GENIES BENEFIT FROM BAFTAS AND OSCARS

Sara Morton, CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television

The unprecedented global media attention generated by BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Away from Her, Eastern Promises and Juno thesp Ellen Page are a cross-promotional dream for this year’s Genie organizers.

The theory goes that if Canadian audiences have actually heard of the stars or the movies nominated, they might be inclined to watch the 28th edition of Canada’s Academy awards on television March 3.

At the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, both the new CEO, Sara Morton, and its veteran chair, Ron Cohen, hope the recognition will translate into higher ratings for the broadcast gala on E! and IFC.

In two separate interviews, Morton and Cohen talk to Playback about what an exceptional time it is for Canadian cinema.

What is the Academy’s primary objective for the Genie Awards?

It is a group effort to bring Canadian feature films the audiences they deserve. I think everyone would agree they haven’t achieved the share of screen time or the audiences they deserve. I think as an industry we all have to continue to work on that goal.

What is planned to make the 2008 Genies’ broadcast more appealing to viewers?

We are trying to make the show entertaining and a little edgier than in the past (see story, p. 14).

We are really focused on making it a very celebratory and glamorous evening, and by virtue of who is nominated this year, we expect a great turnout of celebrities to make the show exciting to watch.

We are certainly trying to arrange for all the key talent to attend, subject to their availability. That is the double-edged sword. Some of the nominees – for example, Ellen Page – have received such attention lately that their schedules become very booked.

This year there are quite a few high-profile English-language films dominating the nominee categories. Will that help viewership?

Absolutely. We had some very strong performers in English Canada, including Away from Her and Eastern Promises, and our hope is that as a result the show will attract a larger audience in English Canada. As well, the fact that many of these films and their talent have been nominated for awards internationally will bring additional attention to our awards show.

You’ve changed broadcasters again. This year Canwest is the partner, specifically E! and IFC. What are the prospects for viewers on these niche channels?

Because the niche for E! is entertainment and celebrity, and IFC attracts a viewership of cinephiles, we thought it was a good fit for the Genies this year.

Aren’t you in a way preaching to the converted?

Having main network coverage is always desirable, but in discussions with our broadcaster, the feeling was that in fact we would get optimal distribution through this combination of channels.

Here’s a point of confusion for a lot of people: how does the Genie voting process work?

We form nominating juries made up of feature film and industry experts that select the nominees in each award category. There are three juries – one is responsible for best film, best director and performance categories; one is focused on craft categories; and the third jury looks at theatrical docs and shorts. They choose the nominees, and at that point the membership votes.

Any Academy member in the film membership branch can vote. To be a member of the film branch you need to have certain film-related credits. Winners are determined by number of membership votes.