Big laughs and bigger feels: Watch the best moments from the 2019 CSAs
Schitt's Creek, Kids in the Hall, Amybeth McNulty — here are the Canadian Screen Awards highlights you need
While everyone at the Sony Centre Sunday night was probably halfway to the open bar, Brent Butt was signing off for this year's host-free Canadian Screen Awards broadcast, delivering a bit of comedy that might just solve the eternal problem of what to actually call the Canadian Screen Awards. To paraphrase a bit, the shiny trophies look like they're perpetually going in for a hug — "which I hope they do," said Butt, "because frankly, we need the validation."
Jokes about an entire industry of stage-five clingers aside, could we call these things The Hugs? The Snuggles? The Squeezies? Naming them "The Huggies" would probably come with some dangerously shitty brand associations, but the idea of a CSA statue doubling as an unusually heavy "free hugs" sign is too on-the-nose to ignore, as these broadcast highlights go to show. We've got laughs. We've got cozy and uplifting acceptance speeches. We've got everything but a sentient CSA trophy folding the entire cast of Schitt's Creek into its curled, brass tentacles.
From this year's two-hour love-in, watch the lighthearted moments you missed.
Amybeth McNulty's speech: Hey, inspiring young people! "This award is dedicated to you"
CBC's Anne with an E won seven CSAs, tying it for most-awarded series of the year. McNulty nabbed the trophy for best actress in a drama series, and the 17-year-old used her time at the podium to salute the teenagers who've become global changemakers. "To every young person out there who doubts their voice, their mind, their power, I think we can now see that this last year and the year before, the young folk are more than tech-obsessed and lazy. We are strong, capable and willing to fight for our world when others in a higher power, unfortunately, are not. Speak loud like Greta Thunberg, have resilience like Malala and listen to that inner voice and live your life with no regrets. I'm so proud of you all; thank you for inspiring me. This award is dedicated to you."
Schitt's Creek wins best comedy series: "Wouldn't we all be happier if we were able to love out loud?"
From Dan Levy's acceptance speech: "In Schitt's Creek, we are writing a world that examines the transformational effects of love when the threat of hate and intolerance has been removed from the equation. And while that's not a reality for many...our goal is to shine a light out there that asks the question: what if it was? Wouldn't we all be happier if we were able to love out loud?"
Catherine O'Hara jokes about what actually matters in showbiz
Sunday night, the Schitt's Creek star won best actress in a comedy series for the fourth year in a row. From her hilarious speech: "It's a lovely thing to be part of something that just might inspire us while we're laughing to let go of our lesser selves and love others as we would be loved. Yeah, there's that." Watch the rest.
The Kids in the Hall receive the Academy Icon Award with somebody else named Mark McKinney
If you can convince (almost) every member of a legendary comedy team to appear on your show, let them do what they do best. Watch the Kids turn their acceptance speech into a sketch that's as gloriously absurd as you'd expect.
Jasmin Mozaffari named 2019's best film director: ''I'm one of the few women to win this award"
Women are still wildly underrepresented behind the camera, but they dominated the CSA film directing category — a good-news story the CSA congratulated itself for at the top of the show. First-timer Jasmin Mazaffari won for her film Firecrackers. From her speech: "I think I'm one of the few women to win this award." (The very short list includes Sarah Polley, Sandy Wilson, Micheline Lanctôt and last year's honouree, Aisling Walsh.) "I don't think I'll be the last — just watch."
Stephan James accepts Radius Award, sends a love letter to Scarborough
The one-time Degrassi star is having a career-changing moment, with recent roles in If Beale Street Could Talk and Homecoming, but the award he accepted Sunday night was a new Academy invention — something called the Radius Award. (It's meant to recognize Canadian contributions to international cinema, which sounds suspiciously like a long-lead Academy strategy to eventually land a Ryan.) Accepting the trophy from his (very excited) brother, James gave thanks for his Scarborough roots.
Stream the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards in full on YouTube and CBC Gem.
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