A limited series about an Indigenous woman's search for her birth family and a comedy film chronicling the creation of a game-changing smartphone dominate this year's nominations.
The Crave/APTN original series 鈥淟ittle Bird鈥 leads the TV series categories with 19 nominations, including for best drama series, best drama performance for stars Darla Contois and Ellyn Jade and best drama direction for Zoe Leigh Hopkins and Elle-Maija Tailfeathers.
About a '60s Scoop survivor fostered into a Jewish family in Montreal, the six-part series features a largely Indigenous cast and creative team and was co-created by Jennifer Podemski and Hannah Moscovitch.
It's up against CBC's 鈥淓ssex County鈥 and 鈥淧lan B,鈥 Hollywood Suite's 鈥淪lasher: Ripper鈥 and CTV's 鈥淭ransplant鈥 for best drama series.
鈥淏lackBerry,鈥 helmed by Toronto director Matt Johnson, leads the film categories with 17 nods - including for best picture and achievement in direction - becoming the most nominated movie in the history of the 11-year-old Canadian Screen Awards, according to organizers.
Set in Waterloo, Ont. in the '90s, the film follows the dramatic rise and fall of the BlackBerry mobile device and its inventors. Jay Baruchel has been nominated for best performance in a leading role in a comedy for his turn as company co-founder Mike Lazaridis, while Glenn Howerton, who plays co-CEO Jim Balsillie, and Johnson, who plays co-founder Doug Fregin, are both up for best supporting role in a comedy.
The film won the $50,000 best Canadian feature prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association earlier this week and made TIFF's Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.
It's competing with 鈥淪olo,鈥 鈥淗umanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,鈥 鈥淚nfinity Pool,鈥 鈥淩ed Rooms (Les chambres rouges)鈥 and 鈥淩ichelieu鈥 for best motion picture.
Other leading TV nominees include the final seasons of CBC comedies 鈥淪ort Of鈥 and 鈥淲orkin' Moms,鈥 boasting 18 and 12 nods, respectively.
鈥淪ort Of,鈥 a dramedy about a gender-fluid Pakistani Canadian millennial balancing various identities, is up for best direction and best writing in a comedy.
The show is up against Crave's 鈥淏ria Mack Gets A Life鈥 and 鈥淟etterkenny,鈥 CBC's 鈥淪on of a Critch鈥 and 鈥淲orkin' Moms鈥 and CTV's 鈥淪helved鈥 for best comedy series.
In the film categories, Quebec director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize's feature 鈥淗umanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person鈥 secured 12 nominations, while Toronto native Brandon Cronenberg's 鈥淚nfinity Pool鈥 followed with 11.
Louis-Seize's French-language dramedy - about a sensitive teenage vampire who forms a bond with a depressed boy - is up for achievement in direction and best original screenplay. She won a $10,000 emerging artist prize from the Toronto critics' association earlier this week and won the best director prize at last year's Venice Days.
The best film director race pits Johnson, Louise-Seize and Cronenberg against Henri Pardo for 鈥淜anaval,鈥 Pascal Plante for 鈥淩ed Rooms (Les chambres rouges)鈥 and Sophie Dupuis for 鈥淪olo.鈥
鈥淭he Drop,鈥 Narcity's first fully scripted YouTube show, and the CBC Gem series 鈥淗ow to Fail as a Popstar,鈥 based on Vivek Shraya's hit play and subsequent book, lead digital media nominations with five each.
The 156 trophies celebrating the best in Canadian film, television and digital media will be handed out in a series of award shows leading up to a gala hosted by comedian Mae Martin on May 31, which will air on CBC and CBC Gem a few hours later.
It's the second consecutive year the celebration won't be broadcast live.
Traditionally, the Screen Awards have been a star-studded live event in front of an audience. Tammy Frick, the CEO of the Academy, said pre-taping allows the gala to highlight more 鈥渋ndustry-heavy鈥 elements that might overwhelm a TV audience.
Last year, Canadian comic Samantha Bee hosted the Screen Awards, taping her segments in New York weeks before the show. In contrast, this year's broadcast will include moments from the Toronto gala hosted by Martin several hours earlier, along with recorded segments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2024.
麻豆影视 is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc.
