Indiescreen Awards
This annual prize honours outstanding independent Canadian film producers. This year, the awards are taking place at TIFF on September 7, 2023.
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The CMPA’s annual Indiescreen Awards are back! The 2023 awards ceremony will be making a return to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and taking place on Thursday, September 7, 2023. The Indiescreen Awards have recognized producers whose vision and entrepreneurship demonstrate a commitment and passion for producing Canadian feature films. This year we will be presenting two awards:
– The Established Producer Award ($20,000), recognizing a producer’s filmmaking accomplishments over the course of their career to date
– The Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award ($10,000), established in 2016, celebrating an up-and-coming “one-to-watch” in feature film production
Nominees in both categories will be selected among the applicants by two national juries, each consisting of five industry leaders, and chaired by the previous year’s Indiescreen Award winners. Following the selection and announcement of the nominees, jury members will again review the producers’ applications along with their submitted qualifying films. Nominated producers will be encouraged to attend the awards, in-person in Toronto, Ontario.
To offset related costs, the CMPA will provide nominees a travel stipend to attend the awards ceremony in Toronto. Please note, if applying as a producing team, only one travel stipend will be allotted per nominee.
The DEADLINE to apply has passed.
CMPA announces 2023 Indiescreen Awards nominees
2022 Indiescreen Awards photos
Established in 2006, the CMPA Indiescreen Awards recognize producers whose vision and entrepreneurship demonstrate a commitment and passion for producing Canadian feature films. Two awards are handed out every year: the Established Producer Award and the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award.
Past recipients include Damon D’Oliveira (2022, Brother), Anand Ramayya (2021, Donkeyhead), Jennifer Holness (2020, Stateless) Simone Urdl and Jennifer Weiss (2018, Falls Around Her), Roger Frappier (2016, Two Lovers and A Bear), Robert Lantos (2015, Remember), Nancy Grant (2014, Mommy) and Kevin Tierney (2009, The Trotsky).
The Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award was added to the Indiescreen Awards program in 2016 to highlight the extraordinary talents of an up-and-coming producer with a bright career ahead.
Winners of both awards are chosen by two separate juries out of the independent Canadian films that premiered or are slated to premiere theatrically, at a film festival or on an online streaming service that year.
In 2022, the prizes of both the Established Producer Award and the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award were doubled.
Any independent producer with a feature-length Canadian film released or slated to premiere in the 2023 calendar year is eligible to apply for an Indiescreen Award.
No, it is only required that the applicant is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Previous winners of Established Producer Award are welcome to reapply five years after their award win. Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award winners may apply again after three years.
Winners are chosen by two separate juries (one for the Established Producer Award and one for Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award) out of applications received.
The winners will be announced at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), in an awards ceremony on Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm ET. This year’s festival runs September 7-17, 2023.
2023
Nancy Grant (Established), Anam Abbas (Emerging)
2022
Damon D’Oliveira (Established), Sara Blake, Magali Gillon-Krizaj, Tyler Hagan (Emerging)
2021
Anand Ramayya (Established), Kate Kroll, Rylan Friday & Trevor Mack (Emerging)
2020
Jennifer Holness (Established) and Dominique Dussault (Emerging)
2019
Fraser Ash and Kevin Krikst (Emerging), Félize Frappier (Established)
2018
Simone Urdl and Jennifer Weiss (Established), Caitlin Grabham (Emerging)
2017
Luc Déry and Kim McCraw (Established), Kristy Neville and Matt Code (Emerging)
2016
Roger Frappier (Established) and Hany Ouichou (Emerging)
2015
Robert Lantos
(Ari Lantos accepting)
2014
Nancy Grant
2013
Jennifer Jonas
2012
Daniel Iron
2011
André Rouleau
2010
Denise Robert
2009
Kevin Tierney
(pictured with Jacob Tierney)
