The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television celebrated the final award show of Canadian Screen Week 2024 last night at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto, marking the end of four days that celebrated the achievements of Canadian talent in film, television, and digital media.
Crave/APTN’s Little Bird led television honours at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, winning 13 awards including: Best Drama Series; Best Direction, Drama Series, presented by Playback; Best Supporting Performer, Drama for Braeden Clarke; and Best Lead Performer, Drama Series, presented by the Canada Media Fund, for Darla Contois.
CTV’s Children Ruin Everything was honoured with awards for Best Lead Performer, Comedy for Meaghan Rath and Best Supporting Performer, Comedy for Ennis Esmer, while Crave’s Letterkenny and the final season of CBC’s Sort Of received Best Ensemble Performance, Comedy and Best Direction, Comedy, presented by Cinespace Studios for Fab Filippo, respectively. The first season of Crave’s Bria Mack Gets A Life took home the award for Best Comedy Series, and the Best Reality/Competition Program or Series went to Crave’s Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World.
Film honours were led by Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry which received a record 14 Canadian Screen Awards, including: Best Motion Picture; Achievement in Direction for Matt Johnson; Performance in a Leading Role, Comedy for Jay Baruchel; and Performance in a Supporting Role, Comedy for Glenn Howerton.
The Queen Of My Dreams secured the win for Performance in a Leading Role, Drama for Amrit Kaur, while the award for Original Screenplay went to Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant. The John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award went to Zarrar Kahn for In Flames.
“Within our ever-evolving screen-based industries, we find endless wells of creativity and dedication. I stand in awe of the remarkable individuals who push the boundaries of storytelling both in front of and behind the camera. Their passion and talent are the driving forces behind the magic we witness on screen,” expressed Tammy Frick, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “To our dedicated team who brought Canadian Screen Week to life, and the visionary winners of the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, your commitment to excellence is not only recognized but celebrated as the cornerstone of our industry’s success. Here’s to another year of innovation, inspiration, and storytelling that captivates audiences around the world.”
Additional highlights from the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards include the wins for The Drop, which secured both the Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series and Best Supporting Performance, Web Program or Series for Aisha Evelyna and Aurora Browne, respectively; How to Fail as a Popstar, which was crowned Best Web Program or Series, Fiction and Best Writing, Web Program or Series for Vivek Shraya; YTV’s The Hardy Boys, which took home Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series, presented by Spin Master Entertainment and CBC Indigenous: Time to Eat for Best Lifestyle Program or Series.
Canadian Screen Week 2024 also welcomed several of this year’s Special Award recipients, who took to the stage to be honoured in front of their peers. At The 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Gala, the Academy Icon Award was presented to Academy Award®-nominated director, screenwriter and producer Denis Villeneuve, who accepted the award with a moving speech following a video package featuring an extraordinary moment from Hans Zimmer who performed alongside award-winning flutist Pedro Eustache and a full symphony orchestra in his honour, while accomplished executive producer and writer Marsha Greene took to the stage to present award-winning actress, producer and activist Tonya Williams with the Changemaker Award, presented by Insight Productions. The evening also honoured Lamar Johnson and Devery Jacobs with the Radius Award, presented by MADE | NOUS with a special presentation.
At The News, Entertainment, and Sports Awards, presented by CTV, journalist Paul Workman accepted the Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism. The Documentary, Factual, Lifestyle, and Reality Awards, presented by CTV, celebrated Marilyn Denis, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award; and Brenda Tremblay, accepting the Sustainable Production Award, presented by CBC alongside David Lickley on behalf of Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope by Science North. The Cinematic Arts Awards, presented by Telefilm Canada, supported by Cineplex, featured special presentations for the late Jeff Barnaby, who was posthumously awarded the Academy Board of Directors’ Tribute Award, and Patrick Huard, who was honoured with the Earle Grey Award.
The 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, which just aired on CBC and CBC Gem, invited viewers into The 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Gala that took place earlier this evening. Award-winning Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and producer Mae Martin was the host of the one-hour broadcast, which was full of joyous award acceptances and spirited on-stage moments with presenters including Jay Baruchel, Mark Critch, Hamza Haq, Matt Johnson, Laurence Leboeuf, and Catherine Reitman. The evening also featured a moving performance from actor and musician Noah Reid, who performed a stunning rendition of “If It Be Your Will” to commemorate those from our community who are no longer with us.
All of the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards were handed out over a series of genre-based presentations which featured several pillars of Canada’s entertainment industry serving as hosts, including Mae Martin, Sarah Davis, Andrew Phung, Keshia Chanté, Anne-Marie Mediwake, and Sabine Daniel.
You can view The 2024 Canadian Screen Awards on-demand on CBC Gem and the additional genre-based presentations at CanadianScreenAwards.ca.
Canadian Screen Week 2024 comes to a close on Saturday, June 1, 2024 with the Board Tribute Dinner, the Canadian Academy’s annual fundraising event, supported by Patron Partners Bell Media and Cineplex. The event will honour the esteemed 2024 Special Award recipients, where this year’s Industry Leadership Award honouree, Michael MacMillan, will be presented with his award.
The full list of 2024 Canadian Screen Award winners can be viewed here.
