The Wendy Michener Award was a Canadian film award, presented by the Canadian Film Awards from 1969 to 1978 as a special achievement award for outstanding artistic achievements in film.Paul Townend, "Wendy Michener Award". The Canadian Encyclopedia, October 1, 2007.
Origins The award was created in memory of Wendy Michener, an arts journalist and film critic who was the daughter of former Governor General Roland Michener and his wife Norah Michener, following her death in 1969.
History The award's purpose varied, as it was sometimes presented for unspecified general artistic achievements and other times for specific individual films; it was most commonly, but not always, used to honour emerging filmmakers for their breakthrough works.
At the 25th Canadian Film Awards in 1973, it was controversially awarded to film director Gilles Carle for "outstanding contribution to the Canadian Film Awards and the Canadian film industry", even though Carle had been one of the signatories to the boycott letter that precipitated the cancellation of that year's ceremony.Martin Knelman, "A wake for Canadian cinema". The Globe and Mail, October 13, 1973.
The award was not always presented annually, and was discontinued when the Canadian Film Awards transitioned into the new Genie Awards in 1980.Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. .
Winners 1969 - Jean-Claude LabrecqueKaspars Dzeguze, "A resounding success for Best Damn Fiddler". The Globe and Mail, October 6, 1969. 1970 - Jean Pierre Lefebvre 1971 - none 1972 - Mireille Dansereau, Dream Life (La Vie rêvée) 1973 - Gilles CarleBetty Lee, "No wonder there're no prizes for Bucheron". The Globe and Mail, November 24, 1973. 1974 - none 1975 - noneBryan Johnson, "Film awards a rebuff for English Canadians". The Globe and Mail, October 13, 1975. 1976 - Caroline Leaf, The Street 1977 - Zale Dalen, Skip Tracer 1978 - Richard Gabourie, Three Card MonteJay Scott, "Unseen Silent Partner sweeps film awards". The Globe and Mail, September 22, 1978.
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