A scene from Book of Negroes.Darren Pittman/The Canadian Press
The Canadian Screen Awards continued to hand out dozens of honours Wednesday night in the lead-up to this Sunday's big televised gala. After already awarding the best in news and sports, documentary, lifestyle and reality and digital media on Tuesday, the CSAs put the spotlight on the country's top offerings in drama, children's or youth and comedy and variety programming.
Forty-nine awards were presented at a ceremony at Toronto's Westin Harbour Castle, hosted by comedian Steve Patterson.
The big winner was CBC's miniseries The Book of Negroes, which took home nine CSAs, including: best direction in a dramatic program or limited series for Clement Virgo, best original music score for a program for Philip Miller, best performance by an actor in a leading role in a dramatic program or limited series for Lyriq Bent, and best performance by an actress in a featured supporting role in a dramatic program or series for Shailyn Pierre-Dixon.
CBC also claimed top honours for its sitcom Schitt's Creek, which won six awards, including best direction in a comedy program or series for Paul Fox, best performance by an actor in a featured supporting role or guest role in a comedic series for Chris Elliott and best performance by an actress in a featured supporting role or guest role in a comedic series for Emily Hampshire.
Other series claiming multiple CSAs include sci-fi blockbuster Orphan Black (with five wins), long-running melodrama Degrassi (four), CBC's satirical Rick Mercer Report (three), the police drama 19-2 (two) and the CBC's broadcast of the 2015 Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony (two).
"On either side of the camera, Canadian artists have consistently produced television to the highest standard in drama, comedy and children's programming," Helga Stephenson, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, said in a statement.
On Sunday, the CSAs will honour the best homegrown television series and movies, with comedian Norm Macdonald hosting a live two-hour broadcast airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on CBC.
Barry Hertz