Canada’s movie awards have a new home – for next year, at least. The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced earlier this month that the 24th edition of the Genie Awards will be produced by CHUM Television, and will air on its Bravo!, Star! and Citytv stations in Toronto and Vancouver.

The Genies have traditionally aired on CBC, and were produced by a third party hired by the Academy.

The Toronto broadcaster will put on a more edgy, relaxed and party-like show, says CHUM VP Marcia Martin, playing to its strengths in the entertainment biz and, likely, breathing new life into the annual awards show. The Genies and Geminis have both suffered poor reviews and ratings in recent years.

‘CBC has been doing it for so long, and they’ve been great, but I think everybody was looking for a change,’ says Martin. ‘We’ve been in the business a long time and we’re always looking for new ways to bring more visibility to Canadian films… What we’ll add, hopefully, is a personality.’

The awards will stand to lose viewers, however, and perhaps popularity. Despite recent gains out west, CHUM does not have the same reach as CBC. Canadians outside Vancouver or southern Ontario, who do not receive Star! or Bravo!, will not be able to watch their country’s biggest awards show.

Academy president Maria Topalovich believes this will be offset by CHUM’s promotional power, and its close ties to the film community.

‘We know this transition will be welcomed by everyone,’ says Topalovich.

CBC is taking it in stride. ‘All cultural institutions need to reinvent themselves from time to time,’ says CBC programming head Slawko Klymkiw. ‘We applaud the Academy for taking such bold steps to revitalize the Genies.’

CHUM has a one-year contract for the movie awards, slated to air May 1, 2004, moved down from February to avoid the Oscars. The Geminis are still at CBC.

CHUM airs many movies and movie-related shows, including the popular MT-MovieTelevision, and the company has recently become more involved in film production. Its first in-house feature, The Road Movie, is shooting across Canada this summer, and the CHUM name is attached to the sci-fi comedy Decoys, to be released by TVA Films.

CHUM VP Paul Gratton was also recently named chair of the Academy.

The Academy has also tweaked its nomination and voting process, in response to industry-wide complaints that its double-jury system was too confusing, although noms are still divided between two committees.

Best film, direction, screenwriting and performance nominees will now be named by a committee of peers, scholars and critics, while a second team hands out craft nominations. Cinema branch members will then vote for winners in the performance and best film categories, while the remaining categories will be voted on by members of the respective branch.

The Academy has also reinstated the best foreign actor and actress categories to better acknowledge the growing number of Canadian coproductions.

-www.academy.ca

-www.chumlimited.com