‘Unexpected’ is likely the best word to characterize this year’s Genie nominations. No doubt many will be surprised by what isn’t nominated. Absent among the best motion picture finalists are some of 2001’s most high-profile Canadian releases.

Lost and Delirious, Quebec director Lea Pool’s highly anticipated follow-up to Emporte-moi and her debut feature in English, generated a lot of buzz at the Sundance Film Festival and figured in the screenplay, supporting actress and cinematography categories, but was not cited for best picture. Neither was Last Wedding, directed by B.C.’s Bruce Sweeney. The dark comedy about doomed relationships had received favorable reviews in the mainstream press and was selected for the prestigious opening night gala at the Toronto International Film Festival. It has the most nominations of any film not nominated in the best picture category, with two contenders in both the supporting actor and actress categories, along with nods for editing and art direction.

Century Hotel, David Weaver’s debut feature about goings-on in a single hotel room over a period of 100 years, boasts a high-profile cast including Colm Feore, Tom McCamus, Mia Kirshner, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida of the band Our Lady Peace, but was only able to muster noms for cinematography and original song. Ginger Snaps, director John Fawcett’s teen horror flick, can boast the most ambitious promotional campaign of the year – to the tune of $1 million for Canadian distributor TVA International – and chimes in with noms for cinematography, editing and sound editing.

The country is regionally well represented with the best motion picture finalists: there is the French-language Un crabe dans la tete from Quebec, along with Eisenstein, a Quebec/German copro; Treed Murray from Ontario; The War Bride, an Alberta/U.K. copro; and Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) from Nunavut. The latter two films lead the pack with seven nominations each. Atanarjuat, the first feature done almost entirely by Inuit, would have to be regarded as the favorite, on the heels of its award wins at Cannes, TIFF, Edinburgh and Flanders. It is also Canada’s official selection for consideration in the Academy Awards’ foreign-language category.

Most of the nominated films have not been widely seen. Although Un crabe dans la tete has played on 13 screens throughout Quebec, distributor Film Tonic has held off on releasing the film in English Canada until it can gauge the reception by Genie jurors and by audiences at Sundance in January. Eisenstein played a very limited run, Treed Murray recently opened in Toronto and Vancouver, and at press time, The War Bride did not have a major distributor on board. The World War Two period film has had exclusive screenings in Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary, and is getting to other markets via TIFF’s Film Circuit.

The 22nd annual Genie Awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 7, 2002 in the John Bassett theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Entertainment interviewer Brian Linehan will host the event for the fourth time.

-www.academy.ca