(December 13, 2017 – Toronto, ON) It’s time to mark your calendars, if you still use calendars, or enter some dates in the electronic device of your choice as we move into Awards Season. Like Film Festival Season, there really is no hard and fast start and end dates but what makes it a season is a cluster of important events so close to each other that it seems as if nothing else is happening in the world.
We’ve assembled some of the more important dates but will ignore things like the Cinema Audio Society awards and other events that are important to the industry but don’t have a huge interest for the general public and don’t have international TV awards shows. We also don’t list various film festival awards although some during this period, particularly films coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, which this year runs from January 18th to the 28th, are important to filmmakers and help boost their films early in the year.
This year things got going when the Directors Guild of Canada Awards were held in Toronto on October 28th. This month, the Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) announced the results of their membership vote in 11 categories on December 10th. TFCA members will also choose the three finalists for the 2017 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, but we will have to wait for the TFCA Awards Gala on January 9th to learn which film wins the highly prestigeous and lucrative award. The winners of the British Independent Film Awards were also announced on December 10th.
The nominations for the Golden Globes were announced earlier this week. Canadian content included nods toward the Canada-shot series The Handmaid’s Tale which picked up nominations for Best Actress (Elizabeth Moss), Best Supporting Actress (Ann Down) and Best Drama TV Series. The Canadian co-production feature film The Breadwinner was nominated for Best animated film. Last year Ryan Gosling picked up the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his work in La La Land (Pictured). The 75th Annual Golden Globe® Awards will air live with host Seth Meyers on January 7, 2018 8/5PT on CTV.
Of special note, The Golden Globes 75th Anniversary Special will air tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. The two-hour special will be hosted by Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, who have a combined 13 Golden Globe nominations between them.
One final note for December, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will announce their slate of nominations today, December 13th.
The new year starts with the announcement of the Art Directors Guild nominations on January 4th. The Producers Guild of America deadline for nominations for motion pictures and animated motion pictures closes on the 4th and they will announce those nominated films the very next day, January 5th. Also on the 5th, the American Film Institute (AFI) holds their Awards Luncheon. Turns out the 5th is a busy day as voting for Academy Award nominations begins at 8AM, Pacific Standard Time.
As mentioned, the Golden Globe Awards will be announced live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on January 7th and the TFCA Awards Gala takes place on January 9th.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations will be announced on January 9th, the Critics’ Choice Awards happen on January 11th and voting for Academy Award nominations ends at 5PM, Pacific Standard Time on January 12th. It should be noted that this just narrows the field to those films and people that will be nominated. Final voting for winners in the Academy’s long list of categories begins on February 20th and closes on February 27th.
The Canadian Academy will announce their nominees for 2018 Canadian Screen Awards for film, television and Digital Media on January 16th.
The Leo Awards, presented by the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia has set a deadline for submission of January 26, 2018.
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards will be held on February 3rd, the Writers Guild of America Awards will be held on February 11th and the BAFTA Awards will be held on February 18.
March brings the Independent Spirit Awards on the 3rd, the 90th annual Academy Awards on March 4th and the Canadian Screen Awards will be broadcast on CBC Sunday March 11, at 8pm EST (9pm PT, 9: 30pm NT).
Awards season is essentially over by the end of March but on April 30th, 2018, the Writers Guild of Canada will hold its 22nd annual national awards honouring excellence in screenwriting.
There will be more details as each event draws near and Northernstars will cover those Canadians filmmakers and films that get nominated and win awards. One predication: look for Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 to show up at the Oscars® and the Canadian Screen Awards.
