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1st Genie Awards

1980 Canadian film awards

Field	Value
number	1
award	Genie Awards
date	March 20, 1980
site	Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto
host	Bruno Gerussi
Ben Wicks
best_picture	The Changeling
most_nominations	The Changeling
last	29th CFAs
next	2nd

Ben Wicks The 1st Genie Awards were presented on March 20, 1980, and honoured films released in 1979.

Immediately after the 1978 Canadian Film Awards, which were nearly cancelled due to disputes and controversy, industry leaders met to design a new awards organization based on the academy system of industry nomination and secret ballot. Members of the Canadian Film Awards committee were skeptical about nominator qualifications, and about the motivations of those who wanted the academy system, fearing that they would imitate the American model and that big-budget commercial films would swamp Canadian films.

After a year of discussion, it was agreed that 14 members of the CFA committee and 14 elected representatives from industry organizations would form a board to oversee a new association whose mandate was to stimulate higher standards of filmmaking, foster educational service and develop public awareness of the industry. On April 11, 1979, the creation of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television was formally announced.

For the first time 500 filmmakers were responsible for nomination and voting. Films were screened for members in Montreal and Toronto and then chosen by secret nomination and final ballot before being submitted to an impartial accounting firm.

Ceremony

The first Genie Awards, as they were now known, were given out at a gala event at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto with actor Bruno Gerussi as host.

The show was broadcast live on CBC Television and was noted for its Oscars-like production design, with production numbers including a jazz dance performance by Jeff Hyslop and Karen Kain set to the tune of "Dancing in the Dark", and female impersonator Craig Russell in character as Judy Garland.

On March 19, cartoonist Ben Wicks hosted a luncheon for the 105 entrants in the non-feature categories. Also this year, on November 6, and under the administration of the academy, the Canadian Film Editors Guild, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and the Canadian Film Sound Society hosted the 1980 Film Craft Awards.

Controversies

The event was not without controversy. Despite having duly released three nominations in the category of Editing in a Dramatic Film (Non-Feature), the jury used the moment of presentation to announce that they had deemed none worthy of an award. Producer Sam Levene, in his acceptance speech for another award, called the decision an "arrogant slap in the face" to the nominees. The fact that no French language films won any major awards was an issue. Award winner Christopher Plummer used his speech to criticize the distinction made between Canadian and foreign actors, calling on the academy to treat "Canadian or Samothracian" actors equally. The Foreign Actors categories were dropped in 1984.

Award winners and nominees

Films

Best Motion Picture	Outstanding Theatrical Short	Outstanding Documentary 30 Minutes and Under	Outstanding Documentary 30 Minutes and Over	Outstanding TV Drama 30 Minutes and Under	Outstanding TV Drama 30 Minutes and Over	Outstanding Animation	Outstanding Independent Film

Feature film craft awards

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Best Performance by a Foreign Actor	Best Performance by a Foreign Actress	Best Achievement in Art Direction	Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design	Best Achievement in Cinematography	Best Achievement in Direction	Best Achievement in Film Editing	Best Achievement in Sound Editing	Best Achievement in Sound	Outstanding Original Music Score	Best Original Screenplay	Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium

Non-feature craft awards

Outstanding Performance by an Actor	Outstanding Performance by an Actress	Outstanding Cinematography in a Dramatic Film	Outstanding Cinematography in a Documentary	Outstanding Direction in a Dramatic Film	Outstanding Direction in a Documentary	Outstanding Art Direction	Outstanding Editing in Documentary	Outstanding Editing in a Dramatic Film	Outstanding Sound in a Non-Feature Film	Outstanding Screenplay	Outstanding Non-Dramatic Script	Outstanding Original Music Score	Golden Reel Award	Special Awards

References

[[Jay Scott]], "Changeling wins Genie as year's best movie". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', March 21, 1980.
Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. [[Stoddart Publishing]], 2000. {{ISBN. 0-7737-3238-1. pp. 117-199.
"1980 Genie Awards Program". Archive.org.
Duart Snow, "Enter Genie, son of old Etrog". ''[[Ottawa Journal]]'', March 15, 1980.
[[Jay Scott]], "Changeling leads Canadian Film Award nominees". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', February 8, 1980.
Meg Floyd, "Jazzing up the Genies". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', March 15, 1980.
Rick Groen, "NFB, Brittain dominate TV Genie awards". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', March 20, 1980.
"The Changeling". Canadian Film Encyclopedia.
"Cordélia". National Film Board of Canada.
"Klondike Fever". British Film Institute.
"Meatballs". Canadian Film Encyclopedia.
Canby, Vincent. (November 2, 1979). "Screen: 'Running,' Winning and Losing: Marathon Mania". [[The New York Times]].
"Nails". National Film Board of Canada.
"Twice Upon a Time...". National Film Board of Canada.
"Track stars, the unseen heroes of movie sound". WorldCat.
"Priory, the Only Home I've Got". National Film Board of Canada.
"Taking Chances". British Film Institute.
"Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed". National Film Board of Canada.
"Glenn Gould's Toronto". CESIF.
"Bravery in the Field". National Film Board of Canada.
"Revolution's Orphans". National Film Board of Canada.
"Chaque enfant". National Film Board of Canada.
"Caninabis". National Film Board of Canada.
"Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas". Kinorium.
"Glenn Gould's Toronto 1979". York University.

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1979-film-awards 1980-in-canadian-cinema 1980-controversies march-1980-in-canada genie-awards

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