On Sunday (Feb. 7), the Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) announced the finalists for its annual $100,000 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award: director Louise Archambault’s And the Birds Rained Down (“Il pleuvait des oiseaux”); Kazik Radwanski’s Anne at 13,000 Ft. (pictured); and Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas’ White Lie.

The winner of the coveted prize will be announced during the association’s virtual gala on March 9, which will air live on YouTube at 8 p.m., co-hosted by The Social’s Lainey Lui and Refinery29 Unbothered senior editor Kathleen Newman-Bremang.

R.T. Thorne serves as creative director for the gala, which will be produced by Canadian Film Festival (CFF) festival director Ashleigh Rains and CFF founder Bern Euler.

Past winners of the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award include Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open; Ed Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s Anthropocene: The Human Epoch; and Ashley McKenzie’s Werewolf. Of note, runners-up for the coveted prize each receive $5,000.

The TFCA also unveiled that Indigenous producer, curator, story editor and past imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival executive director Jason Ryle had been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Clyde Gilmour Award.

As well, writer/director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall was tapped as the winner of the Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist. Most recently, Fyffe-Marshall’s short film Black Bodies screened as part of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Sundance Film Festival.

The organization also awarded Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Frances McDormand. Meanwhile, Lee Isaac Chung picked up Best Screenplay for Minari and Radha Blank’s comedy The Forty-Year Old Version won Best First Feature.

Riz Ahmed was also selected as Best Actor for his role in Sound of Metal, while Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) was named Best Supporting Actress and Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) was chosen as Best Supporting Actor.

Other projects honoured include: Bacurau with Best International Film; Collective with the Allan King Documentary Film Award; and Wolfwalkers with Best Animated Feature.

Schitt’s Creek’s nomination streak continues

 Canadian comedy Schitt’s Creek is nominated for the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards after secured five Golden Globe nominations earlier this year. The CBC and Pop TV show is nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy series, where it is competing against Dead to Me, The Flight Attendant, The Great and Ted Lasso.

Additionally, both Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy are up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, while both Dan and Eugene Levy are nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

Of note, Vanessa Kirby is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Montreal-shot Pieces of a Woman, which BRON Studios division Little Lamb Productions is involved in. As well, Toronto-shot The Boys is among the nominees for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series.

The SAG Awards will take place on April 4.

Image: Anne at 13,000 Ft.