It’s hard to believe that this year will be the fifth edition of the Canadian Screen Awards. The annual event that recognizes the best in Canada’s film and television industry is set to air on Sunday March 12th, and this morning they announced the nominations.
Orphan Black once again leads the way with 14 nominations, with comedy favourite Schitt’s Creek close by with 13. Newcomer Kim’s Convenience received 11 nominations, with hold overs 19-2 and Vikings receiving 9 each.
The Tatiana Maslany led series Orphan Black has been a mainstay at the CSAs over its four years. As it now heads into it’s fifth, and final season, it received nominations for Best TV Drama series, Best Supporting Actor for Kevin Hanchard and Best Actress for Tatiana Maslany. It also received several nominations in technical categories such as production design, visual effects, and sound. Orphan Black also finds itself nominated in 3 of the 5 slots for Best Writing for a Dramatic Series.
Schitt’s Creek was very successful at last year’s Canadian Screen Awards taking several of the top Comedy awards, but this year it could face stiff competition from the new CBC series Kim’s Convenience. The two series will go head to head in several categories, including Best Comedy Series, Best Direction in a Comedy Series, Best Achievement in Casting, as well as in the Best Actor and Actress categories.
On the film side of things, Xavier Dolan’s dysfunctional family drama It’s Only the End of the World leads the way with 9 nominations, including Best motion picture. Dolan’s film already has seen some success, winning the Grand Prix at Cannes and it is also Canada’s official submission to the Oscars. The sports biopic Race, based on the story of track star Jesse Owens’ performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is right behind though with 8 nominations.
This year’s Canadian Screen Awards will be broadcast live from Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on Sunday, March 12th. Howie Mandel is this year’s host, and the show will also feature Christopher Plummer receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
