The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for the best screenplay for a Canadian film. From 1980 until 2012, the award was presented as part of the Genie Awards ceremony; as of 2013, it is presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.
The award's presentation has not always been consistent — in some years, a single award for Best Screenplay has been presented, while in other years separate awards have been presented for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay.
1980s
| Year |
Nominees |
Film |
1980
1st Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Janis Allen, Dan Goldberg, Len Blum |
Meatballs |
| Mireille Dansereau |
Heartbreak |
| Allan Moyle, John Laing, Stephen Lack |
The Rubber Gun |
| Jim Osborne |
Summer's Children |
| Anne Claire Poirier, Marthe Blackburn |
A Scream from Silence |
| Steven Hilliard Stern |
Running |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Diana Maddox, William Gray |
The Changeling |
| Ted Allan |
It Rained All Night the Day I Left |
| Jean Beaudin, Marcel Sabourin |
Cordelia |
| R. J. Dryer, Martin Lager |
Jack London's Klondike Fever |
| Jean-Claude Lord, Jean Salvy |
Chocolate Eclair (Éclair au chocolat) |
1981
2nd Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Réjean Ducharme |
Good Riddance (Les Bons débarras) |
| Marc Rosen |
Final Assignment |
| Jean-Claude Labrecque, Jacques Benoit |
L'Affaire Coffin |
| Micheline Lanctôt |
L'Homme à tout faire |
| Ken Mitchell |
The Hounds of Notre Dame |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Max Fischer |
The Lucky Star |
| Bernard Slade |
Tribute |
| Ronald Sutherland, Robin Spry |
Suzanne |
1982
3rd Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Terry Heffernan |
Heartaches |
| Clay Borris |
Alligator Shoes |
| Paul Illidge, James Sanderson |
Head On |
| Adam Arkin, Ian Sutherland, Morrie Ruvinsky |
Improper Channels |
| Réjean Ducharme |
Happy Memories (Les Beaux souvenirs) |
| David Cronenberg |
Scanners |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Roger Lemelin, Gilles Carle |
Les Plouffe |
| Anne Cameron, Ralph L. Thomas |
Ticket to Heaven |
| Diana Maddox |
The Amateur |
1983
4th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| John Hunter |
The Grey Fox |
| Phil Savath, Laurence Keane, Chris Windsor |
Big Meat Eater |
| David Lee Henry |
Harry Tracy, Desperado |
| John Juliani, Sharon Riis |
Latitude 55° |
| Roger Fournier |
Une journée en taxi |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Richard Paluck, Robert Guza, Jr. |
Melanie |
| Peter Dion |
The Hot Touch |
1984
5th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Bob Clark |
A Christmas Story |
| David Cronenberg |
Videodrome |
| Jack Darcus |
Deserters |
| Timothy Findley |
The Wars |
1985
6th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Daniel Petrie |
The Bay Boy |
| Micheline Lanctôt |
Sonatine |
| Michel Langlois, Léa Pool |
La Femme de l'hôtel |
| Don Owen |
Unfinished Business |
1986
7th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Sandy Wilson |
My American Cousin |
| Lise Lemay-Rousseau |
Le Matou |
| Mordecai Richler |
Joshua Then and Now |
| Louise Rinfret, Claude Jutra |
La Dame en couleurs |
1987
8th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Denys Arcand |
Le Déclin de l'empire américain |
| Sharon Riis |
Loyalties |
| Yves Simoneau, Pierre Curzi |
Pouvoir intime |
| Richard Nichol |
Sitting in Limbo |
| Michael Jones, Andy Jones |
The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Leon Marr |
Dancing in the Dark |
| Gordon Pinsent |
John and the Missus |
| Peter Row |
Lost! |
1988
9th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Jean-Claude Lauzon |
Un Zoo la nuit |
| Sally Bochner, John N. Smith, Sam Grana |
Train of Dreams |
| Atom Egoyan |
Family Viewing |
| William D. MacGillivray |
Life Classes |
| Patricia Rozema |
I've Heard the Mermaids Singing |
1989
10th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Trevor Rhone, Glen Salzman |
Milk and Honey |
| André Melançon, Jacques Bobet |
La Grenouille et la baleine |
| Marie-Jose Raymond, Claude Fournier, Michel Cournot |
Les Tisserands du pouvoir |
| Guy Maddin |
Tales from the Gimli Hospital |
| Michael Rubbo |
Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Norman Snider, David Cronenberg |
Dead Ringers |
| Jackie Burroughs |
A Winter Tan |
| Francis Mankiewicz, Jacques Savoie |
The Revolving Doors (Les Portes tournantes) |
| Robin Spry, Douglas Bowie |
Obsessed |
| Phil Savath |
The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick |
1990s
| Year |
Nominees |
Film |
1990
11th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Denys Arcand |
Jésus de Montréal |
| Anne Wheeler |
Bye Bye Blues |
| Don McKellar |
Roadkill |
| Atom Egoyan |
Speaking Parts |
| Colleen Murphy |
Termini Station |
| Peter Mettler |
The Top of His Head |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Richard Beattie, L. Elliot Simms |
Cold Comfort |
| Dany Laferrière, Richard Sadler |
Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer |
| John Varley |
Millennium |
1991
12th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Paul Quarrington, Eugene Lipinski |
Perfectly Normal |
| Claire Wojas |
Love Crazy (Amoureux fou) |
| Darrell Wasyk |
H |
| Pierre Falardeau |
Le Party |
| André Forcier, Jacques Marcotte |
An Imaginary Tale (Une Histoire inventée) |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Brian Moore |
Black Robe |
| James DeFelice, Anne Wheeler |
Angel Square |
| Léa Pool, Laurent Gagliardi, Michel Langlois |
The Savage Woman (La Demoiselle sauvage) |
1992
13th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Jean-Claude Lauzon |
Léolo |
| Paul Donovan, Bill Fleming |
Buried on Sunday |
| Paul Tana, Bruno Ramirez |
La Sarrasine |
| Jeff Schultz |
North of Pittsburgh |
| Francis Damberger |
Solitaire |
| Adapted screenplay |
| David Cronenberg |
Naked Lunch |
| Kelly Rebar |
Bordertown Café |
| Yvon Rivard, Jacques Leduc |
La Vie Fantôme |
| David Brandes |
The Quarrel |
| Gail Singer |
True Confections |
1993
14th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Peggy Thompson |
The Lotus Eaters |
| Suzette Couture, Pierre Sarrazin |
La Florida |
| Atom Egoyan |
Calendar |
| François Girard, Don McKellar |
Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould |
| David King |
Harmony Cats |
1994
15th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Atom Egoyan |
Exotica |
| Mina Shum |
Double Happiness |
| Gilles Desjardins |
Les Pots cassés |
| Roger Cantin |
Matusalem |
| Léa Pool |
Mouvements du désir |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Brad Fraser |
Love and Human Remains |
| Jefferson Lewis |
Ordinary Magic |
| Paul Quarrington, Richard J. Lewis |
Whale Music |
1995
16th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Gerald Wexler, Mort Ransen |
Margaret's Museum |
| Sylvain Guy |
Black List (Liste noire) |
| Clément Virgo |
Rude |
| Stephen Williams |
Soul Survivor |
1996
17th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Pierre Gang |
Not Me! (Sous-sol) |
| Andrew Rai Berzins |
Blood and Donuts |
| Gilles Carle |
Poor Man's Pudding (Pudding chômeur) |
| Donald Martin |
Never Too Late |
| Peter Wellington, Doug Smith |
The Boy's Club |
| Adapted screenplay |
| David Cronenberg |
Crash |
| Noel Baker |
Hard Core Logo |
| Michel Marc Bouchard, Linda Gaboriau |
Lilies |
| John L'Ecuyer |
Curtis's Charm |
| Robert Lepage, Marie Brassard |
Le Polygraphe |
1997
18th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Thom Fitzgerald |
The Hanging Garden |
| Atom Egoyan |
The Sweet Hereafter |
| André Forcier |
The Countess of Baton Rouge (La Comtesse de Bâton Rouge) |
| Gabriel Pelletier, Yves Pelletier, Andrée Pelletier, Ann Burke |
Karmina |
| Lynne Stopkewich, Angus Fraser |
Kissed |
1998
19th Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| François Girard, Don McKellar |
The Red Violin |
| Don McKellar |
Last Night |
| André Morency, Robert Lepage |
Nô |
| Allan Scott |
Regeneration |
| Sooni Taraporevala |
Such a Long Journey |
1999
20th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Louis Bélanger |
Post Mortem |
| Bruce McCulloch |
Dog Park |
| Jeremy Podeswa |
The Five Senses |
| Léa Pool |
Emporte-moi |
| Monique Proulx |
Le Grand serpent du monde |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Atom Egoyan |
Felicia's Journey |
| François Bouvier, Marc Robitaille |
Histoires d'hiver |
| Jean-Philippe Duval, Alexis Martin |
Matroni et moi |
| Kim Hogan |
Heart of the Sun |
| Wayne Johnston |
The Divine Ryans |
| Monique Proulx, Jean Beaudin |
Souvenirs intimes |
2000s
| Year |
Nominees |
Film |
2000
21st Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Denis Villeneuve |
Maelström |
| Denys Arcand, J. Jacob Potashnik |
Stardom |
| Frank Borg |
My Father's Angel |
| Michel Marc Bouchard, Gilles Desjardins |
Les Muses orphelines |
| Clement Virgo |
Love Come Down |
2001
22nd Genie Awards |
| Screenplay |
| Paul Apak Angilirq |
Atanarjuat |
| Renny Bartlett |
Eisenstein |
| Catherine Martin |
Mariages |
| Judith Thompson |
Lost and Delirious |
| André Turpin |
Un crabe dans la tête |
2002
23rd Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Deepa Mehta |
Bollywood/Hollywood |
| Atom Egoyan |
Ararat |
| Paul Gross, John Krizanc |
Men with Brooms |
| Robert Morin |
Le Nèg' |
| Jean-Phillipe Pearson, Patrice Robitaille, Ricardo Trogi |
Québec-Montréal |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Sharon Riis |
Savage Messiah |
| Dominique Demers |
La Mystérieuse mademoiselle C. |
| Patrick McGrath |
Spider |
| Edward Riche |
Rare Birds |
| Judith Thompson |
Perfect Pie |
2003
24th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Denys Arcand |
The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares) |
| Louis Bélanger |
Gaz Bar Blues |
| Sébastien Rose |
Comment ma mère accoucha de moi durant sa ménopause |
| Ken Scott |
Seducing Doctor Lewis (La Grande séduction) |
| Peter Wellington |
Luck |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Robert Lepage |
La Face cachée de la lune |
| Maurice Chauvet |
Owning Mahowny |
| Daniel MacIvor |
Marion Bridge |
| Charles Martin Smith |
The Snow Walker |
| Esta Spalding |
Falling Angels |
2004
25th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Francis Leclerc, Marcel Beaulieu |
Mémoires affectives |
| Denise Filiatrault |
Ma vie en cinémascope |
| Federico Hidalgo, Paulina Robles |
A Silent Love |
| Don McKellar, Michael Goldbach |
Childstar |
| David "Sudz" Sutherland |
Love, Sex and Eating the Bones |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Luc Dionne, Sylvain Guy |
Monica la mitraille |
| Joël Champetier, Daniel Roby |
La Peau blanche |
| Jerry Ciccoritti |
Blood |
| Todd Klinck, Jaie Laplante, John Palmer |
Sugar |
| Jacob Tierney |
Twist |
2005
26th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Jean-Marc Vallée, François Boulay |
C.R.A.Z.Y. |
| Louise Archambault |
Familia |
| Michael Dowse |
It's All Gone Pete Tong |
| Deepa Mehta |
Water |
| Luc Picard |
L'Audition |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Atom Egoyan |
Where the Truth Lies |
| Diane Cailhier |
Le Survenant |
| David Christensen |
Six Figures |
| Luc Dionne |
Aurore |
| Nathalie Petrowski |
Maman Last Call |
2006
27th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Philippe Falardeau |
Congorama |
| Martin Girard, Ghyslaine Côté |
Le secret de ma mère |
| Stéphane Lapointe |
La Vie secrète des gens heureux |
| Ken Scott |
Guide de la petite vengeance |
| Ken Scott |
Maurice Richard |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Robert Favreau, Gil Courtemanche |
Un dimanche à Kigali |
| Mike Clattenburg, Robb Wells |
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie |
| François Létourneau |
Cheech |
2007
28th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Steven Knight |
Eastern Promises |
| Denys Arcand |
Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres) |
| Douglas Coupland |
Everything's Gone Green |
| Pierre Lamothe, Claude Lalonde |
Les 3 p'tits cochons |
| Marc-André Lavoie, Simon Olivier Fecteau and David Gauthier |
Bluff |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Sarah Polley |
Away From Her |
| Michael Donovan |
Shake Hands With the Devil |
| Maureen Medved |
The Tracey Fragments |
2008
29th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Bernard Émond |
The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) |
| Randall Cole |
Real Time |
| Travis McDonald |
Normal |
| Deepa Mehta |
Heaven on Earth |
| Guillaume Vigneault |
Everything Is Fine (Tout est parfait) |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Marie-Sissi Labrèche, Lyne Charlebois |
Borderline |
| Richie Mehta, Shaun Mehta |
Amal |
| Jeremy Podeswa |
Fugitive Pieces |
2009
30th Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Jacques Davidts |
Polytechnique |
| David Bezmozgis |
Victoria Day |
| Atom Egoyan |
Adoration |
| Émile Gaudreault, Ian Lauzon |
Father and Guns (De père en flic) |
| Charles Officer, Ingrid Veninger |
Nurse.Fighter.Boy |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Kari Skogland |
Fifty Dead Men Walking |
| Tony Burgess |
Pontypool |
| Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Susan Avingaq, Madeline Ivalu |
Before Tomorrow (Le jour avant le lendemain) |
2010s
| Year |
Film |
Filmmakers |
2010
31st Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Jacob Tierney |
The Trotsky |
| Peter Stebbings |
Defendor |
| Adriana Maggs |
Grown Up Movie Star |
| Louis Bélanger, Alexis Martin |
Route 132 |
| Claude Lalonde |
10½ |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Denis Villeneuve |
Incendies |
| Michael Konyves |
Barney's Version |
| Lee MacDougall |
High Life |
| Vic Sarin, Dennis Foon, Catherine Spear |
A Shine of Rainbows |
| Patrick Senécal |
7 Days (Les 7 jours du Talion) |
2011
32nd Genie Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Ken Scott, Martin Petit |
Starbuck |
| Anne Émond |
Nuit #1 |
| Eilis Kirwan, Larysa Kondracki |
The Whistleblower |
| Jean-Marc Vallée |
Café de Flore |
| Ryan Ward, Matthew Heiti |
Son of the Sunshine |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Philippe Falardeau |
Monsieur Lazhar |
| Ryan Redford |
Oliver Sherman |
| Steven Silver |
The Bang Bang Club |
| David F. Shamoon |
In Darkness |
2012
1st Canadian Screen Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Kim Nguyen |
War Witch (Rebelle) |
| Jason Buxton |
Blackbird |
| Xavier Dolan |
Laurence Anyways |
| Bernard Émond |
All That You Possess (Tout ce que tu possèdes) |
| Michael McGowan |
Still Mine |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Salman Rushdie |
Midnight's Children |
| Jay Baruchel, Evan Goldberg |
Goon |
| David Cronenberg |
Cosmopolis |
| Anita Doron |
The Lesser Blessed |
| Martin Villeneuve |
Mars and April (Mars et Avril) |
2013
2nd Canadian Screen Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Shannon Masters |
Empire of Dirt |
| Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, Marc Tulin |
Whitewash |
| Richie Mehta |
Siddharth |
| Sébastien Pilote |
The Dismantling (Le Démantèlement) |
| Jonathan Sobol |
The Art of the Steal |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Elan Mastai |
The F Word |
| Michel Marc Bouchard, Xavier Dolan |
Tom at the Farm (Tom à la ferme) |
| Javier Gullón |
Enemy |
| Robert Lepage |
Triptyque |
| Ken Scott, Michael Dowse |
The Grand Seduction |
2014
3rd Canadian Screen Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Xavier Dolan |
Mommy |
| Pearl Ball-Harding, Albert Shin |
In Her Place |
| Atom Egoyan, David Fraser |
The Captive |
| Stéphane Lafleur |
Tu dors Nicole |
| Bruce Wagner |
Maps to the Stars |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Nicolas Billon |
Elephant Song |
| Scott Abramovitch |
The Calling |
| Joel Thomas Hynes |
Cast No Shadow |
2015
4th Canadian Screen Awards |
| Original screenplay |
| Benjamin August |
Remember |
| Anne Émond |
Our Loved Ones (Les Êtres chers) |
| Philippe Falardeau |
My Internship in Canada (Guibord s'en va-t'en-guerre) |
| Matthew Hansen |
Zoom |
| André Turpin |
Endorphine |
| Adapted screenplay |
| Emma Donoghue |
Room |
| Josh Epstein, Kyle Rideout |
Eadweard |
| Wiebke von Carolsfeld |
The Saver |
