The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Canadian Academy) has announced the first five Special Award recipients to be honoured during the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards (CSA).

The Canadian Academy recognizes a number of domestic screen sector figures annually as part of the CSA, which will take place in Toronto from May 30 to June 1. 

The Academy Board of Directors’ Tribute Award will be given to two recipients this year: Denise Robert, president of the Montreal-based independent prodco Cinémaginaire, and Ellis Jacob, Cineplex president and CEO.

Robert is a film and TV producer who has been behind over 45 critically acclaimed features. She has won over 130 awards, including the first Canadian film – Denys Arcand’s 2003 Canada/France copro Les invasions barbares – to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. She has previously been recognized with several honors, including the Order of Canada and the Ordre national du Québec.

Meanwhile, Jacob has been at the helm for Cineplex since 2003. Prior to joining the company, he co-founded Toronto-based entertainment company Galaxy Entertainment and was head of integration for media company Alliance Atlantis Communications. He serves on several boards of directors, including Cineplex and Boat Rocker Media.

Executive producer and screenwriter Marsha Greene will be the recipient of the Changemaker Award, which honours industry leaders in dismantling racism in the sector. She was recently the co-creator and showrunner of the Emmy-nominated CBC and BET+ series The Porter, which won 12 Canadian Screen Awards. Previously, she was showrunner on Global’s Mary Kills People and co-executive producer of CBC’s Coroner. She is currently the chair of the Writers Guild of Canada’s Inclusion, Equity, Diversity and Accessibility committee, and serves on the board of directors for the Reelworld Screen Institute.

The Radius Award, which honours a Canadian film or TV professional who is currently making an impact internationally, will be presented to Manila-born, Vancouver-raised actor Manny Jacinto. The actor recently starred in the Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte and will next be seen alongside Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freakier Friday. Additional film credits include Cora Bora, Top Gun: Maverick and Bad Times at the El Royale.

This year, the Academy also presented the Sustainable Production Award to CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The series, currently airing season 32, began a sustainability pilot program in 2021 and added a sustainability department to its production team that same year. It has consistently reduced its carbon footprint, according to a release.

Pictured (L-R): Denise Robert (photo by Yanick Déry), Ellis Jacob (photo by Adam Coish), Marsha Greene (photo by May Truong) and Manny Jacinto (photo by Jonny Marlow).