Its director may have been inexplicably snubbed, but Ararat turned out to be the big winner at the 23rd Annual Genie Awards.

The Atom Egoyan drama, which explores the impact of the 1915 Armenian Genocide on a modern-day film production, took home a total of five awards, including best motion picture for producers Robert Lantos and Egoyan. Egoyan, who already has two achievement in direction Genies on his mantel, was not even nominated in this year’s helmers category.

That award went to David Cronenberg, who picked up his fifth direction prize for his work on the psychological drama Spider, that film’s only win. Canada’s master of the macabre has his own reasons to feel overlooked, as Spider, which won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF 2002, was not included among the best picture nominees.

Cronenberg and Egoyan are traditional Genie darlings, but this year was a rare instance when they had pictures going head-to-head. With the surprising nomination omissions, the way was clear for both to be called up to the podium, which is exactly what happened.

The acting awards were split between Ararat and Quebec film Savage Messiah. The nod for best actress went to the former’s Arsinee Khanjian (co-host of the awards show with Made in Canada’s Peter Keleghan) who plays an art historian whose son suspects her of being implicit in his father’s death. Her first Genie has allowed Khanjian to step fully outside the shadow of Egoyan, her husband who has cast her in his films from the start.

Still on Ararat, Elias Koteas won his first Genie for his supporting turn as an actor of Turkish descent who questions the history of the Genocide.

Luc Picard won for best actor and Pascale Montpetit for best supporting actress for Savage Messiah, director Mario Azzopardi’s portrait of real-life cult leader Roch Theriault. The overachieving production began as a Showcase Original TV movie but ended up on Quebec screens, mostly in a dubbed French version and getting strong box office. The film also nabbed the award for adapted screenplay for Sharon Riis.

Meanwhile, Deepa Mehta was rewarded for best original screenplay for Bollywood/Hollywood, her sly fusion of fluffy Indian and U.S. flicks.

Best documentary honors were bestowed upon Peter Mettler’s Gambling, Gods and LSD, an ambitious meditation on transcendence.

Announced in advance, 40-year-old Keith Behrman was presented with the Claude Jutra Award for achievement in direction in a debut feature for Flower & Garnet. Les Boys III, as with its two predecessors, received the Golden Reel Award for biggest Canadian box office with receipts of $5.3 million – virtually all from Quebec – in the qualifying time period.

Special awards were presented to Robert Daudelin, outgoing executive director of the Cinematheque Quebecoise, and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps for their contributions to the Canadian film industry.

The awards show was held Feb. 13 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and broadcast on CBC.

Following is the list of Genie Award winners.

Best Motion Picture: Ararat – Robert Lantos, Atom Egoyan

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Luc Picard – Savage Messiah

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Arsinee Khanjian – Ararat

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Elias Koteas – Ararat

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Pascale Montpetit – Savage Messiah

Achievement in Direction: David Cronenberg – Spider

Achievement in Cinematography: Paul Sarossy – Perfect Pie

Original Screenplay: Deepa Mehta – Bollywood/Hollywood

Adapted Screenplay: Sharon Riis – Savage Messiah

Achievement in Editing: Lara Mazur – Suddenly Naked

Achievement in Music – Original Score: Mychael Danna – Ararat

Achievement in Music – Original Song: Carlos Lopes – Saint Monica ‘Com Estas Asas’

Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design: Francois Seguin – Almost America

Achievement in Costume Design: Beth Pasternak – Ararat

Achievement in Overall Sound: Tom Hidderley, Todd Beckett, Keith Elliott, Mark Zsifkovitz – Between Strangers

Achievement in Sound Editing: Fred Brennan, Roderick Deogrades, Barry Gilmore, Goro Koyama, Andy Malcolm, David McCallum, Jane Tattersall – Max

Best Documentary: Gambling, Gods and LSD – Ingrid Veninger, Peter Mettler, Alexandra Rockingham Gill, Cornelia Seitler

Best Live Action Short Drama: I Shout Love – Meredith Caplan, Sarah Polley, Jennifer Weiss

Best Animated Short: The Hungry Squid – Marcy Page, John Weldon