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A new rule at the Canadian Screen Awards that restricts prizes to Canadian citizens and permanent residents is drawing criticism from some filmmakers at a time when they increasingly rely on cross-border collaborations and international talent.
Several of the most-nominated films and television series this year feature leads from the U.S., including the post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres, the sizzling Crave hockey romance Heated Rivalry, and Montreal-set comedy Mile End Kicks.
Matthew Miller, one of the producers of Mile End Kicks, which received seven nominations on Wednesday, says it was unfortunate not to be able to submit the film’s lead actress for a nomination.
In the film, Euphoria breakout Barbie Ferreira plays an aspiring music critic whose career ambitions get sidetracked by her dating life.
Ferreira, who is from New York City, is ineligible for a performance award following the change in qualifications that the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced late last year.
“As a producer, that makes it harder for us to sort of market our movie and put the stars of our movie in front of our movie. So yeah, I don’t think it was a great decision, to be honest,” Miller said in an interview Wednesday.
“I think Canadian movies are hard to make, and they’re really hard to get financed. And they’re predicated on being able to cast non-Canadians in the movie and import some stars into these movies.”
Miller, who also co-produced this year’s box-office triumph Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie and noted he wasn’t able to submit both of the film’s editors for consideration because one is American, has seen success with casting Hollywood names alongside local talent.
“We benefited off of this hugely on our previous film BlackBerry, where we got to pair a Canadian actor like Jay Baruchel with an American actor like Glenn Howerton,” said Miller, who was a producer on the film.
BlackBerry broke the record for most wins at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, and both stars took home trophies.
Praise for boosting homegrown talent
Still, despite some Heated Rivalry fans grumbling that U.S. actor Connor Storrie isn’t eligible for an award while his Canadian co-star Hudson Williams is, many in the industry are applauding the Screen Awards’ decision to lean into a patriotic sensibility that took deeper hold after Donald Trump threatened the industry with tariffs.
Last year, several of the top acting awards went to Hollywood stars including Cate Blanchett, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, none of whom attended the ceremonies.
“Different countries have their different awards and I think it’s great to celebrate our talent,” said North of North creator and executive producer Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, whose Iqaluit-set raunchy comedy is this year’s top nominee with 20 nods.
ACTRA, the Canadian actors’ union also said in a statement that it sees the move as a way to elevate the Canadian industry.
“The fight for cultural sovereignty starts at home and these nominations make all Canadians proud and excited for the future of our domestic entertainment industry,” said Eleanor Noble, ACTRA national president.
Academy open to future review
Louis Calabro, vice-president of programming and awards for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television said Thursday the organization makes decisions about rules based on feedback from its committees.
He suggested the rules might be up for review again after this year, noting the organization wants to make informed choices and avoid a “knee-jerk response.”
“We’re never tied to one thing for too long,” said Calabro. “We’ll try new things, we’ll look at how it plays out, we’ll talk to producers and then review again.”
R.T. Thorne, who directed the film 40 Acres, also saw his lead actress Danielle Deadwyler becpme ineligible due to the rule change.
“The reality of filmmaking is that films often get financed because there’s a star that’s bankable in multiple territories,” said Thorne.
40 Acres leads the film categories with 10 nominations and Thorne proposed a new idea for the Canadian Academy.
“Maybe you create an award for an international star so that the films that do get out there and that do find somebody in another place, that you honour that as well,” Thorne said.
Calabro says the Canadian Academy has tried this type of solution in the past with an international drama category on the television side. “We tried that for a couple of years.”
He said it was important to keep a dialogue open with the industry “and develop the rules in consultation with them.”
