also planning to air a special surrounding the event.

Being the 20th anniversary of the Genies as well as the first awards of the new millennium, the show will not only celebrate the past year’s filmmaking highlights, but will also be a retrospective of the past 20 years of Canadian films and Genie award wins. The retrospective packages will be produced by Joe Bodolai and David Rosen who have worked on many of the previous shows.