VANCOUVER — Stargate Atlantis was the big winner at the Leo Awards as the annual honors for achievements in the B.C. film and TV industry were handed out on Friday and Saturday.

The sci-fi series, which completed a five-year run in January, was named best dramatic series and picked up eight additional awards, including direction for Robert Cooper, screenwriting for Alan McCullough and cinematography for Michael Blundell.

‘It means a lot to us that the Leos give our cast and crew a pat on the back,’ said Cooper, while accepting his award. He also gave a shout-out to American studio MGM, which produces Stargate.

‘We get all the freedom and most of the money we want,’ said Cooper.

Stargate Continuum, a direct-to-DVD movie, captured Leos for screenwriting (Brad Wright) and lead actor (Michael Shanks).

Corner Gas won for best music, comedy or variety series.

‘It was nice not having the cable bill cut off for six years,’ quipped Corner Gas creator Brent Butt of going from stand-up comic to TV star.

On the feature front, Kari Skogland’s Fifty Dead Men Walking took top honors as best drama, while Anne Wheeler won the directing award for Living Out Loud.

The May 9 gala was hosted by local performers Drew and Jonathan Scott who, along with various presenters, kept the hockey-zealous crowd informed of the score of the Vancouver Canucks Western semi-finals game throughout the show. (The Canucks lost.)

Babz Chula (Mothers & Daughters) took home a Leo for best lead performance in a feature-length drama.

On the TV side, Amanda Tapping (Sanctuary), Nancy Robertson (Corner Gas) and Tyler Labine (Reaper) picked up acting awards. Gabrielle Rose won a Leo for best guest performance on Sanctuary, which is now in its second season and one of the few Canadian series shooting this summer in B.C.

‘Finally we have a series in Vancouver that has been renewed,’ said Rose in accepting her award, and referencing Vancouver’s recent string of cancelled Canadian series — jPod, Intelligence, Blood Ties, Robson Arms.

Peter Campbell’s My Son the Pornographer was named best history/bio documentary (and Campbell picked up a directing nod) while Murray Siple’s Carts of Darkness took the nature/environment doc award. Best information or lifestyle series went to Paperny Films’ The Stagers.