Montreal: The 18th edition of the Prix Gemeaux, which recognizes excellence in French-language television, is the first in some time held under the banner of broad industry unity.

More than a year ago, the Quebec section of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television initiated an arduous effort to restructure the competition and bring back the private networks and various prominent producers who had boycotted earlier editions, including ’02. Much of the credit for the new spirit of cooperation is being given to popular industry veteran Guy Fournier, who was elected ACCT-Quebec chair in January.

This year, 81 production houses and broadcaster-producers submitted a record 1,701 candidates in 75 program, performance and craft categories, arriving at 638 finalists.

Fournier says 300 ACCT-Quebec members participated in the jury selection of finalists, which makes up 60% of the determining vote. Voting by the general membership (close to 1,200) makes up the remaining 40%.

The Gemeaux galas will be broadcast Saturday, Nov. 22 on Reseau de l’information and Sunday, Nov. 23 on Radio-Canada.

This year’s top program nominees in the prestigious drama series category are Bunker, le cirque (produced by Zone3), a controversial SRC political satire, with 14 nominations; perennial favorite Fortier (Aetios Productions), a drama broadcast to an average audience of 1.9 million last season on Reseau TVA, with 10 nominations; and SRC’s Tag, l’epilogue (Zone3), a revisiting of the troubled characters from the youth drama Tag, with nine nominations.

Rounding out the drama series finalists are two highly rated TVA shows – Tabou (a copro between Cirrus Communications and Sphere Media Plus), with six nominations, and Cauchemar d’amour (Match TV), with two.

Finalists in the equally important teleroman category include three SRC series – Le Monde de Charlotte (Sphere), with seven nominations, and L’Auberge du chien noir (SRC) and Mon meilleur ennemi (SRC), with three noms each. Rounding out the category are the TVA series Annie et ses hommes (Sphere), with five nominations, and Les Poupees russes (JPL Production), with three.

Other top-nominated programs are the Tele-Quebec biographical drama series Jean Duceppe (Productions Videofilms), the SRC sitcom Rumeurs (Sphere) and the TVA/Series + sitcom Hommes en quarantaine (Productions en Quarantaine, including Cirrus and Sphere), each with eight nominations.

Other top program nominees include the documentary War babies… nes de la haine (Macumbia International), with seven nominations, and the teen youth series La grande expedition (Telefiction Productions), with six. Following with five nominations each are the sitcom 3 x rien (Avanti Cine Video), the biographical doc Gauvreau ou l’obligation de la liberte (Vivavision), the comedy series Phylactere Cola (Alliage Superinteruniversal/Sogestalt Television) and the documentary film series La Boite noire (Ad Hoc Films).

There are five special award categories this year, including the Prix du Multiculturalisme, sponsored by Canadian Heritage, and the prestigious Grand Prix de l’Academie, a career recognition award voted on by a jury composed of past winners. Astral Media chairman Andre Bureau was the ’02 recipient.

La Vie, la vie (Cirrus/Lux Films), currently airing on CBC, topped all program entries last year, winning 10 Gemeaux, including best drama series. Le Monde de Charlotte was voted best teleroman and the widely traveled (formatted) show Un gars, une fille (Avanti) won for best sitcom.

Among the more significant changes to this year’s Gemeaux competition is the disqualification of all programs and individuals with three or more wins since the first edition in 1987. Those programs and individuals have been promoted to ‘Les Immortels’ status, akin to a Prix Gemeaux hall of fame. The controversial and divisive best newscast category has been dropped, and a new category – best adapted concept or format – has been added. Two musically themed programs are vying for the latter prize – SRC’s La Fureur (Guy Cloutier Television) and last year’s top-rated show on Quebec TV, Star Academie (Productions J).

Patrice Lachance, ACCT-Quebec director, says the former board under chair Suzanne D’Amours also played an important role in restructuring the competition, but Fournier took the initiative even further, wringing concessions from senior network executives at SRC as well as private broadcasters TVA and Television Quatre Saisons, both of which boycotted last year’s competition.

‘[Fournier] believes in the industry and he believes in the Gemeaux,’ says Lachance.

‘The way he worked helped everyone recognize there is a place for them at the Gemeaux. And he is someone who really knows everybody and has watched the industry grow from the beginning,’ Lachance adds.

Fournier, the author of a report on French-language TV drama commissioned by the CRTC and Telefilm Canada, is executive producer of the ’03 Gemeaux gala broadcasts, coproduced by ACCT-Quebec and SRC. Mario Bourdon is producing. The production represents an expenditure of approximately $375,000 for the Academy and a similar level of investment in services is provided by SRC.

Some 60 prizes will be presented during the live, three-hour RDI broadcast from Theatre St-Denis on Nov. 22, starting at 6 p.m. The show will be hosted by Jean-Rene Dufort and Chantal Lamarre and directed by Stephane Bourbonnais.

The big Sunday night gala (Nov. 23) also takes place at Theatre St-Denis and will be broadcast live on SRC, starting at 7:30 p.m. Nicole Brown is directing. The traditional format has been set aside in favor of a lineup of prominent public personalities who will present the awards.

A complete list of 2003 Gemeaux nominees is posted at the Academy website.

-www.academy.ca/academy/regions/quebec/