Rogers Best Canadian Film Award

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The Rogers Best Canadian Film Award is presented annually by the Toronto Film Critics Association to the film judged by the organization's members as the year's best Canadian film. [1] In 2012, the cash prize accompanying the award was increased to $100,000, making it the largest arts award in Canada. Each year, two runners-up also receive $5,000. The award is funded and presented by Rogers Communications, which is a founding sponsor of the association's awards gala. [2] [3]

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In 2023, the TFCA announced changes to the award. Instead of a single $100,000 prize presented to a mixed shortlist of narrative and documentary films, the organization will now present two $50,000 prizes, one for narrative features and one for documentaries. [4]

Unlike the other Toronto Film Critics Association awards, whose winners are announced in early January each year, the Best Canadian Film award only has its finalists announced at that time, and the winner of the award is then announced at the organization's gala in March.

Toronto Film Critics Poll

Prior to the official launch of the Toronto Film Critics Association in 1997, film critic Wyndham Wise coordinated two polls of Torontonian film critics in 1995 and 1996 through his magazine Take One to select the year's best Canadian films; upon the launch of the TFCA, this poll was discontinued and superseded by the TFCA's annual awards.

1995

CategoryWinners and nomineesRef
Best Film Rude Damon D'Oliveira, Karen King [5]
Double Happiness — Steve Hegyes, Rose Lam Waddell [6]
When Night Is Falling — Barbara Tranter
Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes) — Richard Sadler, Jacques Dorfmann
Best Director Clement Virgo, Rude [5]
Mina Shum, Double Happiness [6]
Charles Binamé, Eldorado
Patricia Rozema, When Night Is Falling
Best Actor Maury Chaykin, Whale Music [5]
Clark Johnson, Rude [6]
Maurice Dean Wint, Rude
Peter Williams, Soul Survivor
Best Actress Sandra Oh, Double Happiness [5]
Pascale Montpetit, Eldorado [6]
Pascale Bussières, Eldorado
Tracy Wright, Wasaga
Best Screenplay Mina Shum, Double Happiness [5]
Clement Virgo, Rude [6]
Émile Gaudreault, Sylvie Bouchard and Michel Michaud, Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)
Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar and John Frizzell, Dance Me Outside

1996

CategoryWinners and nomineesRef
Best Film Hard Core Logo [7]
Crash
Long Day's Journey into Night
The Confessional (Le Confessionnal)
Margaret's Museum
Curtis's Charm
Lilies
Once in a Blue Moon
The Suburbanators
Screamers
Best Director Robert Lepage, The Confessional (Le Confessionnal)
Bruce McDonald, Hard Core Logo
David Cronenberg, Crash
David Wellington, Long Day's Journey into Night
Mort Ransen, Margaret's Museum
John L'Ecuyer, Curtis's Charm
John Greyson, Lilies
Gary Burns, The Suburbanators
Christian Duguay, Screamers
Peter Mettler, Picture of Light
Best Actor William Hutt, Long Day's Journey into Night
Callum Keith Rennie, Hard Core Logo
Hugh Dillon, Hard Core Logo
Lothaire Bluteau, The Confessional (Le Confessionnal)
Maurice Dean Wint, Curtis's Charm
Tom McCamus, Long Day's Journey into Night
Brent Carver, Lilies
Elias Koteas, Crash
James Spader, Crash
Clive Russell, Margaret's Museum
Best Actress Martha Henry, Long Day's Journey into Night
Helena Bonham Carter, Margaret's Museum
Kate Nelligan, Margaret's Museum
Martha Burns, Long Day's Journey into Night
Deborah Kara Unger, Crash
Mary Beth Rubens, The Michelle Apartments
Deanna Milligan, Once in a Blue Moon
Tushka Bergen, Turning April
Kristin Scott Thomas, The Confessional (Le Confessionnal)
Holly Hunter, Crash
Best Screenplay Noel S. Baker, Hard Core Logo
Robert Lepage, The Confessional (Le Confessionnal)
Gerald Wexler, Mort Ransen, Margaret's Museum
Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night
David Cronenberg, Crash
John L'Ecuyer, Curtis's Charm
Michel Marc Bouchard, Lilies
Gary Burns, The Suburbanators
Laurie Lynd and Daniel MacIvor, House
Dan O'Bannon and Miguel Tejada-Flores, Screamers
Best Documentary Picture of Light Peter Mettler
Project Grizzly Peter Lynch
Baseball Girls Lois Siegel
Power Magnus Isacsson

Toronto Film Critics Association

1990s

YearFilmDirector(s)Ref
1997 The Sweet Hereafter Atom Egoyan [8]
The Hanging Garden Thom Fitzgerald
1998 Last Night Don McKellar [9]
Robert Lepage
The Red Violin François Girard
1999 Set Me Free Léa Pool [10]
Felicia's Journey Atom Egoyan

2000s

YearFilmDirector(s)Ref
2000 waydowntown Gary Burns [11]
Maelström Denis Villeneuve
2001 Last Wedding Bruce Sweeney [12]
Ginger Snaps John Fawcett
The Uncles James Allodi
2002 Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner Zacharias Kunuk [13]
FUBAR Michael Dowse
Soft Shell Man (Un crabe dans la tête) André Turpin
2003 Spider David Cronenberg [14]
2004 The Triplets of Belleville Sylvain Chomet [15]
2005 A History of Violence David Cronenberg [16]
2006 Manufactured Landscapes Jennifer Baichwal [17]
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen Zacharias Kunuk
Monkey Warfare Reginald Harkema
Six Figures David Christensen
2007 Away from Her Sarah Polley [18]
Eastern Promises David Cronenberg
Radiant City Gary Burns, Jim Brown
2008 My Winnipeg Guy Maddin [19]
Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil) Stéphane Lafleur [20]
Up the Yangtze Yung Chang
2009 Polytechnique Denis Villeneuve [21]
The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) Benoît Pilon [22]
Pontypool Bruce McDonald

2010s

YearFilmDirector(s)Ref
2010 Incendies Denis Villeneuve [23]
Splice Vincenzo Natali [24]
Trigger Bruce McDonald
2011 Monsieur Lazhar Philippe Falardeau [25]
Café de Flore Jean-Marc Vallée [26]
A Dangerous Method David Cronenberg
2012 Stories We Tell Sarah Polley [27]
Bestiaire Denis Côté [28]
Goon Michael Dowse
2013 Watermark Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky [29]
The Dirties Matt Johnson [30]
Gabrielle Louise Archambault
2014 Enemy Denis Villeneuve [31]
The F Word Michael Dowse [32]
Mommy Xavier Dolan
2015 The Forbidden Room Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson [33]
My Internship in Canada (Guibord s'en va-t-en guerre) Philippe Falardeau [34]
Sleeping Giant Andrew Cividino
2016 The Stairs Hugh Gibson [35]
How Heavy This Hammer Kazik Radwanski [36]
Operation Avalanche Matt Johnson
2017 Werewolf Ashley McKenzie [37]
Hello Destroyer Kevan Funk [38]
Wexford Plaza Joyce Wong
2018 Anthropocene: The Human Epoch Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky [39]
Ava Sadaf Foroughi [40]
Maison du Bonheur Sofia Bohdanowicz
2019 The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers [41]
Antigone Sophie Deraspe [42]
Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari

2020s

YearFilmDirector(s)Ref
2020 Anne at 13,000 Ft. Kazik Radwanski [43]
And the Birds Rained Down Louise Archambault [44]
White Lie Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas
2021 Beans Tracey Deer [45]
Night Raiders Danis Goulet [46]
Scarborough Shasha Nakhai, Rich Williamson
2022 Riceboy Sleeps Anthony Shim [47]
Brother Clement Virgo [48]
Crimes of the Future David Cronenberg
2023 BlackBerry Matt Johnson [49]
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant) Ariane Louis-Seize [4]
Solo Sophie Dupuis
2024 Rumours Guy Maddin [50]
Shepherds Sophie Deraspe
Universal Language Matthew Rankin

Best Canadian Documentary

YearFilmDirector(s)Ref
2023 Swan Song Chelsea McMullan [49]
Rojek Zaynê Akyol
Someone Lives Here Zack Russell
2024 Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee [50]
Yintah Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano
Your Tomorrow Ali Weinstein

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