The Genie Award for Best Theatrical Short Film was a Canadian film award, historically presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television through its Genie Awards program to a film judged as the year's best short film.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . The award has been inclusive of short films in the live action drama, animated and documentary genres.
Originally presented by the Canadian Film Awards from their creation in 1949, the award was presented annually until 1964 with the exceptions of 1955, when an honourable mention was given but no formal winner was named, and 1957, when the award was not presented. The award was then not presented in 1965, 1966 or 1967.
Beginning in 1968, the Canadian Film Awards instituted separate award categories for "Film Over 30 Minutes" and "Film Under 30 Minutes". This continued for three years until 1971, when the single award for Best Theatrical Short was reinstituted. Except for 1974, when the Canadian Film Awards were entirely cancelled, the award was presented continuously thereafter until the Canadian Film Awards evolved into the Genie Awards in 1980, and continued to be presented in the early years of the Genie Awards.
After 1985, however, the Academy's presentation of the award varied from year to year, with a single award for Best Theatrical Short presented in some years, while separate awards for Best Live Action Short Drama, Best Animated Short and Best Short Documentary were presented in others. This variability continued until the 17th Genie Awards in 1996; since then, the separate genre categories have been consistently presented at all subsequent Genie or Canadian Screen Award ceremonies, and the Best Theatrical Short category is no longer in use.
1940s Year Film Filmmakers Ref 1949 1st Canadian Film Awards Who Will Teach Your Child? Stanley Jackson Canadian Cameo Series Bernard Norrish
1950s Year Film Filmmakers Ref 1950 2nd Canadian Film Awards North Shore (La Terre de Cain) James Beveridge Summer Is for Kids Stanley Jackson 1951 3rd Canadian Film Awards After Prison, What? Ron Weyman 1952 4th Canadian Film Awards Opera School Gudrun Parker The Fruitful Earth Bernard Norrish The Man in the Peace Tower Roger Blais Struggle for Oil Ronald Dick 1953 5th Canadian Film Awards The Bird Fancier (L'Homme aux oiseaux) Bernard Devlin, Jean Palardy Canine Crimebusters Bernard Norrish Citizen Varek Gordon Burwash The Roaring Game Bernard Norrish The Wind-Swept Isles (Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine) Jean Palardy 1954 6th Canadian Film Awards Farewell Oak Street Grant McLean Danish Seining Herman Noelle The Settler (L'Abatis) Bernard Devlin 1955 7th Canadian Film Awards High Tide in Newfoundland Grant McLean Honourable mention only; no official winner named 1956 8th Canadian Film Awards Gold Colin Low Jolifou Inn Colin Low The Shepherd Julian Biggs 1957 9th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1958 10th Canadian Film Awards The Sceptre and the Mace John Howe 1959 11th Canadian Film Awards Money Minters Ted De Wit The Quest Nicholas Balla, Stanley Jackson The Tall Country Lew Parry, Osmond Borradaile
1960s Year Film Filmmakers Ref 1960 12th Canadian Film Awards Royal River Gordon Sparling 1961 13th Canadian Film Awards Universe Tom Daly, Colin Low, Roman Kroitor 1962 14th Canadian Film Awards Morning on the Lièvre David Bairstow, Guy Glover 1963 15th Canadian Film Awards Nahanni Donald Wilder 1964 16th Canadian Film Awards Anniversary William Weintraub 1965 17th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1966 18th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1967 19th Canadian Film Awards No award presented 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards Film Over 30 Minutes Do Not Fold, Staple, Spindle or MutilateJohn Howe Film Under 30 MinutesThis Is No Time for Romance (Ça n'est pas le temps des romans)Fernand Dansereau 1969 21st Canadian Film Awards Film Over 30 Minutes Vertige Gilles Boivin, Clément Perron And No Birds Sing John Thomson Hey, Cinderella! John T. Ross, Peter Miner Film Under 30 Minutes At Home Martin Lavut
1970s Year Film Filmmakers Ref 1970 22nd Canadian Film Awards Film Over 30 Minutes A Matter of FatWilliam Weintraub Film Under 30 MinutesBlakeBill Mason 1971 23rd Canadian Film Awards Don't Knock the Ox Tony Ianzelo 1972 24th Canadian Film Awards This Is a Photograph Albert Kish 1973 25th Canadian Film Awards Goodbye Sousa Tony Ianzelo 1974 No award presented 1975 26th Canadian Film Awards Along These Lines Isabel Ripley, Patrick Watson, Peter Pearson 1976 27th Canadian Film Awards Cooperage Phillip Borsos 1977 28th Canadian Film Awards Spartree Phillip Borsos Outtakes Barry Healey "Canadian Film Awards nominations". The Albertan, October 18, 1977. The Sand Castle (Le Chateau de sable) Co Hoedeman Silent Sky Laszlo George, David Mackay, Douglas Murray 1978 29th Canadian Film Awards The Bronswik Affair (L'Affaire Bronswik) Robert Awad, André Leduc
1980s Year Film Filmmakers Ref 1980 1st Genie Awards Nails Phillip Borsos Track Stars: The Unseen Heroes of Movie Sound Terry Burke Jay Scott, "Changeling leads Canadian Film Award nominees". The Globe and Mail, February 8, 1980. Twice Upon a Time... (Il était deux fois) Giles Walker 1981 2nd Genie Awards The Strongest Man in the World Halya Kuchmij Heavy Horse Pull Roberta King, Ronald Squire Jay Scott, "Genie nominations released". The Globe and Mail, February 10, 1981. History of the World in Three Minutes Flat Michael Mills 1982 3rd Genie Awards Zea André Leduc, Robert Forget, Jean-Jacques Leduc Top Priority Ishu Patel Jay Scott, "Les Plouffe, Ticket to Heaven lead the pack Academy lists Genie nominees". The Globe and Mail, February 4, 1982. Voyage de nuit Roger Frappier, Carole Mondello 1983 4th Genie Awards Elvis Gratton Pierre Falardeau, Julien Poulin Footsteps Scott Barrie Jay Scott, "Top Genie prospects for Jack Miner movie". The Globe and Mail, February 10, 1983. The Only Game in Town David Fine, Ron Mann The Toaster (Le Toasteur) Michel Bouchard 1984 5th Genie Awards Ted Baryluk's Grocery Michael Scott, Wolf Koenig Brushstrokes Sylvie Fefer Carole Corbeil, "Does anybody care about Genie shorts and documentaries?". The Globe and Mail, March 16, 1984. Snow Stephen Zoller, Tibor Takács 1985 6th Genie Awards Charade Jon Minnis I Think of You Often Scott Barrie Bruce Bailey, "Quebec sweeps nominations for best-picture Genie awards". Montreal Gazette, February 15, 1985. Productivity and Performance by Alex K. Nicolas Stiliadis, Syd Cappe The Terrapin (La Terrapène) Michel Bouchard, Jacques Pettigrew 1986 7th Genie Awards No award presented; see separate genre lists. 1987 8th Genie Awards No award presented; see separate genre lists. 1988 9th Genie Awards George and Rosemary David Fine, Alison Snowden Fashion 99 Karen Firus "Quebec film picks up 14 nominations: Zoo paces race for Genies". The Globe and Mail, February 17, 1988. Future Block Kevin McCracken 1989 10th Genie Awards No award presented; see separate genre lists.
1990s Year Film Filmmakers Ref 1990 11th Genie Awards No award presented; see separate genre lists. 1991 12th Genie Awards Saeed Mehra Meh Edsville James O'Regan Christopher Harris, "Black Robe leads race for Genies: Film community notes surprising omissions in list of nominees". The Globe and Mail, October 10, 1991. Man Descending Raymond Lorenz, Neil Grieve The Night of the Visitor (La Nuit du visiteur) René Gueissaz The Star Turn Donald Booth 1992 13th Genie Awards No award presented; see separate genre lists. 1993 14th Genie Awards No award presented; see separate genre lists. 1994 15th Genie Awards Arrowhead Emmet Sheil, Peter Lynch Bob's Birthday David Fine, Alison Snowden "Exotica dominates Genie nominations". Montreal Gazette, October 20, 1994. Collateral Damage Leonard Farlinger, Pamela Davenport Save My Lost Nigga Soul Damon D'Oliveira, Clement Virgo Without Rockets Keith Tomasek, Gary Yates 1995 16th Genie Awards Magical Flowers (Les fleurs magiques) Jean-Marc Vallée The End of the World in Four Seasons Marcy Page, Paul Driessen "Lepage leads Genie nominees". The Globe and Mail, November 8, 1995. Movements of the Body: "1st Movement: The Gesture" Wayne Traudt Off Key Karethe Linaae, Wade Ferley You Love Me I Hate You Myra Fried, Rosamund Owen 1996 17th Genie Awards The Home for Blind Women Sandra Kybartas Curtains (Rideau) Mark Morgenstern, Stephanie Morgenstern Christopher Harris, "Greyson's Lilies leads Genie field Film with all-male cast gets 14 nominations". The Globe and Mail, October 17, 1996. The Feeler Colleen Murphy, Elizabeth Yake
References