Shaftesbury Films was the top winner Wednesday night at the Geminis’ drama, variety and comedy gala — winning seven of the 30 awards handed out on night three of the marathon awards ceremonies, in a near-sweep of acting categories. This comes in additon to one award the shop claimed on Tuesday night.

The Shaftesbury series ReGenesis (The Movie Network/Movie Central) won three Geminis, including an acting win for Wendy Crewson. Among its CBC programs, MOW The Robber Bride won two, while mini Above and Beyond and summer drama series 11 Cameras picked up one apiece.

Crewson won best supporting actress in a dramatic series, while fellow ReGenesis thesps Stephen Amell and Ingrid Kavelaars each picked up best acting awards in guest roles for a dramatic series. ReGenesis is in the running for best drama series on Oct. 28 at the CBC broadcast gala in Regina.

The Robber Bride‘s stars Shawn Doyle and Mary-Louise Parker won best performance statuettes for their leading roles (in a dramatic program or mini-series) while Jonathan Scarfe of Above and Beyond — a copro with Pope Productions — grabbed best supporting actor.

Four of the six were on hand to pick up their Geminis, and each thanked Shaftesbury chair and co-CEO Christina Jennings for her unwavering support of actors. Doyle told the full-house audience that Jennings was responsible for his ‘first leading role,’ and Crewson got a laugh with: ‘I really want to thank Christina Jennings, who keeps half this room employed.’

At the 600-person glitzy dinner following the two-hour-plus show, Jennings told Playback Daily that the secret to Shaftesbury’s success is ‘the actors, the actors, the actors. I’m so honored that Wendy and Shawn are in my camp.’

Street gang stories also took home plenty of hardware. The Toronto-set Doomstown won three statuettes, including best TV movie for producers Pierre Sarrazin, Suzette Couture and Susan Murdoch, while the Vancouver gang tale Dragon Boys nabbed two, including best TV miniseries for creators Michael Chechik, Howard Dancyger and Ian Weir.

Weir also won best writing (dramatic program or mini-series) for Dragon Boys, which aired on CBC. CTV’s Doomstown also garnered best direction (dramatic program or miniseries) for David ‘Sudz’ Sutherland, while actress Yanna McIntosh was honored for her featured supporting role.

Actor Gordon Pinsent was on hand to present the Earl Grey Award to Don Harron (aka Charlie Farquharson), and the crowd went silent when singer-songwriter and actor Tom Jackson recited one of his own love poems when accepting the Gemini Humanitarian Award.

The Margaret Collier Award went to Mr. Dressup writers Chris Clark, Lilly Barnes, Susan Marcus, Joy Simons-Newall.

Notable lone statuette winners include Vancouver’s Stargate Atlantis: No Man’s Land for best visual effects; the Rick Mercer Report for best direction in a comedy series (for Henry Sarwer-Foner) and best direction in a performing arts program or series for When Moses Awoke (for Seth-Adrian Harris).

Season three of the defunct favorite Slings & Arrows (TMN/Movie Central) was shut out except for Stephen Ouimette’s prize for best supporting actor in a drama series.