The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Motion Picture to the best Canadian film of the year.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. .
The award was first presented in 1949 by the Canadian Film Awards under the title Film of the Year. Due to the economics of Canadian film production, however, most Canadian films made in this era were documentaries or short films rather than full-length narrative feature films. In some years, a Film of the Year award was not formally presented, with the highest film award presented that year being in the Theatrical Short or Amateur Film categories.
In 1964, the Canadian Film Awards introduced an award for Best Feature Film. For the remainder of the 1960s, the two awards were presented alongside each other to different films, except in 1965 when a Feature Film was named and a Film of the Year was not, and in 1967 when the same film was named the winner of both categories. After 1970, however, the Film of the Year category was no longer used except in 1975, when due to the cancellation of the awards in 1974, it was presented alongside the Feature Film category as a de facto second Best Picture award, so that winners for both 1974 and 1975 could be named.
As of 1980, the award was taken over by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and presented as part of the Genie Awards ceremony; as of 2013, it is presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.
Film of the Year (1949–1975)
1940s Year Film Producers Ref 1949 1st Canadian Film Awards The Loon's Necklace F. R. Crawley
1950s Year Film Producers Ref 1950 2nd Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1951 3rd Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1952 4th Canadian Film Awards Newfoundland Scene F. R. Crawley 1953 5th Canadian Film Awards Tit-Coq Gratien Gélinas 1954 6th Canadian Film Awards The Seasons Christopher Chapman 1955 7th Canadian Film Awards The Stratford Adventure Guy Glover 1956 8th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1957 9th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1958 10th Canadian Film Awards City of Gold Tom Daly, Colin Low, Wolf Koenig 1959 11th Canadian Film Awards No award presented
1960s Year Film Producers Ref 1960 12th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1961 13th Canadian Film Awards Universe Tom Daly, Colin Low, Roman Kroitor 1962 14th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1963 15th Canadian Film Awards Lonely Boy Roman Kroitor, Wolf Koenig 1964 16th Canadian Film Awards Pour la suite du monde Fernand Dansereau, Pierre Perrault, Jacques Bobet 1965 17th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1966 18th Canadian Film Awards The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam Beryl Fox, Douglas Leiterman 1967 19th Canadian Film Awards Warrendale Allan King, Patrick Watson 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards A Place to Stand Christopher Chapman, David Mackay 1969 21st Canadian Film Awards The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar John Kemeny, Barrie Howells
1970s Year Film Producers Ref 197022nd Canadian Film Awards To See Or Not to See (Psychocratie) Robert Verral, Wolf Koenig 1971 23rd Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1972 24th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1973 25th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1974Award presented in 1975 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz John Kemeny 197526th Canadian Film Awards Orders (Les Ordres) Gui Caron, Bernard Lalonde
Best Feature Film (1964–1978) 1960s Year Film Filmmaker/s Ref 1964 16th Canadian Film Awards À tout prendre (aka All Things Considered aka Take it All) Claude Jutra, Robert Hershorn Amanita Pestilens F. R. Crawley, René Bonnière Frank Morriss, "Porpoise Documentary Wins Top Canadian Award". The Globe and Mail, May 9, 1964. Trouble-Maker (Trouble fête) Jean Roy, Roger Blais, Pierre Patry 1965 17th Canadian Film Awards The Luck of Ginger Coffey Leon Roth, Irvin Kershner The Cat in the Bag (Le Chat dans le sac) Jacques Bobet "Ginger Coffey Top Production In Film Awards". The Globe and Mail, May 18, 1965. Nobody Waved Good-bye Roman Kroitor, Don Owen Sweet Substitute Larry Kent 1966 18th Canadian Film Awards Mission of Fear (Le Festin des morts) André Belleau, Fernand Dansereau 1967 19th Canadian Film Awards Warrendale Allan King 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards The Ernie Game Robert Allen, Gordon Burwash It Isn't Jacques Cartier's Fault (C'est pas la faute à Jacques Cartier) Georges Dufaux, Clément Perron Wendy Michener, "Dief: Best actor?". The Globe and Mail, May 22, 1968. Kid Sentiment Clément Perron The Man Who Wanted Nothing Mary Walker-Sawka, Paul Sawka The Paper People David Gardner The Times That Are (Le Règne du jour) Guy L. Coté, Jacques Bobet Waiting for Caroline Walford Hewitson 1969 21st Canadian Film Awards Not awarded
1970s Year Film Producers Ref 197022nd Canadian Film Awards Goin' Down the Road Donald Shebib The Act of the Heart Paul Almond, Jennings Lang Betty Lee, "Fourteen films in the running for Etrog's golden approval". The Globe and Mail, September 19, 1970. A Danger to Society (Danger pour la société) Jean Martimbeau Here and Now (L'Initiation) John Dunning Homer Terence Dene, Steven North The House of Light (La chambre blanche) Marguerite Duparc The Johari Window Carleton University The Last Act of Martin Weston Michael Jacot Love in a Four Letter World Arthur Veronka, John Dunning, André Link Prologue Tom Daly, Robin Spry Q-Bec My Love Marguerite Duparc Rainy Day Woman John Roston Red Pierre Lamy Wow Claude Jutra, Robert Forget 197123rd Canadian Film Awards Mon oncle Antoine Marc Beaudet The Apprentice (Fleur bleue) Donald Brittain Victor Stanton, "Awards competition sets entry record". The Province, September 27, 1971. Fortune and Men's Eyes Lewis M. Allen, Lester Persky Foxy Lady Ivan Reitman I'm Going to Get You, Elliott Boy Ron Slutker The Life and Times of Chester-Angus Ramsgood David Curnick The Only Thing You Know Clarke Mackey The Proud Rider George Fras The Reincarnate Seeleg Lester Rip-Off Donald Shebib, Bennett Fode Tiki Tiki Gerald Potterton 197224th Canadian Film Awards Wedding in White John Vidette The Conquest (La Conquête) Jacques Gagné Les Wedman, "Etrog our Oscar". Vancouver Sun, October 6, 1972. The Doves (Les Colombes) Pierre David, Jean-Claude Lord Dream Life (La Vie rêvée) Guy Bergeron Face-Off John F. Bassett IXE-13 Pierre Gauvreau Journey Paul Almond The Merry Wives of Tobias Rouke John Board, Stan Feldman, Samuel C. Jephcott Montreal Blues Jean Dansereau Proxyhawks Jack Darcus The Rebels (Quelques arpents de neige) Claude Héroux The Rowdyman Lawrence Dane The Time of the Hunt (Le Temps d'une chasse) Pierre Gauvreau The True Nature of Bernadette (La Vraie nature de Bernadette) Gilles Carle, Pierre Lamy Voulez-vous coucher avec God? Jack Christie, Michael Hirsh The Wise Guys (Les Smattes) Pierre Lamy 197325th Canadian Film Awards Slipstream James Margellos Between Friends Chalmers Adams Betty Lee, "Seagull irritating, Summer Wishes soars, Slipstream not the expected blockbuster". The Globe and Mail, November 10, 1973. Kamouraska Mag Bodard, Pierre Lamy Paperback Hero John F. Bassett, James Margellos Réjeanne Padovani Marguerite Duparc 1974 Not awarded 197526th Canadian Film Awards Orders (Les Ordres) Gui Caron, Bernard Lalonde 125 Rooms of Comfort Don Haig Martin Knelman, "Rebirth of the film awards". The Globe and Mail, October 2, 1975. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz John Kemeny Black Christmas Bob Clark Child Under a Leaf Robert Baylis, Murray Shostak Eliza's Horoscope Gordon Sheppard Lions for Breakfast Anthony Kramreither Monkeys in the Attic Morley Markson A Quiet Day in Belfast Milad Bessada Sudden Fury Lawrence J. Caza Why Rock the Boat? William Weintraub 197627th Canadian Film Awards Lies My Father Told Me Anthony Bedrich, Harry Gulkin Before the Time Comes (Le Temps de l'avant) Anne Claire Poirier Robert Martin, "Lots of dark horses in film awards race". The Globe and Mail, September 14, 1976. Bound for Glory (Partis pour la gloire) Marc Beaudet Brethren Chalmers Adams, Dennis Zahoruk The Far Shore Pierre Lamy, Judy Steed, Joyce Wieland Goldenrod Gerry Arbeld, Lionel Chetwynd Normande (La tête de Normande St-Onge) Gilles Carle Partners Don Owen, Chalmers Adams Second Wind James Margellos 197728th Canadian Film Awards J.A. Martin Photographer (J.A. Martin photographe) Jean-Marc Garand One Man Tom Daly, Michael J. F. Scott "Who's up for what". The Globe and Mail, November 19, 1977. Outrageous! Bill Marshall, Peter O'Brian, Henk Van der Kolk Why Shoot the Teacher? Lawrence T. Hertzog 197829th Canadian Film Awards The Silent Partner Joel B. Michaels, Stephen Young Blood and Guts Peter O'Brian "Four films nominated for Etrogs". The Globe and Mail, August 24, 1978. In Praise of Older Women Robert Lantos, Claude Héroux Three Card Monte Rob Iveson, Richard Gabourie
Best Motion Picture (1980–present)
1980s