Montreal: The Avanti Cine Video miniseries Cher Olivier was the undisputed program of choice at this year’s Prix Gemeaux, winning eight awards including best drama series, best direction and writing for director Andre Melancon as well as the Uniprix Prix du Public as the public’s choice for best series.

The series dramatizes the turbulent life and times of one of Quebec’s best-loved comics, music hall legend and tv pioneer Olivier Guimond.

Benoit Briere won the Gemeaux for best actor for his brilliant portrayal of Guimond. Bernard Fortin and Sonia Vachon won the supporting actor prizes for their roles in the production.

Hosted by the always charming and often hilarious Normand Brathwaite, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Prix Gemeaux evening gala was broadcast live Oct. 5 on Radio-Canada to an audience of 1.2 million viewers, according to ACCT-Quebec director and the show’s producer Patrice Lachance.

In the special prize category, the Ford du Canada-sponsored Grand Prix went to writer/broadcaster Guy Fournier. The Prix du Multiculturalisme was won this year by Referendum Prise 2/Take 2, a joint production of the National Film Board French and English Programs.

Program winners include Radio-Canada’s 4 et Demi (best teleroman), the Cinemaginaire-produced Denys Arcand tv movie Joyeux Calvaire (best drama program), Cine-Groupe’s Spirou (best animation series), Cite-Variations’s L’Ecuyer (best variety series), Avanti’s La Petite Vie (best comedy series), l’Equipe Spectra’s Beau Dommage (best variety special) and PRAM Internationales’ Guy A. Lepage (best humor special).

Other Gemeaux ’97 winners include Radio-Canada’s Enjeux (best public affairs series), Imavision 21’s Epopee en Amerique: Une histoire populaire du Quebec (best documentary) and Verseau International’s Aller simple pour Sirius (best pov documentary).

In the youth category, Cinar Films’ La Maison de Ouimzie won best drama series, ages 2-12, while Tele-Action’s Radio Enfer iii won best series, all categories, ages 13-17.

Performance winners include Elise Guilbault (best actress, Communications Claude Heroux International’s Les Batisseurs d’eau) and Guy Provost and Dominique Petin (best actor and actress, Radio-Canada’s Sous un ciel variable).

Craft awards went to cinematographers Pierre Gill (film) for Cite-Amerique’s Marguerite Volant and Alain Belhumeur (video) for Poly-Productions’ Rencontres avec les baleines du Saint-Laurent.

Film editor Andre Corriveau, art directors Andre Guimond and Ronald Fauteux, costume designer Michele Hamel, Radio-Canada cgi artist Marie Dionne and composer Francois Dompierre are also among this year’s Gemeaux winners.