Sophie Deraspe’s ‘Antigone’ Wins Best Film at Canadian Screen Awards

Members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television voted to crown Sophie Deraspe’s “Antigone” as best film at the Canadian Screen Awards Thursday, presented virtually by broadcasters CBC and CTV.

The film, a contemporary spin on the Greek tragedy, also won awards for lead female actor for Nahéma Ricci, female actor in a supporting role for Nour Belkhiria, adapted screenplay for Deraspe, and editing for Geoffrey Boulangé and Deraspe.

Variety’s review of the film, which was named best Canadian feature at the Toronto Film Festival, said it “feels refreshingly liberated by the spirit of Sophocles’ original material.” The “impassioned” film was “electrified by a performance of immense self-possession and dignity from revelatory new star Nahéma Ricci,” the critic wrote.

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn won the prizes for directing and original screenplay for “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.” The film also took the cinematography award for Norm Li.

Mark O’Brien was named best male lead actor for “Goalie,” while Rémy Girard won in the category for male actor in a supporting role for “And the Birds Rained Down.”

Heather Young won the first feature film award for “Murmur.” Howard Shore won the awards for original score and original song for “The Song of Names.”

CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS FOR CINEMATIC ARTS
MOTION PICTURE
Antigone – Marc Daigle (producer)

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn – The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Sophie Deraspe – Antigone

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers – The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Nahéma Ricci – Antigone

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Mark O’Brien – Goalie

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Nour Belkhiria – Antigone

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Rémy Girard – And the Birds Rained Down

BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM AWARD
Murmur – Heather Young

GOLDEN SCREEN AWARD FOR FEATURE FILM
Compulsive Liar – Denise Robert, Emile Gaudreault

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Geoffrey Boulangé, Sophie Deraspe – Antigone

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Norm Li – The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dany Boivin – The Twentieth Century

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Patricia McNeil – The Twentieth Century

ACHIEVEMENT IN HAIR
Nermin Grbic – The Twentieth Century

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Fanny Vachon – The Song of Names

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Adam Jewett, Steve Ramone, Michelle Brennan, Tim Sibley, Aneesh Bhatnager, Saikrishna (Sai) Aleti, Peter Giliberti, Alex Basso, Arminus Billones, Marshall Lau – Brotherhood

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Francine Poirier, Claude Beaugrand, Michel B. Bordeleau, Raymond Legault, Lise Wedlock,
Natalie Fleurant – The Song of Names

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND
Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Mark Appleby, Daniel Bisson – The Song of Names

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC – ORIGINAL SCORE
Howard Shore – The Song of Names

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC – ORIGINAL SONG
Howard Shore – The Song of Names – “The Song of Names (Cantor Prayer)”

LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA
Pick – Alicia K. Harris, Rebeca Ortiz, Venessa Harris

ANIMATED SHORT
Giant Bear – Monica Ittusardjuat, Neil Christopher, Daniel Gies, Emily Paige