Canada is suddenly home to some of the buzziest films and TV shows of the year.
From the global fanfare of Crave’s Heated Rivalry — created by Montrealer Jacob Tierney — to the universal coming-of-age nostalgia in Chandler Levack’s film Mile End Kicks, The Great White North breeds a lot of notable talent that has resonated with audiences around the world.
Last night (May 31), Canadian stars flocked to the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto to be honoured as the crème de la crème of homegrown film, TV and entertainment.
‘Heated Rivalry’ Notches a Record-Breaking 16 Awards
Seven months after its Canadian premiere, Heated Rivalry is still reaping the rewards. The Crave hockey romance drama took home a whopping 16 awards, including best drama series, best direction, best writing and best lead performer for Vancouverite Hudson Williams. The six-episode TV series won every category it was nominated in, including a trio of music-related accolades.
advertisement
For best sound, fiction, Vincent Riendeau, Martin M Messier, Joe Scandella, Natalie Fleurant, Simon Meilleur, Eric Med Lagacé, Peter Lopata and Valéry Dufort-Boucher received the award. Meanwhile, Quebec artist Peter Peter — who worked with Tierney to soundtrack the entire series — took home best original music, drama and best original song for “It’s You.”
‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ Finds Humour in Canada
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a very Canadian movie. Starring Matt Johnson and Jay McCaroll in a revival of the pair’s beloved web series and TV show, Nirvanna the Band the Show — which thrived on public stunts — the film finds the two galavanting around Toronto on a mission to book a show at The Rivoli. They even crashed Drake’s Bridle Path mansion after a shooting there.
The comedy won six awards, including best motion picture, achievement in visual effects and achievement in sound mixing, while McCarrol scored the award for performance in a leading role, comedy and Johnson received performance in a supporting role, comedy. However, it was the pair’s ridiculous “The Alphabet Song” that took home achievement in music, original song. It was up against two more serious (if you will) contenders, including Dream Eater’s “Wildflower” and “A / S / L” from Mile End Kicks.
advertisement
Still, the comedic duo’s film lost out on a couple of awards, including achievement in sound editing and achievement in music, original score, which were awarded to Ed Douglas and Dermain Finlayson and Todor Kobakov, respectively, for the period drama 40 Acres.
The Juno Awards Wins An Award for 2025 Ceremony
The Juno Awards ceremony in 2025 was one for the books, celebrating Sum 41’s final live performance, Anne Murray’s lifetime achievements in music and Michael Buble’s charming host qualities, among other notable moments. Now, the brains behind the award show are getting their flowers.
2025’s Juno Awards received best live entertainment special, acknowledging both talent and crew who put on the ceremony, including Michael Bublé, Lindsay Cox, Allan Reid, John Brunton, Tracy Galvin, Del Cowie, Leah Gauthier, Anthony Matkovic, Jennifer Paterson, Kristine Pleau, Jordan Rudder, Erica McMaster, Mike Langevin, Luciano Casimiri, Kristeen Von Hagen and Kim Wheeler.
‘Mile End Kicks’ Gets an Editing Award
Mile End Kicks is a deeply referential film about music in the early 2010s. The brainchild of music critic-turned director Chandler Levack, the movie follows Barbie Ferreria’s Grace, who learns about love and work while coming-of-age one summer in Montreal. Speaking with Billboard Canada, Levack easily rattled off a list of then-Montreal-based acts who inspired the film, including Wolf Parade, Cadence Weapon, Stars and more.
advertisement
While music is at the core of the movie, the film’s editor, Simone Smith, took home the film’s only award after she received achievement in editing. A frequent collaborator of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’s Matt Johnson, Smith’s editing style is sharp, quick-witted and bold. It brought the messy rom-com to life in a vivacious way.
advertisement
An Oscar-Winning Short Brings Success to Its Home Country
Back in March, The Girl Who Cried Pearls won best animated short film at the 2026 Oscars. Set in Montreal, the 17-minute stop-motion centres on a young boy who meets and falls in love with a girl who secretly weeps pearls at night. The film’s creators, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, went on to thank the community that helped bring the movie to life during their acceptance speech, shouting out the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and musician Patrick Watson, who soundtracked the film. Now they’re receiving a similar honour in their home country. The duo received best animated short, which was once again awarded to Lavis and Szczerbowski, while their collaborators Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand and Christine Noël were highlighted.
Sarah McLachlan, Sister Nancy and Blue Rodeo’s Legacies Live On
While a lot of new Canadian talent was recognized, a handful of awards were handed out to creatives who are championing an older generation of artists who are still thriving.
While Sister Nancy hails from Jamaica, the dancehall DJ and singer was the focus of a 2024 documentary, Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, pulled together by a Canadian team. Director Alison Duke took home best direction and best writing, documentary program, while Eugene Weis claimed best picture editing, documentary. As expected, the sound and music were a crucial element of the doc, as it was awarded best sound, documentary or factual and best original music, documentary.
Two notable Canadian acts, Sarah McLachlan and Blue Rodeo, were the subject of their own documentaries that received recognition at last night’s awards show. Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, a documentary about the all-female women’s music festival that McLachlan led, took home the Barbara Sears Award for best visual research, while Blue Rodeo: Lost Together snagged best biography or arts documentary program or series.
