The 25th Canadian Film Awards were announced on October 12, 1973, to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 111-114.

Quebec boycott

The awards were marred by controversy, when 14 Quebec film directors signed an open letter announcing a

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

of the awards over their handling of Quebec films."Group fights to save Film Awards after Quebec directors bow out". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 10, 1973. The signatories were

Gilles Carle Gilles Carle, (July 31, 1928As fully funny, Carle had pleasure to always give himself one year less, and to let people think wrongly that he was born in 1929, "The Year of the Big World Crash": see on the Quebec French newspapers that many writer ...

Denis Héroux Denis Héroux, (; July 15, 1940 – December 10, 2015) was a Canadian film director and producer. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, he was the older brother of prolific Quebec film and television producer Claude Héroux. Héroux wanted to bec ...

Claude Jutra Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter.

Marcel Carrière Marcel Carrière (born April 16, 1935) is a Canadian film director and sound engineer. Biography Marcel Carrière joined the NFB in 1955 after studying electronic engineering and developed his skills as a sound engineer while working on wildli ...

Denys Arcand Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film ''The Barbarian Invasions'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004. His films have also been nominated three f ...

Clément Perron Clément Perron (July 3, 1929 – October 12, 1999) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Early life and education Perron was born in Quebec City, Quebec. After graduating from the University of Laval with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosop ...

André Melançon André Melançon (February 18, 1942 - August 23, 2016) was a Canadian actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for directing and writing several installments in the Tales for All series of children's films. Career The versatile André M ...

, Jacques Gagné, Gilles Therien, René Avon, André Bélanger, Jean Saulnier,

Roger Frappier Roger Frappier (born April 14, 1945) is a Canadian producer, director, editor, actor, and screenwriter. Biography Roger Frappier worked in all areas of the film business, from film critic to television commercial director to director/ producer of t ...

and

Aimée Danis Aimée Danis (September 19, 1929 - May 8, 2012) was a Canadian film director and producer from Quebec.Guy Fournier"Aimée Danis, une femme si effacée" ''Le Journal de Montréal'', May 16, 2012. She produced the films ''Léolo'' and ''My Friend Ma ...

. They expressed the view that English Canadian and French Canadian film were two different domains which could not be directly compared against each other in the same categories but instead needed to each have their own selection criteria and even their own separate awards, and criticized the funding processes of organizations such as the

Canadian Film Development Corporation Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in ...

, the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

and the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. The directors chose to protest even though the awards had been scheduled to be presented in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

."A wake for Canadian cinema". ''

'', October 13, 1973. Although the directors stated that they intended their letter as a "quiet" gesture, it had an explosive impact; the Canadian Film Award gala scheduled for October 12 was cancelled, with the winners of the awards announced only at a press conference, and the awards were entirely cancelled in 1974, with the 26th Canadian Film Awards not taking place until 1975. Producers and film distributors from Quebec, conversely, dissociated themselves from the directors' move. Despite the boycott, several of the boycotting directors' films were named as winners, although Carle's win of the

Wendy Michener Award The Wendy Michener Award was a Canadian film award, presented by the Canadian Film Awards from 1969 to 1978 as a special achievement award for outstanding artistic achievements in film.Paul Townend"Wendy Michener Award" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia' ...

, for "outstanding contribution to the Canadian Film Awards and the Canadian film industry", was booed in the theatre.

Best Picture controversy

The awards faced further controversy when ''

Slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or mustard) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving fluid, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is churning. The term sli ...

'' was announced as the winner of the award for

Best Feature Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

. The film's Best Feature Film win, over '' Kamouraska'', ''

Réjeanne Padovani ''Réjeanne Padovani'' is a Canadian drama film from Quebec, written and directed by Denys Arcand and released in 1973. It was his second narrative feature film as a director, but the first for which he was also the screenwriter. An examination of ...

'', '' Paperback Hero'' and '' Between Friends'', was widely derided by critics. ''

'' film critic Betty Lee acknowledged that the film showed some promise on Acomba's part, but concluded that it "sags embarrassingly under its weight of honors"."Seagull irritating, Summer Wishes soars, Slipstream not the expected blockbuster". ''

'', November 10, 1973. In its December 1973 year in review, the paper named it as the worst film of the year and singled out the Canadian Film Awards for a special "Grand Prix for General All-Around Stupidity", both for choosing ''Slipstream'' as Best Picture over four much stronger nominees and for giving the Michener Award to Carle."The stinkers of '73". ''

'', December 29, 1973. Its victory was also later cited as an indication that the boycotting directors had been correct in their beliefs that the Canadian Film Awards had a systemic bias against Quebec films."Rebirth of the film awards". ''

'', October 2, 1975.

Winners

Films

*Feature Film: ''

'' — James Margellos *Theatrical Documentary: '' Coming Home'' — Bill Reid *Documentary: '' Grierson'' — Roger Blais and ''

Faire hurler les murs ''Faire hurler les murs'' is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Jean Saulnier and released in 1972. The film is a portrait of artist Jordi Bonet, as he works on the mural at the Grand Théâtre de Québec."Faire hurler les murs". ''Le ...

'' — Jean Saulnier *Theatrical Short: '' Goodbye Sousa'' —

Tony Ianzelo Tony Ianzelo (born June 13, 1935) is a Canadian documentary director and cinematographer. Career Ianzelo was born in Toronto, Ontario, and attended Toronto's Ryerson Institute of Technology. His career at the National Film Board of Canada wa ...

*Animated Short: '' The Family That Dwelt Apart'' — Yvon Mallette *TV Drama: ''

The Sloane Affair ''The Sloane Affair'' is a Canadian docudrama television film, directed by Douglas Jackson and broadcast by CBC Television in 1973.Blaik Kirby, "Heavy-handed propaganda from National Revenue". ''The Globe and Mail'', February 14, 1973. Created b ...

'' — Douglas Jackson *TV Information: '' The Ungrateful Land'' —

Cynthia Scott Cynthia Scott (born January 1, 1939) is a Canadian award-winning filmmaker who has produced, directed, written, and edited several films with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Her works have won the Oscar and Canadian Film Award. Scott i ...

*Nature and Wildlife: '' Return of the Giants'' — Ralph Ellis, Gerald S. Kedley *Travel and Recreation: ''Island Eden'' — Norman Keziere and ''Ski Alberta'' — C. N. Ross *Public Relations: ''We Are Running Out of Time'' — Jan Turek *Sales Promotion: ''Way of Wood'' — Roy E. Burns *Training and Instruction: ''Moccasin Flats'' — Patrick Watson and ''The Trial of Polly Upgate'' — Gertrude McCance, Don Williams

Special awards

*Special Achievement:

Claude Jutra Claude Jutra (; March 11, 1930 – November 5, 1986) was a Canadian actor, film director, and screenwriter.

, '' Kamouraska'' and Cameron Graham, '' To War and Back'' *Certificate of Merit: Gilles Thérien, '' Ratopolis'' *John Grierson Award: Robert Forget, for outstanding contributions to Canadian cinema *Wendy Michener Award:

, for outstanding contribution to the Canadian Film Awards and the Canadian film industry

Feature film craft

*Actor:

Jacques Godin Jacques Godin (; 14 September 1930 – 26 October 2020) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor. He was born in Montreal, Quebec. Career He won the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor at the 25th Canadian Film Awards in 1973 for his role ...

, '' O.K. ... Laliberté'' *Actress:

Geneviève Bujold Geneviève Bujold (; born July 1, 1942) is a Canadian actress. For her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the period drama film ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969), Bujold received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other film cre ...

, '' Kamouraska'' *Supporting Actor:

Willie Lamothe Willie Lamothe was the stage name of Joachim Guillaume Lamothe (January 27, 1920 – October 19, 1992), a Canadian musician and actor from Quebec.

, ''

The Death of a Lumberjack ''The Death of a Lumberjack'' (french: La Mort d'un bûcheron) is a 1973 Canadian drama film directed by Gilles Carle. The film was entered into the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. Plot A young woman (Carole Laure) from rural Quebec comes to Montre ...

(La mort d'un bûcheron)'' *Supporting Actress:

Camille Bernard Camille Bernard (February 25, 1898 – July 16, 1984) was a Canadian opera singer, actress and music educator from Quebec.Kamouraska'' *Art Direction:

François Barbeau François Barbeau (July 27, 1935 – January 28, 2016) was an award-winning Canadian costume designer. He was a professor at the National Theatre School of Canada and the Université du Québec à Montréal who worked on over 700 productions in Qu ...

, '' Kamouraska'' *Cinematography: Donald Wilder, '' Paperback Hero'' *Director:

David Acomba David Acomba is a Canadian television and film producer/director whose television programmes have been featured on CBS, ABC, PBS, CBC, CTV, BBC, Channel 4, Showtime, and HBO. Early life and education David Acomba was born (1944) and raised in ...

, ''

'' *Editing: Kirk Jones, '' Paperback Hero'' *Sound Editing: Alan Lloyd, ''

'' *Musical Score:

Willie Lamothe Willie Lamothe was the stage name of Joachim Guillaume Lamothe (January 27, 1920 – October 19, 1992), a Canadian musician and actor from Quebec.

, Tristan Hansinger, Chick Peabody and Peter Van Ginkel, ''

(La mort d'un bûcheron)'' *Screenplay: Jacques Benoît and

, ''

'' *Overall Sound: Jean Rival, '' L'Infonie inachevée...'' and Joe Grimaldi, '' Paperback Hero''

Non-feature craft

*Actor:

Marcel Sabourin Marcel Sabourin, OC (born March 25, 1935) is a Canadian actor and writer from Quebec.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof"Sabourin, Marcel" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', October 20, 2015. He is most noted for his role as Abel Gagné, the centra ...

, ''

Des armes et les hommes Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include: People * Des Buckingham, English football manager * Des Corcoran, (1928–2004), Australian politician * Des Dillon (disambiguation), severa ...

'' *Actress:

Jackie Burroughs Jacqueline "Jackie" Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Early life Born in Southport, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England, she emigrated to Canada on 26 August 1948 with her mother Edna, ...

, ''Vicky'' *Art Direction: Denis Boucher, ''

'' *Cinematography: Paul Vézina and Paul Maltais, ''

'' and Pierre Letarte, '' The Ungrateful Land'' *Direction: Douglas Jackson, ''

'' and Arthur Lamothe, '' A bon pied bon œil'' *Editing: Claude Lavoie, ''

'' and Danielle Gagné, '' A bon pied bon œil'' *Sound Editing: Arla Saare, ''The Shield'' *Musical Score: Les Stein, ''

'' and Herbert Helbig, '' To War and Back'' *Screenplay: Douglas Jackson and Alvin Goldman, ''

'' *Non-Dramatic Screenplay:

, ''

''; Keith Harley, '' The Winning of Nickel'';

Pen Densham Pen Densham (born 14 October 1947) is a British-Canadian film and television producer, writer, and director, known for writing and producing films such as '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves''Kasindorf, Jeanie. "Million Dollar Babies: How a Bunch of ...

, J. Fisher and John Watson, ''Streetworker'' *Sound Recording: Richard Besse and Jacques Chévigny, ''Station 10'' and Karen Foster and Clarke Da Prato, ''Are You Listening (You Out There?)'' *Sound Re-Recording: Michel Descombes, ''Le Vent''

References

{{Canadian Screen Awards

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

1973 in Canada Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978) Cancelled film events