The Donald Brittain Award is a Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to honour the year's best television documentary on a social or political topic. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards. The award may be presented to either a standalone broadcast of a documentary film, or to an individual full-length episode of a news or documentary series; documentary films which originally premiered theatrically, but were not already submitted for consideration in a CSA film category before being broadcast on television, are also considered television films for the purposes of the award.
The award is named in honour of Donald Brittain, a pioneering Canadian documentary filmmaker."Gemini gala scores with innovation; Awards show tosses in falcon, football and plea from star of Wayne's World". Montreal Gazette, March 9, 1992. On one occasion to date, the award has been won by a documentary film about Brittain and his importance to the history of Canadian documentary film.
Nominees and winners 1990s Year Film Nominee(s) Ref 1991 6th Gemini Awards Island of Whales George Johnson, Jack Silberman, Gillian Darling, Jerry Appleton Mike Boone, "Gemini gala scores with innovation; Awards show tosses in falcon, football and plea from star of Wayne's World". Montreal Gazette, March 9, 1992. Between Two Worlds Peter Raymont Distress Signals Kent Martin, John Walker, Tom Perlmutter James Bay: The Wind That Keeps Blowing Nancy Archibald Transplant: The Breath of Life Elias Petras 1992 7th Gemini Awards Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer Terence Macartney-Filgate, Don Haig "Gemini winners". Edmonton Journal, March 8, 1993. Man Alive: "Chernobyl 2" Halya Kuchmij On the Eighth Day: Perfecting Mother Nature Mary Armstrong Threads of Hope Les Harris, Jane Harris Women in the Shadows Signe Johansson, Christine Welsh 1993 8th Gemini Awards Donald Brittain: Filmmaker Adam Symansky Christopher Harris, "Geminis annoint controversial mini-series: From ban to blessing, seven awards put The Boys of St. Vincent in a state of grace". The Globe and Mail, March 5, 1994. Adrienne Clarkson Presents: "Artemesia" Adrienne Clarkson Mike Boone, "The Gemini awards; There'll be some ghosts on stage at Canadian television's annual awards show Sunday night". Montreal Gazette, March 5, 1994. Man Alive: "Held Hostage" Halya Kuchmij The Fifth Estate: "Odd Man Out" Susan Teskey The Nature of Things: "Trading Futures" Michael Poole 1994 9th Gemini Awards Shadows and Light: Joaquin Rodrigo at 90 Larry Weinstein, Niv Fichman Tony Atherton, "Geminis come of age; Due South, Browning show score big". Ottawa Citizen, March 6, 1995. Dream Tower Ron Mann "And the Canadian nominees are..." Vancouver Sun, January 18, 1995. Hidden Children Julia Sereny No Man's Land Shelley Saywell Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo John Zaritsky, Virginia Storring 1995 10th Gemini Awards Ms. Conceptions Linda Frum, Ric Esther Bienstock Liam Lacey, "Due South big winner at Geminis: CTV series takes 8 awards; CBC docudrama Life With Billy alse earns major honours". The Globe and Mail, March 2, 1996. The Fifth Estate: "Sealed in Silence" David Kaufman Christopher Harris, "Due South captures 15 Gemini nominations". The Globe and Mail, March 2, 1996. The Last Trip Ina Fichman The Negotiator Laszlo Barna Orphans of Manchuria Annie Dodds The Voyage of the St. Louis Arnie Gelbart 1996 11th Gemini Awards Utshimassits: Place of the Boss John Walker, Mike Mahoney, Peter d'Entremont Eric Kohanik, "Due South honored". Kingston Whig-Standard, March 3, 1997. Fire and Water Shelley Saywell Christopher Harris, "CBC-TV tops Geminis News, current affairs lead nominations". The Globe and Mail, January 15, 1997. Scenes from a Corner Store Sun-Kyung Yi Summer in the Cherry Orchard Ann Bromley The True Story of Linda M. Norma Bailey, Joe MacDonald 1997 12th Gemini Awards The Selling of Innocents Elliott Halpern, Simcha Jacobovici, William Cobban Craig MacInnis, "Gemini Awards bullish on Traders". St. Catharines Standard, March 2, 1998. My Russian Campaign: From Montreal to Moscow John Curtin Ellen Vanstone, "Fifth estate leads field: Geminis to be awarded at galas". The Globe and Mail, January 14, 1998. Mystics, Mechanics and Mindbombs Michael Chechik, Jerry Thompson Nowhere Else to Live Alan Handel Picturing a People: George Johnston Tlingit Photographer George Hargrave, Sally Bochner 1998 13th Gemini Awards Gerrie & Louise Phyllis Brown, Sturla Gunnarsson, David York Bob Blakey, "Traders Wins Big: The Sleep Room other top winner at Geminis". Calgary Herald, October 5, 1998. Confessions of a Rabid Dog Rudy Buttignol, Gerry Flahive, Julia Sereny John McKay, "CBC tops Gemini nominations but Bach doc gets single-show nod". Canadian Press, August 11, 1998. Dad Chris Triffo Some Kind of Arrangement Geeta Sondhi Witness: "Between Here and Heaven" Andrew Gregg, Wayne Abbott 1999 14th Gemini Awards Crimes of Honour Shelley Saywell "Milgaard wins big at Geminis". Halifax Daily News, November 8, 1999. Believing Nicole Lamothe "Major Gemini Awards nominations". Toronto Star, September 22, 1999. The Dragon's Egg Rudy Buttignol, Allan King, Elizabeth Yake East Side Showdown Peter Starr Four Women of Egypt Éric Michel
2000s Year Film Nominee(s) Ref 2000 15th Gemini Awards Deep Inside Clint Star Silva Basmajian "Prime time night for Canada". The Province, October 31, 2000. Asylum: Falling Through the Cracks Christopher Sumpton "Complete list of Gemini nominees". Toronto Star, September 20, 2000. Kikkik Ole Gjerstad Legacy of Terror: The Bombing of Air India Rudy Buttignol, Shelley Saywell The Holier It Gets Rudy Buttignol, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier 2001 16th Gemini Awards Breakaway: A Tale of Two Survivors Johanna Lunn Montgomery, Johanna Eliot, Mathew Welsh Chickens Are People Too John Kastner, Hilary Armstrong, Marie Natanson, Charlotte Odele In the Shadow of a Saint Mark Johnston, Stephen Milton Kim Campbell: Through the Looking Glass Silva Basmajian A Moment in Time: The United Colours of Bronstein Judy Jackson 2002 17th Gemini Awards Offspring Barry Stevens, Laszlo Barna Aftermath: The Remnants of War Peter Starr, Ed Barreveld, Michael Kot Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture Jill Sharpe, Lynn Booth In the Line of Fire Patricia Naylor Waging Peace: A Year in the Life of Caledonia Junior High Sally Bochner, Peter d'Entremont, Kent Martin 2003 18th Gemini Awards Return to Kandahar Paul Jay, Nelofer Pazira, David M. Ostriker Chinese Daughters Dorlene Lin, Rudy Buttignol Salvation Kent Martin Seeing Is Believing Francis Miquet, Peter Wintonick, Katerina Cizek, Catherine Olsen The Tree That Remembers Sally Bochner 2004 19th Gemini Awards Dying at Grace Allan King, Rudy Buttignol "Award show let laughter lead the way". Toronto Star, December 14, 2004. Deadline Iraq: Uncensored Stuart Coxe, Greg Kelly, Douglas Arrowsmith, Eric Foss, Aaron Williams Dying to Be Free: Zimbabwe's Struggle for Change David Belluz Short Infinity Jean Lemire, Yves Bisaillon The Man Who Could Be King Mark Johnston, Edith Champagne, Nancy Ing Duclos 2005 20th Gemini Awards Runaway Grooms Ali Kazimi "The Gemini winners". The Globe and Mail, November 20, 2005. El Contrato Karen King-Chigbo Alex Strachan, "Two top comedies all but snubbed by Geminis". Vancouver Sun, October 12, 2005. No Place Called Home Peter Starr One More River Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge Rage Against the Darkness Deborah Parks, John Kastner The Take Avi Lewis, Naomi Klein, Laszlo Barna, Silva Basmajian 2006 21st Gemini Awards House Calls Gerry Flahive, Silva Basmajian Beyond Words: Photographers of War Eric Foss, Stuart Coxe, Greg Kelly "Gemini nominations an odd mix: TV awards show will be staged in Richmond Nov. 4 -- a first". Vancouver Sun, August 30, 2006. Big Sugar Stephen Phizicky, Sylvia Wilson, Arnie Gelbart Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company Kathy Avrich-Johnson, Allan King, Rudy Buttignol No More Tears Sister Pierre Lapointe, Sally Bochner 2007 22nd Gemini Awards Fatherland Manfred Becker, Laszlo Barna Bombay Calling Sally Bochner, Adam Symansky "TV dramas lead the field for Gemini Awards". CBC News, August 28, 2007. Cottonland Annette Clarke, Kent Martin EMPz 4 Life Kathy Avrich-Johnson, Rudy Buttignol, Allan King Faith Without Fear Silva Basmajian, Gordon Henderson Martyr Street Deborah Parks, Shelley Saywell 2008 23rd Gemini Awards A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman Peter Raymont "CBC Wins Big At Geminis; Best Newscast". National Post, October 21, 2008. A Place Between: The Story of an Adoption Joe MacDonald, Graydon McRea, Michael Scott, Derek Mazur "Dramas rack up Gemini nominations". Winnipeg Free Press, August 27, 2008. Darfur: On Our Watch Neil Docherty, Lisa Ellenwood Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time Johanna Lunn, Kent Martin Girl Inside Maya Gallus, Justine Pimlott 2009 24th Gemini Awards Tiger Spirit Ed Barreveld, Anita Lee, Min Sook Lee "Gemini Award winners". Ottawa Citizen, November 15, 2009. Air India 182 David York, Sturla Gunnarsson bploi wai dtaai: Leave Her to Die Antonia Thomson, Sean Buckley Norm Kent Nason, Teresa MacInnes Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma Peter Raymont, Silva Basmajian
2010s