Montreal: It has been nothing short of a battle for survival for this year’s 17th edition of the Prix Gemeaux. The awards showcase – dedicated to honoring excellence in French-language television – has been the target of a blistering partisan attack from a small but select group of powerful and disgruntled producers, their friends in the media and conventional private-sector broadcasters.

For the Gemeaux and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in Quebec, the crisis has been unparalleled.

Private broadcasters TQS and Reseau TVA along with their respective production affiliates are boycotting this year’s edition. A half-dozen independent production houses initially followed suit, but only two prominent houses ultimately refused to submit program entries this year, including the producer of the police drama Fortier, the winner of last year’s best dramatic series Gemeaux.

In response, the Academy’s Quebec president, Suzanne D’Amours, spearheaded an extensive review of the Prix Gemeaux rules, including the establishment of a credible, independent committee (Monic Lessard, Andre Provencher and Serge Turgeon) charged with supervising this year’s voting procedures.

D’Amours says both the Prix Gemeaux and the Academy will weather the current storm, and ultimately survive and flourish ‘because [the Gemeaux] are necessary for the promotion of our television production and the talents of our artists.’

Top nominees

Leading all program nominees this year are La Vie, la vie (Cirrus Communications/Lux Films) and Mon meilleur ennemi (Radio-Canada) with 13 nominations each.

Nominations for La Vie, la vie, a critically acclaimed, innovative depiction of a group of neighborhood friends and young adults, include best dramatic series, best male in a leading role for Patrick Labbe, Vincent Graton and Normand Daneau, best female in a leading role for Julie McClemens, best direction for Patrice Sauve and best writing for Stephane Bourguignon.

Nominations for Mon meilleur ennemi, with a central storyline about a married woman torn between her reasonable husband and a passionate (former) lover, with the latter on top at the end of last season, include best teleroman, best direction for Louise Ducharme, Celine Hallee and Louis Plamondon, best writing for Suzanne Aubry and Louise Pelletier, best male in a leading role for Patrick Goyette and Guy Provost, and best female in a leading role for Macha Grenon and Pascale Montpetit.

Other top nominees include the biker drama (a double shoot) Le Dernier chapitre (Productions Tele-Action) with 10 nominations, including best series, best direction for Richard Roy, best writing for Luc Dionne, best photography for Marc Charlebois and best original music for Michel Cusson. Ringing in at eight noms each are Cauchemar d’amour (Match TV) and Tabou (Cirrus Communications/Sphere Media), including best dramatic series, best male in a leading role for Germain Houde (Tabou) and best female in a leading role for Marina Orsini (Cauchemar d’amour) and Louise Portal (Tabou).

Several shows have picked up six nominations, including the children’s series Cornemuse (Telefiction) and Ayoye! (Telefiction); the teleromans Emma (Les Productions Point de Mire) and Le monde de Charlotte (Sphere Media); the current affairs and information series Enjeux (SRC), Zone libre (SRC) and Le Canada, une histoire populaire (SRC/CBC); and the sitcom Un gars, une fille (Avanti Cine Video).

Sept. 12 voting deadline

More than 300 ACCT Quebec members participated in this year’s jury preselection round, which accounts for 60% of the final vote. The balance (40%) is based on direct voting by Academy members. The deadline for voting is Sept. 12.

This year, 219 programs were submitted, 80% from independent producers and 20% from broadcaster-producers, representing a decline of about 20% from 2001. Among the finalists, there are 147 programs with Gemeaux nominations in 81 categories from 55 producers, including broadcaster affiliates.

The Prix Gemeaux Gala will be broadcast in two parts Sunday, Sept. 29. The program begins with a live broadcast on Reseau de l’Information at 2:30 p.m. from Centre Pierre-Peladeau followed by a cocktail reception at 5 p.m., and a second live broadcast from Theatre St-Denis on SRC at 7:30 p.m. SRC has also prepared a half-hour Prix Gemeaux special just before the evening gala. Gregory Charles is the host of the RDI afternoon gala and Normand Brathwaite hosts the SRC evening gala. The celebrations conclude with a party at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal.

The Gala des Prix Gemeaux is executive produced by Patrice Lachance and Suzanne D’Amours, director and president, respectively, of the Quebec section of the ACCT, in association with RDI and SRC.

Prix Gemeaux special awards will be announced prior to the gala, including the Grand Prix career achievement award, the Prix du Multiculturalism (sponsored by Canadian Heritage) and the new Prix du Meilleur Site Web, presented in association with the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund.

– www.academy.ca