Denis Villeneuve’s Polytechnique was the big winner at Canada’s Genie Awards last night [12], taking nine prizes including best picture.

The film, a searing exploration of the massacre of young women at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique in 1989, also won best cinematography for Pierre Gill and best editing for Richard Comeau. Maxim Gaudette, who played the gunman, was named best supporting actor.

In all, Polytechnique won nine prizes out of its 11 nominations. Its nearest rivals in terms of nominations were left far behind. Charles Officer’s Nurse.Fighter.Boy had ten nominations and earned only one award for original song.

Marie-Helene Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu’s Before Tomorrow had nine nominations and also earned only one, for best costume design. Kari Skogland’s UK-Canada co-production Fifty Dead Men Walking earned seven nominations and won for best adapted screenplay for Skogland for and best art direction.

Joshua Jackson won best actor for his performance in One Week while Martha Burns won best supporting actress in Love & Savagery. The best documentary prize went to Alan Zweig’s A Hard Name, a profile of ex-cons trying to make their way in society. Cordell Barker’s Runaway was named best animated short.

As previously announced, Xavier Dolan was presented with the Claude Jutra Award for best first film for J’ai Tue Ma Mere (I Killed My Mother) while comedy De Pere En Flic (Father And Guns) received the Golden Reel Award for the highest gross at the Canadian box office.

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