The 1st Genie Awards were presented on March 20, 1980, and honoured films released in 1979.Jay Scott, "Changeling wins Genie as year's best movie". The Globe and Mail, March 21, 1980.
Immediately after the 1978 Canadian Film Awards, which were nearly cancelled due to disputes and controversy, industry leaders met to design a new awards organization based on the academy system of industry nomination and secret ballot. Members of the Canadian Film Awards committee were skeptical about nominator qualifications, and about the motivations of those who wanted the academy system, fearing that they would imitate the American model and that big-budget commercial films would swamp Canadian films.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 117-199.
After a year of discussion, it was agreed that 14 members of the CFA committee and 14 elected representatives from industry organizations would form a board to oversee a new association whose mandate was to stimulate higher standards of filmmaking, foster educational service and develop public awareness of the industry. On April 11, 1979, the creation of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television was formally announced.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 117-199.
For the first time 500 filmmakers were responsible for nomination and voting. Films were screened for members in Montreal and Toronto and then chosen by secret nomination and final ballot before being submitted to an impartial accounting firm.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 117-199.
Ceremony The first Genie Awards, as they were now known, were given out at a gala event at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto with actor Bruno Gerussi as host.Duart Snow, "Enter Genie, son of old Etrog". Ottawa Journal, March 15, 1980.Jay Scott, "Changeling leads Canadian Film Award nominees". The Globe and Mail, February 8, 1980.
The show was broadcast live on CBC Television and was noted for its Oscars-like production design, with production numbers including a jazz dance performance by Jeff Hyslop and Karen Kain set to the tune of "Dancing in the Dark", and female impersonator Craig Russell in character as Judy Garland.Meg Floyd, "Jazzing up the Genies". The Globe and Mail, March 15, 1980.
On March 19, cartoonist Ben Wicks hosted a luncheon for the 105 entrants in the non-feature categories.Rick Groen, "NFB, Brittain dominate TV Genie awards". The Globe and Mail, March 20, 1980. Also this year, on November 6, and under the administration of the academy, the Canadian Film Editors Guild, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and the Canadian Film Sound Society hosted the 1980 Film Craft Awards.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 117-199. Controversies The event was not without controversy. Despite having duly released three nominations in the category of Editing in a Dramatic Film (Non-Feature), the jury used the moment of presentation to announce that they had deemed none worthy of an award. Producer Sam Levene, in his acceptance speech for another award, called the decision an "arrogant slap in the face" to the nominees. The fact that no French language films won any major awards was an issue. Award winner Christopher Plummer used his speech to criticize the distinction made between Canadian and foreign actors, calling on the academy to treat "Canadian or Samothracian" actors equally. The Foreign Actors categories were dropped in 1984.
Award winners and nominees
Films Best Motion Picture Outstanding Theatrical Short The Changeling – Chessman Park Productions, Garth Drabinsky and Joel B. Michaels producers, Peter Medak director Cordélia – National Film Board of Canada, Jean-Marc Garand, Jacques Gagné and Roger Frappier producers, Jean-Marc Garand director Klondike Fever – CFI Investments, Gilbert W. Taylor and Harry Alan Towers) producers, Peter Carter director Meatballs – Famous Players, CFDC and Haliburton Films, Daniel Goldberg, John Dunning and André Link producers, Ivan Reitman director Running – CFDC, Robert M. Cooper, John M. Eckert and Ronald I. Cohen producers, Steven Hilliard Stern director Nails – National Film Board of Canada and Mercury Pictures, Phillip Borsos producer and director Twice Upon a Time... (Il était deux fois) – National Film Board of Canada, Roman Kroitor and Stefan Wodoslawsky producers, Giles Walker director Track Stars: The Unseen Heroes of Movie Sound – Film Arts, Movement Films, Terry Burke and Don Haig producers, Terry Burke director Outstanding Documentary 30 Minutes and Under Outstanding Documentary 30 Minutes and Over Priory: The Only Home I've Got – National Film Board of Canada, Anne Wheeler and Tony Karch producers, Mark Dolgoy director It's Not an Illness – Claire Prieto producer, Roger McTair director Taking Chances – Mobius Productions, Marilyn Belec producer, Robert Lang director Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed – National Film Board of Canada, Donald Brittain and Marrin Canell producers, Donald Brittain director Cities: Glenn Gould's Toronto – John McGreevy Productions and Nielsen-Ferns International, John McGreevy and Pat Ferns producers, John McGreevy director Dieppe 1942 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Terence Macartney-Filgate producer and director Outstanding TV Drama 30 Minutes and Under Outstanding TV Drama 30 Minutes and Over Bravery in the Field – National Film Board of Canada, Roman Kroitor and Stefan Wodoslawsky producers, Giles Walker director Revolution's Orphans – National Film Board of Canada, Rob Iveson and Roman Kroitor producers, John N. Smith director The Spirit of the River to China – Barb Wiseberg and Barry Pearson producers Certain Practices – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Bill Gough and Sam Levene producers For the Record: "Every Person Is Guilty" – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Sam Levene and Vivienne Leebosh producers The Wordsmith – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Robert Sherrin and Robert Allen producers, Claude Jutra director Outstanding AnimationOutstanding Independent Film Every Child (Chaque enfant) – National Film Board of Canada, Derek Lamb producer, Eugene Fedorenko director Caninabis – National Film Board of Canada, Gaston Sarault producer, Kaj Pindal director Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas – Atkinson Film-Arts, Titlecraft, Pooled Film Services, W.H. Stevens, Jr. and Beryl Friesen producers, Vic Atkinson director Track Stars: The Unseen Heroes of Movie Sound – Film Arts and Movement Films, Don Haig and Terry Burke producers, Don Haig director Cities: Glenn Gould's Toronto – John McGreevy Productions, Nielsen-Ferns International, Pat Ferns and John McGreevy producers, John McGreevy director Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas – Atkinson Film-Arts, Titlecraft, Pooled Film Services, W.H. Stevens, Jr. and Beryl Friesen producers, Vic Atkinson director
Feature film craft awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Christopher Plummer, Murder by Decree Geoffrey Bowes, Something's Rotten Robin Gammell, Klondike Fever Thomas Hauff, Summer's Children Stephen Lack, The Rubber Gun Kate Lynch, Meatballs Micheline Lanctôt, A Scream from Silence {Mourir à tue-tête) Louise Marleau, (Heartbreak (L'arrache-coeur) Claire Pimparé, Yesterday Louise Portal, Cordélia Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Gordon Pinsent, Klondike Fever Harvey Atkin, Meatballs Lawrence Dane, Running Chris Makepeace, Meatballs Saul Rubinek, Agency Robert A. Silverman, The Brood Geneviève Bujold, Murder by Decree Helen Burns, The Changeling Patricia Collins, Summer's Children Barbara Gordon, Wild Horse Hank Frances Hyland, The Changeling Best Performance by a Foreign Actor Best Performance by a Foreign Actress George C. Scott, The Changeling Michael Douglas, Running Bill Murray, Meatballs Will Sampson, Fish Hawk Rod Steiger, Klondike Fever Trish Van Devere, The Changeling Susan Anspach, Running Samantha Eggar, The Brood Sally Kellerman, It Rained All Night the Day I Left Cloris Leachman, Yesterday Best Achievement in Art Direction Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design Trevor Williams, The Changeling Denis Boucher and Vianney Gauthier, Cordélia Seamus Flannery, Fish Hawk Seamus Flannery, Klondike Fever Wolf Kroeger, It Rained All Night the Day I Left Roy Forge Smith, Yesterday Carol Spier, The Brood Louise Jobin, Cordélia François Barbeau, Chocolate Eclair (Éclair au chocolat) Linda Matheson, Fish Hawk Patti Unger, Klondike Fever Julie Whitfield, Something's Rotten Julie Whitfield, Tanya's Island Best Achievement in Cinematography Best Achievement in Direction John Coquillon, The Changeling Miklós Lente, Agency Pierre Mignot, Cordélia Reginald H. Morris, Murder by Decree Laszlo George, Running Bob Clark, Murder by Decree Peter Carter, Klondike Fever Anne-Claire Poirier, A Scream from Silence (Mourir à tue-tête) Donald Shebib, Fish Hawk Eric Till, Wild Horse Hank Best Achievement in Film Editing Best Achievement in Sound Editing Stan Cole, Murder by Decree George Appleby, Wild Horse Hank Jean Beaudin, Cordélia Debra Karen, Meatballs Debra Karen, Yesterday Marcel Pothier, Heartbreak (L'arrache-coeur) Ron Wisman, Fish Hawk Patrick Drummond, Dennis Drummond and Robert Grieve, The Changeling Michael Clark and Brian French, Wild Horse Hank Kenneth Heeley-Ray, Agency Kenneth Heeley-Ray, Murder by Decree Marcel Pothier, Chocolate Eclair (Éclair au chocolat) Best Achievement in Sound Outstanding Original Music Score Joe Grimaldi, Austin Grimaldi, Dino Pigat and Karl Scherer, The Changeling David Appleby and Joe Grimaldi, Murder by Decree Gary C. Bourgeois and Richard Lightstone, Meatballs Joe Grimaldi and Bryan Day, The Brood Owen Langevin, Joe Grimaldi and David Appleby, Running Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza, Murder by Decree Hagood Hardy, Klondike Fever Paul Hoffert, Wild Horse Hank Alain Leroux, It Rained All Night the Day I Left Howard Shore, The Brood Best Original Screenplay Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium Len Blum, Dan Goldberg and Janis Allen, Meatballs Mireille Dansereau, Heartbreak (L'arrache-coeur) Allan Moyle, John Laing and Stephen Lack, The Rubber Gun Jim Osborne, Summer's Children Anne Claire Poirier and Marthe Blackburn, A Scream from Silence (Mourir à tue-tête) Steven Hilliard Stern, Running William Gray and Diana Maddox, The Changeling Ted Allan, It Rained All Night the Day I Left Jean Beaudin and Marcel Sabourin, Cordélia R. J. Dryer and Martin Lager, Klondike Fever Jean-Claude Lord and Jean Salvy, Chocolate Eclair (Éclair au chocolat)
Non-feature craft awards Outstanding Performance by an Actor Outstanding Performance by an Actress Rudi Lipp, Revolution's Orphans Ken Pogue, For the Record: "Every Person Is Guilty" Saul Rubinek, The Wordsmith Martha Henry, The Newcomers Lynne Griffin, For the Record: "Every Person Is Guilty" Bronwen Mantel, Revolution's Orphans Janet Ward, The Wordsmith Outstanding Cinematography in a Dramatic Film Outstanding Cinematography in a Documentary Savas Kalogeras, Bravery in the Field David De Volpi, Revolution's Orphans Kenneth W. Gregg, For the Record: "Every Person Is Guilty" Roger Rochat, Ice Birds (Le Pilier de cristal) Ron Orieux, Nails Barry Perles and Douglas Kiefer, Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed Charles Stewart, Dieppe 1942 Outstanding Direction in a Dramatic Film Outstanding Direction in a Documentary Paul Almond, For the Record: "Every Person Is Guilty" Barry Healey, The Night Before the Morning After John N. Smith, Revolution's Orphans Donald Brittain, Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed Phillip Borsos, Nails