We haven't written too much about the Golden Screen Award because money is not usually the reason to talk about a Canadian film. The Golden Screen Award is included in the Canadian Screen Awards each year since 2013 and the Genie Awards (1980-2012). The award goes to the Canadian film that makes the most money.
Most years, this means the film would come out of Quebec. A mainstream film is easier to pull off in Quebec and more Quebec theatres actually carry Canadian films.
Passchendaele (2008) is an exception. Films that cross over to the States: Crash (1995) [the David Cronenberg film], The Care Bears Movie (1985), and Air Bud (1996). Films from the tax shelter era: 1979-1983 (Meatballs; The Changeling; Heavy Metal; Porky's; Strange Brew). For a long time, Porky's was the largest grossing Canadian film. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) may have surpassed that total.
Both of Denys Arcand's breakthrough films are on the list: The Decline of the American Empire | Le Déclin de l'empire américain (1986) and Jesus of Montréal (1989).
We noted Lies My Father Told Me (1976) as a Canadian film nominated for an original screenplay Oscar.
Sequels rarely come up in English Canadian films but they do find their way in Quebec. Les Boys (1998), Les Boys II (1999), and Les Boys III (2002) all received a Golden Screen Award. I've only been fortunate to see the first film of the trilogy.
Here are the winners (years of the film):
1976 — Lies My Father Told Me
1977 — Why Shoot the Teacher?
1978 — Who Has Seen the Wind
1979 — Meatballs
1980 — The Changeling
1981 — Heavy Metal
1982 — Porky's
1983 — Strange Brew
1984 — The Dog Who Stopped the War | La Guerre des tuques
1985 — The Care Bears Movie
1986 — The Decline of the American Empire | Le Déclin de l'empire américain
1987 — The Gate
1988 — The Tadpole and the Whale | La Grenouille et la baleine
1989 — Jesus of Montreal
1990 — Ding et Dong, le film
1991 — Black Robe
1992 — La Florida
1993 — Louis 19, King of the Airwaves | Louis 19, le roi des ondes
1994 — Johnny Mnemonic
1995 — Crash
1996 — Air Bud
1997 — not awarded this year
1998 — Les Boys
1999 — Les Boys II
2000 — The Art of War
2001 — Wedding Night | Nuit de noces
2002 — Les Boys III
2003 — Séraphin: Heart of Stone | Séraphin: Un homme et son péché
2004 — Resident Evil: Apocalypse
2005 — C.R.A.Z.Y.
2006 — Bon Cop, Bad Cop
2007 — The 3 L'il Pigs | Les 3 p'tits cochons
2008 — Passchendaele
2009 — Father and Guns | De père en flic
2010 — Resident Evil: Afterlife
2011 — Starbuck
2012 — Resident Evil: Retribution
2013 — The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
2014 — Pompeii
2015 — Snowtime! | La Guerre des tuques 3D
2016 — The 3 L'il Pigs 2 | Les 3 p'tits cochons 2
2017 — Father and Guns 2 | De père en flic 2
2018 — 1991
2019 — Compulsive Liar | Menteur
2020 — not awarded this year
2021 — PAW Patrol: The Movie
2022 — Two Days Before Christmas | 23 décembre
2023 Canadian Screen Awards wrapup
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
The Golden Screen Award winners cover the brilliance of Jean-Marc Vallée in C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) to the broad comedy of Ken Scott in Starbuck (2011). Unlike a lot of Canadian film lists, I don't have OCD over seeing the Canadian films on this list. Lies My Father Told Me is a rare exception.
Compulsive Liar | Menteur is a good recent example. A bit silly along the lines of a Quebec farce. A broad, Quebecois comedy. English Canada rarely makes a film along this line.
photo credit: C.R.A.Z.Y.
