Helga Stephenson | |
|---|---|
 Stephenson in 2015 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Film executive, publicist |
Helga Stephenson is a Canadian film industry executive, who was CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television from 2011 to 2016. [1] Following her departure from the Academy, she was made a member of the Order of Ontario. [2]
Stephenson was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. [1] Her aunt was the wife of John David Eaton. [1] She studied film and communications at McGill University, graduating in 1969, and travelled to work internationally for some time before joining the National Arts Centre as a publicist. [1]
She later worked in Toronto as a partner in a film and television publicity agency, [3] before joining the Festival of Festivals in 1978. [4] In 1980, she was coproducer with Henk Van der Kolk and Bill Marshall of Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave .
In 1982, she was promoted to communications director of the festival. [5]
In September 1986 she was appointed interim director of the festival after the board dismissed Leonard Schein, and she was named the permanent new director in December. [3] She remained in the role until 1994, when she stepped down and was succeeded by Piers Handling. [5] Her term as director of the festival was widely credited with securing its contemporary reputation as one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. [5] [6]
She stepped down shortly after the festival changed its name from Festival of Festivals to the Toronto International Film Festival. [7]
She then became chair of Viacom Canada, [8] and an on-air host of film-related programming for Showcase. [9] She remained with Showcase until 1996, [10] and with Viacom until 2000.
In the 2000s, Stephenson and Kate Alexander Daniels launched the public relations firm Daniels Stephenson, [11] which handled film publicity and produced the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, [12] and cofounded the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival with Brenda Dinnick. [13]
Stephenson was named interim CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in 2011, [14] and was confirmed in the position in 2012. In the position, she implemented changes to the Academy's board structure and media relations strategies in response to widespread dissatisfaction with the Academy among members, [14] and spearheaded the merger of the Genie Awards and the Gemini Awards into the contemporary Canadian Screen Awards. [15]
She stepped down as CEO of the Academy in 2016, and was succeeded by Beth Janson. [16]
Jacqueline Burroughs was a British-born Canadian actress. Burroughs starred in over 100 films and television shows over her career, including Heavy Metal, The Care Bears Movie, The Grey Fox, and Anne of Green Gables, and was best known for her role as Hetty King in the TV series Road to Avonlea.
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The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian film industry and television industry professionals, most notably through the Canadian Screen Awards. The mandate of the Academy is to honour outstanding achievements; to heighten public awareness of and increase audience attendance of and appreciation of Canadian film and television productions; and to provide critically needed, high-quality professional development programs, conferences and publications.
Nicholas Campbell is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is a four-time Gemini Award winner, a three-time Genie Award nominee, and a Canadian Screen Award nominee. He is known for his portrayal of the eponymous character, coroner Dominic Da Vinci, on the crime drama television series Da Vinci's Inquest (1998-2005) and its spin-off Da Vinci's City Hall (2005-2006).
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Motion Picture to the best Canadian film of the year.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role to the best performance by a lead actor in a Canadian film. The award was first presented in 1968 by the Canadian Film Awards, and was presented annually until 1978 with the exception of 1969, when no eligible feature films were submitted for award consideration, and 1974 due to the cancellation of the awards that year.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television presents an annual award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role to the best performance by a lead actress in a Canadian film. The award was first presented in 1968 by the Canadian Film Awards, and was presented annually until 1978 with the exception of 1969, when no eligible feature films were submitted for award consideration, and 1974 due to the cancellation of the awards that year.
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The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role to the best performance by a supporting actress in a Canadian film. The award was first presented in 1970 by the Canadian Film Awards, and was presented annually until 1978 with the exception of 1974 due to the cancellation of the awards that year.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Achievement in Direction to the best work by a director of a Canadian film.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television presents one or more annual awards for the Best Screenplay for a Canadian film. Originally presented in 1968 as part of the Canadian Film Awards, from 1980 until 2012 the award continued as part of the Genie Awards ceremony. As of 2013, it is presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.
The Canadian Screen Award for Best Costume Design is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian costume designer. It was formerly called the Genie Award for Best Achievement in Costume Design before the Genies were merged into the Canadian Screen Awards.
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The Canadian Screen Awards are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media productions. Given annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the awards recognize excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership.
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