Canadian Screen Awards 2018: Anne has leading 13 nominations

Literary revamp Anne, crime drama Cardinal, TV sitcom Kim's Convenience and historical drama film Hochelaga, Land of Souls are among the top contenders for the Canadian Screen Awards.

Organizers unveiled the latest nominees Tuesday in Toronto for the annual celebration of excellence in film, television and digital media productions. The awards are administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Anne, CBC's updated take on Anne of Green Gables, leads with 13 nominations. Not far behind are Bell Media's acclaimed detective series Cardinal and CBC's heartfelt family sitcom Kim's Convenience (12 nominations each).

Meanwhile, another funny family series — CBC's Schitt's Creek — picked up 11 nominations, as did the public broadcaster's period drama Alias Grace, adapted by Sarah Polley from Margaret Atwood's novel.

CBC netted more than 180 nominations overall, including 30 for CBC News.

Other notable TV nominees include Letterkenny, Mary Kills People, W5, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and CBC News productions The National and The Fifth Estate.

The categories honouring films feature a host of titles, with Hochelaga — a generations-spanning look at the history of Montreal — among the leaders with eight nominations. Other top movie contenders include coming-of-age tale Ava, family drama Never Steady, Never Still, wildly popular Maud Lewis biopic Maudie and gothic rural Quebec tale The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.

The National Film Board of Canada, Sinking Ship Entertainment, Duqesne Island Productions  and content studios iThentic and Secret Location are among the teams earning multiple nominations in the digital categories.

Winners will be announced at various events during the academy's annual Canadian Screen Week celebrations, which culminate in the televised Canadian Screen Awards gala in Toronto on March 11. The broadcast ceremony begins at 8 p.m. ET, with the proceedings aired live by CBC.

The galas will also celebrate a host of special award recipients, including retired CBC News chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge, broadcast executive Karyn Pugliese and author Margaret Atwood. 

Selected nominees for the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards:

Best Motion Picture

• Ava.
• The Breadwinner.
• It's the Heart that Dies Last.
• The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.
• Maudie.
• Never Steady, Never Still.
• The Ravenous.

Best Drama Series

• 19-2.
• Anne.
• Mary Kills People.
• Pure.
• Vikings.

Best Comedy Series

• Kim's Convenience.
• Letterkenny.
• Michael: Every Day.
• Nirvanna the Band the Show.
• Workin' Moms.

Best Local Newscast

• CBC News: Vancouver at 6.
• CTV News Toronto at 6.
• Global BC.
• News Hour at 6.

Best National Newscast

• CBC News: The National.
• CBC News Network with Ian Hanomansing.
• CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme
• Global National.

Best News or Information Series

• CBC News: The Fifth Estate
• CBC News: Marketplace.
• Terror (Viceland).
• W5.

Best Sports Program or Series

• Aaron Sanchez – Limitless (Sportsnet).
• Journey to the Grey Cup (TSN).
• Lance Stroll – Growing Up Fast (TSN).
• Names on the Cup (Sportsnet).

Best Limited Series or Program

• Alias Grace (CBC).
• Bruno & Boots: This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall (YTV)
• Cardinal (CTV).
• The Disappearance (CTV).
• The Kennedys: After Camelot (Bravo).

Best Sketch Comedy Program or Series

• Baroness von Sketch Show (CBC).
• The Beaverton (The Comedy Network).
• Rick Mercer Report (CBC).
• This Hour Has 22 Minutes (CBC).

Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program

• All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone (Super Channel). 
• Colonization Road (CBC).
• Migrant Dreams (TVO).
• The Secret Path (CBC).
• The Skin We're In (CBC).

Best Web Program or Series, Non Fiction

• Canuck & I (The Number).
• Hungry Month of March (NFB).
• Reggie from the Road (Fifth Ground Entertainment) .
• Secret Alberta: The Former Life of Amber Valley (TELUS) .
• Vice Canada Reports (Vice Studio Canada Inc.) .

Best Web Program or Series, Fiction

• PeopleWatching (Lapaire productions).
• Played (Mira Studios).
• Rakhee Morzaria's Note to Self (Rakhee Morzaria)
• Soggy Flakes (Foreshadow Films) .
• Terrific Women (Aircraft Pictures) .

Best News Anchor, Local

• Andrew Chang, British Columbia Votes, CBC British Columbia
• Debra Arbec, CBC Montreal News at Six, CBC Montreal.
• Dwight Drummond, CBC Toronto News, CBC Toronto.
• Ken Shaw, Michelle Dubé, CTV News Toronto at 6, CTV Toronto.

Best News Anchor, National

• Peter Mansbridge, CBC News: The National.
• Heather Hiscox, CBC News Network with Heather Hiscox, CBC News Network.
• Ian Hanomansing, CBC News Network with Ian Hanomansing, CBC News Network.
• Lisa LaFlamme, CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme, CTV.

Best Lead Actress, Film

• Mahour Jabbari, Ava.
• Denise Filiatrault, It's the Heart that Dies Last.
• Marine Johnson, The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.
• Sally Hawkins, Maudie.
• Shirley Henderson, Never Steady, Never Still.

Best Lead Actor, Film

• Nabil Rajo, Boost.
• Gabriel Sabourin, It's the Heart that Dies Last.
• Antoine L'Écuyer, The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.
• Tzi Ma, Meditation Park.
• Émile Proulx-Cloutier, We Are the Others.

Best Lead Actor, TV Comedy

• Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kim's Convenience.
• Jared Keeso, Letterkenny.
• Gerry Dee, Mr. D.
• Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek.
• Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek.

Best Lead Actress, TV Comedy

• Andrea Bang, Kim's Convenience.
• Jean Yoon, Kim's Convenience.
• Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek.
• Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek.
• Catherine Reitman, Workin' Moms.

Best Lead Actress, TV Drama

• Amybeth McNulty, Anne.
• Caroline Dhavernas, Mary Kills People.
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black.
• Meaghan Rath, Rogue
• Jennie Raymond, Sex & Violence.

Best Lead Actor, TV Drama

• Shawn Doyle, Bellevue.
• Richard Short, Mary Kills People.
• Brian Markinson, The Romeo Section.
• Christopher Heyerdahl, Van Helsing.
• Alexander Ludwig, Vikings.

Best Lead Actor, TV Drama Program or Limited Series

• Edward Holcroft, Alias Grace.
• Kim Coates, Bad Blood.
• Billy Campbell, Cardinal.
• Alan Thicke, It's Not My Fault and I Don't Care Anyway.
• Yannick Bisson, Murdoch Mysteries – Once Upon a Murdoch Christmas.

Best Lead Actress, TV Drama Program or Limited Series

• Sarah Gadon, Alias Grace.
• Maxim Roy, Bad Blood.
• Karine Vanasse, Cardinal.
• Camille Sullivan, The Disappearance.
• Hélène Joy, Murdoch Mysteries – Once Upon a Murdoch Christmas.

A complete list of nominees in all categories is available at academy.ca.