The Sunny D-drinking Juno might not have gotten any Genie nomination love, but that left the door wide open for two other Canadian pictures, both of which swept the Genie Awards last night. Sarah Polley's Away From Her and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises led the evening, with each picking up seven honors. But it was the young, new director who really stole the spotlight.I'm happy to say that while Sarah Polley didn't get any winning Oscar love, she did score the biggies last night -- Best Motion Picture, Achievement in Direction, and Adapted Screenplay, while star Gordon Pinsent won for best actor, Julie Christie for best actress, and Kristen Thomson for best supporting actress. With Polley's Claude Jutra Award, that's seven. So, while the number of wins might have been even for both Polley and Cronenberg, Sarah made an impressive impact on the ceremony.
Eastern Promises, meanwhile, picked up Genies for cinematography, editing, original score, supporting actor for Armin Mueller-Stahl, overall sound, sound editing, and original screenplay. There was also a little love for flicks like Fido and Silk in the few awards that remained once the other two cleaned house. Things might have been a bit different if Juno was in the running, but I'm thrilled to see Polley's film sweep all the big awards. How about you?
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