The Genie Awards may not exactly be the Oscars but Canada’s awards to celebrate the best of Canadian films has been having a filed day the last few years. In the past, it’s always been difficult, and a little sad, to study the list only to find you’ve never heard of, never mind seen, a large portion of the films listed but last year the Genies unveiled a great list of films which really marked what 2009 could have in store.

The year has come and gone and a huge number of the films listed in this year’s awards are not only great, a few are down right spectacular. And that’s only for 2009. Some of the 2010 films have already appeared through festivals late in the year and are scheduled for release later this year and if the few I’ve seen are any indication, we’re in for a spectacular year in Canadian film.

Denis Villeneuve’s brilliant Polytechnique (review) leads the pack with 11 nominations while Bruce McDonald’s crowd pleasing Pontypool (review) walks away with three. But that’s just the top of the barrel because also included are Charles Officer’s gorgeous Nurse.Fighter.Boy, the French Canadian fantasy Babine, Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu’s Before Tomorrow, Kari Skogland’s 50 Dead Men Walking (review) and even love for the crimminaly overlooked coming of age tale Victoria Day. All in all, a spectacular year.

The Genies will be handed out in Toronto on April 12th in a show hosted by the great Gordon Pinsent and Tatiana Maslany.

BEST MOTION PICTURE / MEILLEUR FILM
3 SAISONS – Maude Bouchard, Jim Donovan, Sandy Martinez, Bruno Rosato
BEFORE TOMORROW – Stéphane Rituit
FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING – Shawn Williamson, Stephen Hegyes, Peter La Terriere, Kari Skogland
NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY – Ingrid Veninger
POLYTECHNIQUE – Maxime Rémillard, Don Carmody

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION / MEILLEURE RÉALISATION
MARIE-HÉLÈNE COUSINEAU, MADELINE PIUJUQ IVALU – Before Tomorrow
KARI SKOGLAND – Fifty Dead Men Walking
CHARLES OFFICER – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
DENIS VILLENEUVE – Polytechnique
BRUCE MCDONALD – Pontypool

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY / MEILLEUR SCÉNARIO
ATOM EGOYAN – Adoration
ÉMILE GAUDREAULT, IAN LAUZON – De père en flic / Father and Guns
CHARLES OFFICER, INGRID VENINGER – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
JACQUES DAVIDTS – Polytechnique
DAVID BEZMOZGIS – Victoria Day

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY / MEILLEURE ADAPTATION
MARIE-HÉLÈNE COUSINEAU, SUSAN AVINGAQ, MADELINE PIUJUQ IVALU – Before Tomorrow
KARI SKOGLAND – Fifty Dead Men Walking
TONY BURGESS – Pontypool

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION MASCULINE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
JEAN-CARL BOUCHER – 1981
PAUL DYLAN IVALU – Before Tomorrow
JOSHUA JACKSON – One Week
CLARK JOHNSON – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
STEPHEN MCHATTIE – Pontypool

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
MADELINE PIUJUQ IVALU – Before Tomorrow
KAREN LEBLANC – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
CARINNE LEDUC – 3 Saisons
GABRIELLE ROSE – Mothers&Daughters
KARINE VANASSE – Polytechnique

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION MASCULINE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
PATRICK DROLET – De père en flic / Father and Guns
JOHN DUNSWORTH – Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day
MAXIM GAUDETTE – Polytechnique
RÉMY GIRARD – De père en flic / Father and Guns
SCOTT SPEEDMAN – Adoration

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
LIANE BALABAN – One Week
MARIE BRASSARD – Les grandes chaleurs / Heat Wave
MARTHA BURNS – Love & Savagery
ISABEL RICHER – Babine
SONIA VACHON – 5150, rue des Ormes / 5150 Elm’s Way

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION, PRODUCTION DESIGN / MEILLEURE DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE
DIANA ABBATANGELO – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
SUSAN AVINGAQ – Before Tomorrow
JEAN BABIN – Grande ourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
EVE STEWART – Fifty Dead Men Walking
PATRICE VERMETTE – 1981

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY / MEILLEURES IMAGES
STEVE COSENS – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
JONATHAN FREEMAN – Fifty Dead Men Walking
PIERRE GILL – Polytechnique
RONALD PLANTE – Grande ourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
ALLEN SMITH – Les doigts croches / Sticky Fingers

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN / MEILLEURS COSTUMES
ATUAT AKITTIRQ – Before Tomorrow
CARMEN ALIE – Grande ourse: La clé des
possibles / The Master Key
SARAH ARMSTRONG – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
BRENDA BROER – Cairo Time
ANNE-KARINE GAUTHIER – 1981

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE
ALAIN BARIL – 5150, rue des Ormes / 5150 Elm’s Way
RICHARD COMEAU – Polytechnique
FRANÇOIS NORMANDIN, JIM DONOVAN – 3 Saisons
MICHEL GROU – Grande ourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
JIM MUNRO – Fifty Dead Men Walking

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP / MEILLEURS MAQUILLAGES
DJINA CARON, MARTIN RIVEST – Polytechnique
DJINA CARON – Grande ourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
DIANE SIMARD, RÉJEAN GODERRE – Love & Savagery
MICHELINE TRÉPANIER, LINDA GORDON – 1981
ROBBI O’QUINN, LEANNE MORRISON-FREED – You Might As Well Live

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC – ORIGINAL SCORE / MEILLEURE MUSIQUE ORIGINALE
BENOÎT CHAREST – Polytechnique
BERTRAND CHÉNIER – Love & Savagery
CHRISTIAN CLERMONT – 5150, rue des Ormes / 5150 Elm’s Way
NORMAND CORBEIL – Grande ourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
BEN MINK – Fifty Dead Men Walking

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC – ORIGINAL SONG / MEILLEURE CHANSON ORIGINALE
SUSAN AVINGAQ – Before Tomorrow – Pamani
JOHN WELSMAN, CHERIE CAMP – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY – Oh Love
SARI DAJANI, IOHANN MARTIN, RUDY TOUSSAINT, JOHN VON AICHLINGER – Les grandes chaleurs / Heat Wave – Bon Swa

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND / MEILLEUR SON D’ENSEMBLE
MARIO AUCLAIR, DANIEL BISSON, LUC BOUDRIAS, JEAN-CHARLES DESJARDINS – Grande ourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
STÉPHANE BERGERON, PIERRE BLAIN, JO CARON, BENOÎT LEDUC – Polytechnique
CLAUDE HAZANAVICIUS, DANIEL BISSON, JEAN-CHARLES DESJARDINS, BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL – Love & Savagery
RICHARD LAVOIE, ARNAUD DERIMAY, JEAN-CHARLES DESJARDINS, BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL – Before Tomorrow
SIMON GOULET, BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL – 5150, rue des Ormes / 5150 Elm’s Way

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE SONORE
PIERRE-JULES AUDET, MICHELLE CLOUTIER, JACQUES PLANTE, JEAN-FRANÇOIS SAUVÉ – Grandeourse: La clé des possibles / The Master Key
MATHIEU BEAUDIN, JACQUES PLANTE – 5150, rue des Ormes / 5150 Elm’s Way
CLAUDE BEAUGRAND, GUY FRANCOEUR, CAROLE GAGNON, CHRISTIAN RIVEST – Polytechnique
GARRETT KERR, FRED BRENNAN, PAUL GERMANN, STEVE HAMMOND, MISHANN LAU – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
OLIVIER CALVERT, NATALIE FLEURANT, FRANCINE POIRIER, LISE WEDLOCK – Babine

BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR LONG MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE
A HARD NAME – Kristina McLaughlin, Michael McMahon, Alan Zweig
LES DAMES EN BLEU / LADIES IN BLUE – Claude Demers
INSIDE HANA’S SUITCASE – Larry Weinstein, Rudolf Biermann, Jessica Daniel
PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI – Patricia Aquino, Paul Saltzman
RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO – Mila Aung-Thwin, Kat Baulu, Brett Gaylor, Germaine Ying-Gee Wong

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE
THE DELIAN MODE – Kara Blake, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
PASSAGES – Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
PETROPOLIS: AERIAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ALBERTA TAR SANDS – Peter Mettler, Sandy Hunter, Laura Severinac

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DRAMATIQUE
DANSE MACABRE – Pedro Pires, Catherine Chagnon
GILLES – Constant Mentzas
PRINCESS MARGARET BLVD. – Dan Montgomery, Kazik Radwanski
TERRE DES HOMMES / LAND OF MEN – Ky Nam Le Duc
LA VIE COMMENCE / LIFE BEGINS – Élaine Hébert, Émile Proulx-Cloutier

BEST ANIMATED SHORT / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE D’ANIMATION
RUNAWAY / TRAIN EN FOLIE – Derek Mazur, Cordell Barker, Michael Scott
THE SPINE / L’ÉCHINE – Steven Hoban, Chris Landreth, Marcy Page
VIVE LA ROSE – Michael Fukushima, Bruce Alcock, Annette Clarke, Tina Ouellette