Denis Villeneuve's Maelstrom won five prizes at Canada's Genie awards on Monday night, including best picture, best director, best screenplay (Villeneuve) and best actress for its star Marie-Josee Croze.

The film's cinematographer, Andre Turpin, was the winner in his category. The victory was another feather in the cap of leading Quebecois producer Roger Frappier, who shared the producer credit with Max Film colleague Luc Vandal. Maelstrom, which was backed by Alliance Atlantis, is Canada's submission for the foreign-language Academy Award.

The award for best lead actor went to Tony Nardi for My Father's Angel while supporting actor prizes went to Helen Shaver for We All Fall Down and Martin Cummins for Love Come Down. Grass, filmmaker Ron Mann's well-received documentary on marijuana, was the winner in its category. In accepting his Genie, Mann suggested that the war on drugs causes more harm than the drugs themselves and called for an end to criminalisation.

Held in Toronto, the pared-down awards ceremony -- major credits such as cinematography and production design were handed out prior to the national telecast -- was short but sweet.

21ST GENIE AWARD WINNERS:

BEST MOTION PICTURE:
MAELSTROM - Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION:
DENIS VILLENEUVE - Maelstrom

BEST SCREENPLAY:
DENIS VILLENEUVE - Maelstrom

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
TONY NARDI - My Father's Angel

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
MARIE-JOSEE CROZE - Maelstrom

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
MARTIN CUMMINS - Love Come Down

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
HELEN SHAVER - We All Fall Down

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY:
ANDRE TURPIN - Maelstrom

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING:
SUSAN SHIPTON - Possible Worlds

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN:
FRANGOIS SEGUIN, DANIOLE ROULEAU - Possible Worlds

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN:
MICHEL ROBIDAS - Stardom

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE:
PATRIC CAIRD - Here's To Life!

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG:
FRANCOIS DOMPIERRE - "Fortuna" - Laura Cadieux...La Suite

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND:
DANIEL PELLERIN, PAUL ADLAF, PETER KELLY, BRAD THORNTON, BRAD ZOERN - Love Come Down

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING:
DAVID MCCALLUM, FRED BRENNAN, SUSAN CONLEY, STEVEN HAMMOND, GARRETT KERR, JANE TATTERSALL, ROBERT WARCHOL - Love Come Down

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
RON MANN - Grass

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:
MICHAEL SCOTT, EUGENE FEDORENKO, ROSE NEWLOVE, DAVID VERRALL - Village Of Idiots

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA:
ANDRE THEBERGE, ALAIN JACQUES - Le P'tit Varius