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Canadian Screen Awards cancelled due to COVID-19

By Kelly Townsend
March 12, 2020
The Canadian Academy is currently working on how to issue refunds for the broadcast gala, as well as how to honour its nominees without the event.

The Canadian Academy has cancelled Canadian Screen Week, including the March 29th broadcast gala scheduled to air on CBC.

“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Academy is deeply saddened to announce the cancellation of all Canadian Screen Week activities in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver,” read the statement. “Following a thorough review of Canadian Screen Week events and an assessment of the potential risk to our attendees, we feel this is the only responsible decision at this time.”

The Academy says it is “committed to the celebration of our Canadian Screen Award nominees and Special Award honourees,” with an update on the awards to come. It is currently in the process of determining how to issue refunds for the broadcast gala.

Canadian Academy CEO Beth Janson told the Canadian Press that while the organization does not know what the precise impact the cancellation will have, she says it will be “disastrous.”

Also cancelled is a cocktail event celebration the CSA’s digital nominees, which was to be hosted by T.O. Web Fest organizer the Independent Web Creators of Canada (IWCC) on March 24. The organization is “monitoring the situation” for its April and May events.

The Canadian Academy had increased its efforts to promote nominated works in 2020, with theatrical screenings planned for films such as Nicole Dorsey’s Black Conflux, Tasha Hubbard’s nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up and Richard Bell’s Brotherhood, to name a few, as well as streaming options on Crave and CBC Gem. The Academy has a list of places to watch nominated content here.

This year’s awards have more than 1,500 nominees between film, television and digital. With a record-breaking 26 nods, Schitt’s Creek leads the television nominees, while director François Girard’s The Song of Names leads film.

The Canadian Screen Awards honour outstanding achievement in the Canadian film, television, and digital media industries and are administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

The event was scheduled to take place between March 23 – 29, 2020.