Cinema from La belle province dominated the Canadian Screen Awards film categories this year, with all five best film nominations going to Quebec filmmakers.

Competing in the coveted Best Motion Picture category is Genevieve Dulude-De Celles’ A Colony (“Une colonie,” Colonelle Films), Sophie Dupuis’ Family First (“Chien de garde,” Bravo Charlie), Philippe Lesage’s Genesis (“Genese,” Unite Central), Maxime Giroux’s The Great Darkened Days (“La grande noirceur,” Metafilms, pictured) and France/Canada copro Just a Breath Away (“Dans la brume”) from Section 9, Esprits Frappeurs and Quad Films, co-produced with Christal Films.

Just a Breath and The Great Darkened Days are tied for the most nominations with eight apiece. The two are also up against one another in the Achievement in Direction and Sound Editing sections.

Close behind with seven nominations is Dulude-De Celles’ feature film debut, A Colony. The coming-of-age drama walked away with a trio of prizes at this year’s Whistler Film Festival, including best picture, and is set to screen during Berlinale this week. In addition to Best Motion Picture, the film is nominated for: direction, costume design, performance by an actor in a supporting role (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), actress in a supporting role (Irlande Cote), actress in a lead role (Emilie Bierre) and the CSA’s John Dunning Best First Feature Film.

Other filmmakers nominated for the John Dunning award include Telefilm Canada’s 2018 Oscar pick Family First, Jasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers (Prowler Film/Wildling Pictures/Alcina Pictures), David Paradis’ The Nest (“Le nid,” Exogene Films) and Karl. R. Hearne’s Touched (KRH Film).

In the adapted screenplay category, Sharon Lewis’ Brown Girl Begins (urbanSOUL Productions), Nathan Parker’s Our House (Prospero Pictures/Resolute Films/Senator Film Produktion), Robert Budreau’s Stockholm (Darius Films/Lumanity Productions/JoBro Productions), Arturo Perez Torres’ The Drawer Boy, and finally, Paul Risacher, Claude and Maxime Landry’s Racetime (“La course des tuques,” CarpeDiem Film & TV) all vie from the prize.

Meanwhile, in the best original screenplay category, Just a Breath Away and Genesis were selected alongside Renee Beaulieu’s Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin (“Les salopes ou le sucre naturel de la peau,” Les Productions du Moment), Catherine Leger’s Slut in a Good Way (“Charlotte a du fun,” Amerique Film) and Marc Bisaillon’s With Love (“L’Amour,” Films Camera Obscura).

On the documentary side, 2019 Rogers Best Canadian Film winner Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Mercury Films) is among those selected for the CSA’s Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary award. Leon Lee’s Letter from Masanjia (Flying Cloud Productions); Colette Loumede and Luc Bourdon’s The Devil’s Share (“La Part du diable”, the NFB); Christy Garland, Matt Code, Anne Kohncke, Justine Pimlott and Anita Lee’s What Walaa Wants (Murmur Media/ Final Cut for Real/ the NFB/ Wildling Pictures); and Kenneth J. Harvey’s Immaculate Memories: The Uncluttered Worlds of Christopher Pratt are also in the section.

Walaa‘s Garland and Anthropocene‘s Nicholas de Pencier were also nominated for the CSA’s best cinematography prize. They are going up against Matthieu Rytz for Anote’s Ark, Nicolas Canniccioni for the doc First Stripes (“Premieres armes,” the NFB) and Etienne Roussy for The Other Rio (“L’autre Rio,” Colonelle Films).

As well, Oscar nominees Alison Snowden, David Fine and Michael Fukushima’s Animal Behaviour was selected for the CSA’s best animated short category. The short was produced and executive produced by Fukushima, who serves as an exec producer at the NFB’s Montreal animation studio.

Charlie Tyrell, who was recently short-listed for this year’s Academy Awards for his project My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes, is competing in the CSA’s best short documentary prize. In addition, 2018 Playback 5 to Watch runner-up Luis De Flippis’ short For Nonna Anna is among the picks for best live action short drama with Jeremy Comte, Marcia Garcia Turgeon and Evren Boisjoli’s Fauve. Both For Nonna Anna and Fauve previously picked up special jury prizes at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

See the full list of nominees below:

Best Motion Picture

A Colony – Fanny Drew, Sarah Mannering

Family First – Etienne Hansez

Genesis – Gailie Marion-Gauvin

Just a Breath Away – Christina Larouche

The Great Darkened Days – Sylvain Corbeil, Nancy Grant

Achievement in Art Direction/ Production Design

Marie-Claude Gosselin – For Those Who Don’t Read Me

Elisa Sauve – Octavio is Dead!

Patricia McNeil – The Great Darkened Days

Emmanuel Frechette – The Hummingbird Project

Inigo Navarro – The Padre

Achievement in Cinematography

Sara Mishara – Allure

Ian Lagarde – For Those Who Don’t Read Me

Daniel Grant – Octavio is Dead!

Sara Mishara – The Great Darkened Days

Paul Sarossy – The Padre

Achievement in Direction

Genevieve Dulude-de Celles – A Colony

Sophie Dupuis – Family First

Jasmin Mozaffari – Firecrackers

Daniel Roby – Just a Breath Away

Maxime Giroux – The Great Darkened Days

Music – Original Score

Olivier Alary – Allure

Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor – Black Kite

Philippe Brault – The Fireflies Are Gone

Yves Gourmeur – The Hummingbird Project

alaska B – Through Black Spruce

Adapted Screenplay

Sharon Lewis – Brown Girl Begins

Nathan Parker – Our House

Paul Risacher, Claude and Maxime Ladry – Racetime

Robert Budreau – Stockholm

Arturo Perez Torres – The Drawer Boy

Original Screenplay

Philippe Lesage – Genesis

Guillaume Lemans – Just a Breath Away

Renee Beaulieu – Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin

Catherine Leger – Slut in a Good Way

Marc Bisaillon – With Love

Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role

Michael Rowe – Crown and Anchor

Theodore Pellerin – Family First

Martin Dubreuil – The Great Darkened Days

Paul Nutarariaq – The Grizzlies

Brandon Oakes – Through Black Spruce

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Roles

Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie – A Colony

Paul Ahmarani – Genesis

Michel Robin – Just a Breath Away

Richard Clarkin – The Drawer Boy

Paul Doucet – With Love

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Émilie Bierre – A Colony

Rose-Marie Perreault – Fake Tattoos

Brigitte Poupart – Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin

Carla Turcotte – Sashinka

Valeria Henríquez – The Padre

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Irlande Côté – A Colony

Kate Moyer – Our House

Romane Denis – Slut in a Good Way

Sarah Gadon – The Great Darkened Days

Anna Lambe – The Grizzlies

Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch – Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky

Immaculate Memories: The Uncluttered Worlds of Christopher Pratt – Kenneth J. Harvey

Letter from Masanjia – Leon Lee

The Devil’s Share | La Part du diable – Colette Loumède, Luc Bourdon

What Walaa Wants – Christy Garland, Matt Code, Anne Köhncke, Justine Pimlott, Anita Lee

Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Documentary

Matthieu Rytz – Anote’s Ark

Nicholas de Pencier – Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

Nicolas Canniccioni – First Stripes | Premières armes

Étienne Roussy – The Other Rio | L’Autre Rio

Christy Garland – What Walaa Wants

Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary

Dave Kazala – Dolphin Man

Rich Williamson – Take Light

Michel Giroux – The Devil’s Share

Graham Withers – Transformer

Michael Aaglund, Graeme Ring – What Walaa Wants

Best Short Documentary

Bonfires – Martin Bureau

My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes – Charlie Tyrell

On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi – Barry Avrich, Howie Mandel, Brandon Gross, Skyler Gross

Prince’s Tale – Jamie Miller

Voices Of Kidnapping – Ryan McKenna

Best Live Action Short Drama

Fauve – Jérémy Comte, Maria Gracia Turgeon, Evren Boisjoli

For Nonna Anna – Luis De Filippis

Mahalia Melts in the Rain – Emilie Mannering, Carmine Pierre-Dufour

The Color Of Your Lips – Annick Blanc, Maria Gracia Turgeon

The Fish & the Sea – Phillip Thomas

Best Animated Short

A Visit – Parissa Mohit

Animal Behaviour – Alison Snowden, David Fine, Michael Fukushima

Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes) – Amanda Strong

Caterpillarplasty – David Barlow-Krelina, Jelena Popović

The Subject  – Patrick Bouchard, Julie Roy

John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award

A Colony – Geneviève Dulude-De Celles

Family First  – Sophie Dupuis

Firecrackers – Jasmin Mozaffari

The Nest  – David Paradis

Touched – Karl R. Hearne

Achievement in Music – Original Song

Sook-Yin Lee, Adam Litovitz, Alia O’Brien – Octavio is Dead! – “Ghost of Love (Onakabazien Remix)”

Jean-Sébastien Williams – Sashinka – “Help is on the Way”

Dan General, Thomas Lambe, Adam Tanuyak – The Grizzlies – “Trials”

Achievement in Costume Design

Eugénie Clermont – A Colony

Mara Zigler – Firecrackers

Hanna Pulley – Octavio is Dead!

Lea Carlson – Stockholm

Patricia McNeil – The Great Darkened Days

Achievement in Editing

Simone Smith – Firecrackers

Elric Robichon – For Those Who Don’t Read Me

Jules Saulnier – Sashinka

Richard Comeau – Stockholm

Arthur Tarnowski, Nicolas Chaudeurge – The Hummingbird Project

Achievement in Hair

Daniel Jacob – 1991

Renée Chan – Love Jacked

Johanne Paiement – Slut in a Good Way

Peggy Kyriakidou – Stockholm

Anne Moralis, André Duval – The Hummingbird Project

Achievement in Make-Up

Carla Hutchinson – Brown Girl Begins

Lauryn Ford – Crown and Anchor

Françoise Quilichini – Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume

Fanny Vachon – The Fall of Sparta | La chute de Sparte

Tammy-Lou Pate – Venus

Achievement in Overall Sound

Michel Lecoufle – 1991

Bernard Gariépy-Strobl – Just a Breath Away

Gilles Corbeil, Stéphane Bergeron – The Fireflies Are Gone

Philippe Lavigne, Normand Lapierre – The Hummingbird Project

Stéphane Barsalou, Bernard Gariépy Strobl – With Love

Achievement in Sound Editing

Martin Pinsonnault – Just a Breath Away

Christian Rivest, Stephan Bergeron, Guy Pelletier – Racetime

Lee Walpole, Thomas Huhn – Stockholm

Frederic Cloutier – The Great Darkened Days

Louis Desparois – The Nest

Achievement in Visual Effects

Jean-François Talbot, Jean-Pierre Boies – 1991

Benoit Brière – Just a Breath Away

William Chang, Brian Huynh – Our House

Fredrik Nord – Stockholm

Philippe Frère, Véronique Dessard, Loïc Poës, Stéphane Thibert – The Hummingbird Project

Image of The Great Darkened Days courtesy of TIFF