Industry veterans Michael MacMillan, Denis Villeneuve and Patrick Huard round out the 2024 Special Awards recipients for the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Canadian Academy) announced the final round of recipients on Wednesday (May 1).

Blue Ant Media co-founder and CEO MacMillan is this year’s recipient of the Industry Leadership Award, which recognizes innovation and leadership in the Canadian media sector.

MacMillan has been an industry trailblazer for decades, co-founding Atlantis Communications in the 1970s, which would eventually merge with Alliance Communications to become Canadian media company Alliance Atlantis. He started the work all over again in 2011 with Blue Ant Media, which has grown into a global media organization, covering broadcasting, streaming, production and distribution.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Villeneuve will receive the Academy Icon Award, which honours a Canadian for their global contributions to the media industry. Villeneuve has directed acclaimed works at home and abroad, including Oscar-nominated films Incendies, Arrival and Dune. The latter film won six Academy Awards in 2022.

Multi-hyphenate talent Huard is being honoured with the Earle Grey Award, which celebrates an actor’s body of work in Canadian film and TV. Huard has been part of some of Canada’s biggest French exports, including the Les Boys franchise, Starbuck and Bon Cop Bad Cop. Behind the camera, he has directed films such as Les 3 p’tits cochons and Filière 13.

Previously announced recipients include John Brunton, Jeff Barnaby, Marilyn Denis, Tonya Williams, Devery Jacobs, Lamar Johnson and Paul Workman.

The awards will be presented during Canadian Screen Week, which runs from May 26 to June 1. The Canadian Screen Awards broadcast will take place on May 31.

Pictured (L-R): Michael MacMillan (photo by Christopher Wahl), Denis Villeneuve (photo by Ulysse Del Drago) and Patrick Huard (photo by Vivien Gaumond)