There are many subplots to the 24th Annual Genie Awards, May 1 in Toronto, and they may add up to the most interesting Canadian film awards show in years, not least of all because of the eclectic list of nominees.

‘It’s a really wonderful field. It’s a real mix this year,’ said Maria Topalovich, president and CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television at the Toronto press conference announcing the nominees. ‘Certainly it’s a very strong showing from Quebec. We’ve got comedies, we’ve got very artistic films. [Among the best motion picture noms] we’ve got a first-time filmmaker and we have a film from the West.’

The story in Canadian cinema in 2003 was the number of Quebec features that drew high critical praise and brought ticket-buyers to theaters in droves. And that is reflected in this year’s nominations.

Denys Arcand’s Les Invasions barbares, fresh off its Academy Award triumph for best foreign-language film, was sure to be a favorite among the Genie judges, and it chimes in with nine nominations, including best picture, actor for Remy Girard, and supporting actor and actress for Stephane Rousseau and Marie-Josee Croze, respectively. Arcand is up for direction and original screenplay.

Invasions was bested by rookie feature helmer Jean-Francois Pouliot’s comedy La Grande seduction at Quebec’s Prix Jutra, in terms of number of awards, by a margin of eight to five. And Seduction leads all films at the Genies with 11 nominations, including picture, actor for Raymond Bouchard, supporting actor for Benoit Briere, director for Pouliot and original screenplay for Ken Scott. After cracking $8 million at the Quebec box office, the film opens English Canada April 2 through Odeon Films.

But the biggest domestic success on Canadian screens thus far, Seraphin: Un homme et son peche (about $10 million in box office according to some reports), has been eclipsed by these francophone productions at the Genies. The period drama, directed by Charles Biname, has received six noms, although its only nods in the high-profile categories come for lead actress Karine Vanasse and supporting actor Roy Dupuis.

Lepage film scores four

Meanwhile, a less commercial Quebec film, La Face cachee de la lune, a tale of sibling rivalry and the space race, also made the cut in the best picture category. Creator Robert Lepage is nominated in three categories: for best actor for his dual role as brothers, direction, and for his screenplay adapted from his own stage play. Odeon Films is planning a late April release in English Canada.

Vancouver-based Charles Martin Smith’s The Snow Walker, an adaptation of a story by Farley Mowat that pits man against nature, is the most nominated English film, tied with Invasions at nine noms. Currently in theaters, the film is up for best picture, best actor for Barry Pepper, supporting actress for newcomer Annabella Piugattuk, and director and adapted screenplay for Smith.

A surprise best picture nom goes to Canada/U.K. copro Owning Mahowny, directed by Richard Kwietniowski and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. The drama about a gambling bank manager opened last summer in Canada and the U.S., drawing little business but strong reviews. The film has four noms, including one for Hoffman’s performance.

The nominations of American actors Hoffman and Olympia Dukakis (nominated for supporting actress for The Event), Pepper (B.C.-born but Hollywood-based), and U.K. thesp David Hayman (up for his supporting role in The Wild Dogs) represents a change in direction from last year’s Genies. There was open speculation from David Cronenberg that Genie 23 voters were biased against foreign performers, and, as a result, notable performances from Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson and Gabriel Byrne in the director’s Spider were snubbed. The Academy has denied this, and this year’s noms support the Academy’s assertions that the process is open to all.

Meanwhile, Falling Angels, directed by Scott Smith from the novel by Barbara Gowdy about a dysfunctional family in the 1960s, is up for six awards, including Esta Spalding’s adaptation and five in craft categories.

In a stronger-than-average year for Canadian cinema, there were some high-profile productions that might seem underrepresented.

My Life Without Me, a Canada/Spain copro directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Sarah Polley, is recognized only for the actress’ performance. Life was voted best Canadian feature at the Atlantic Film Festival and nominated for best director and film at the European Film Awards.

The Saddest Music in the World, a typically esoteric black-and-white offering from Winnipeg auteur Guy Maddin, grabbed a best direction nom and three craft noms. The film was one of the hottest tickets at the Toronto festival, and Maddin has been on a roll of prize-winning with Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary and The Heart of the World.

Relegated to the ghetto of also-rans is Mambo Italiano, which did great box office and got solid reviews yet only ended up with one nom, for original song. The Statement, a Canada/France/U.K. copro that arrived with high expectations because of its Norman Jewison-Michael Caine one-two punch, only mustered noms for overall sound and sound editing. According to Variety, the $27-million film has taken in about US$750,000 in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

In addition to strong nominees, the 24th Genies should benefit from having CHUM man the broadcast. The CBC had traditionally aired the event, but in recent years a stiffness had crept into the proceedings, and CHUM’s wild and wooly style promises to inject a much-needed dose of fresh air. The Academy’s Topalovich initially approached the maverick ‘caster with the idea.

‘CHUM has had a long history of promoting and standing behind Canadian films,’ Topalovich explains. ‘They’ve really made a commitment. Also, the younger demographic that comes with the whole network that they’ve put together is very much in line with audiences for Canadian movies.’

CHUM to cross-promote like nobody’s business

CHUM is going to cross-promote the awards show as much as possible, plugging and broadcasting it on each of its Bravo!, Star!, Citytv Toronto and Vancouver, Access (the Alberta specialty of which it is a 60% owner) and MusiMax (Quebec – 50%) nets. The Quebec simulcast, which will include commentary from MusiMax personalities, is a first and an effort to get a French audience on board in a year in which its cinema is so well represented.

The biggest change viewers will see is an overhaul of the evening’s format. Instead of a theatrical setup, the ceremony will be modeled halfway between the Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Awards, with nominees seated at dinner tables. CHUM feels this way, the event, which takes place again at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, will have a more informal feel.

‘It creates an entirely different energy,’ says Paul Gratton, CHUM’s VP Bravo! and VP & GM, Space: The Imagination Station and Drive-In Classics, as well as chair of the Academy. He adds that the show should benefit from a healthy dose of ‘our own typically irreverent Citytv approach. We’re hoping it will be a big party.’ (For more on CHUM’s plans, see p. 33.) The show will also be broadcast on the Atlantic Satellite Network, a sister station of Halifax’s CTV affiliate ATV.

Certainly one way to get viewers more interested in the Genies is to make them familiar with the nominated films. To that end, the Academy is once again organizing its Genie Screenings tour, which shows the top nominated films in major markets from coast to coast. The screenings take place April 2-8 in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, and include nominated films in the live-action short and animated short categories.

The master of ceremonies this year will be Scott Thompson, the outrageous and beloved Kid in the Hall and performer on The Larry Sanders Show. Thompson provided those at the press conference with a preview.

‘I’m gonna bring back the glamor of the Genies,’ the comedian told the crowd. ‘There’ll be no five-second delay – it’s better than the Oscars. And there will be no wardrobe malfunctions. If I flash my tits, it’s deliberate.’ *

-www.genieawards.ca