Canadian Screen Awards celebrates the importance of film and television in country, CEO says
Posted April 16, 2023 6:51 pm.
Last Updated April 16, 2023 7:26 pm.
The Canadian Screen Awards returned with a full broadcast for the first time in four years on Sunday.
Tammy Frick, the CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, says it’s important to celebrate the television and film industry in the country.
“I think it’s extremely important because this industry affects all of us. Like, media is a way for us to connect. It tells our stories, and it really brings our authentic storytelling to people. It talks about what we’re dealing with from a social perspective or political climate. There’s sensitivities around various emotions that people are having to deal with and live through. So I think it’s just an industry that touches all of us so closely,” she said.
This year’s Special Award recipients included Ryan Reynolds, who received the Humanitarian Award, Catherine O’Hara, who took home the Academy Icon Award, and Simu Liu, who received the Radius Award.
“We have intimate access and wonderful conversations…from, you know, Tracy Moore, we have Catherine O’Hara, Ryan Reynolds, Simu Liu — so just some really wonderful moments,” Frick said.
Canadian broadcast journalist Lisa LaFlamme also took home the Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism.
Frick says the awards are a way for Canada to showcase where the industry has come from and where it is headed.
“As we progress as a country as well, we’ve come a long way in that part of the industry and what we’re putting out. It’s not just our voice here in Canada, it’s we also have a voice globally. And a lot of these productions that we celebrate have done extremely well in other parts of the world and that’s really important for us to showcase, you know, where this industry has come and where it’s going,” she said.
The pre-taped special was hosted by Samantha Bee and featured highlights from seven awards galas that took place over the past week.
It replaced the pre-pandemic tradition of a live two-hour variety show that handed out hardware to marquee film and television winners in a single night.
Frick says the show was shot in the U.S. as a nod to making fun of some typical stereotypes that Canadians experience.
“We’re doing a little bit of this fun Canadiana spin on what we typically know as being very Canadian. So we’re gonna make a little bit of fun of who we are as Canadians…But in that…we’ve also shot the broadcast outside of Canada as a spin to say, ‘hey, America, you often use us to be your backdrop and we’re kind of spinning that the other way,'” she said.
For more information on award nominees and winners, check out their website.
With files from The Canadian Press
