Dave Chappelle to present Just for Laughs with CSA's Icon Award
Chapelle to present award to JFL founder, COO at CSA awards in Toronto
One of the world's top comedians will present a special award to one of the world's best-known comedy brands at the Canadian Screen Awards.
Dave Chappelle will be in Toronto to present Just For Laughs with the Academy Icon Award, which celebrates the institutions behind important achievements in Canada's screen industry.
Founded in 1983 in Montreal, Just For Laughs has become one of the world's best-known comedy brands. Many of North America's top comedians, including Russell Peters, Louis CK and Chappelle, performed at the festival early in their careers.
Just For Laughs has produced more than 1,000 hours of standup comedy for television series and specials, and also spawned the Just for Laughs Gags spinoff series. Just For Laugh programs have aired in more than 130 countries, and inspired polite chuckles on commercial airline flights around the world.
"With over 30 years of brilliant work, Just for Laughs is one of the world's finest comedy brands, firmly established as the quintessential breeding ground for Canadian comedy," Martin Katz, chair of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, said in a statement.
Chappelle's first of many appearances at the festival was in 1992. He became wildly popular in the early 2000s with his sketch comedy program Chappelle's Show and earned two Emmy nominations.
After a long hiatus from the spotlight, he started performing more regularly in recent years, including hosting Saturday Night Live's first show after the 2016 U.S. election. He recently announced he will record three Netflix comedy specials in 2017.
The Academy established the Icon Award in 2015 and past winners include This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Insight Productions, the studio behind Battle of the Blades, last summer's Tragically Hip concert, as well as the Canadian versions of programs like The Amazing Race and Top Chef.
Chapelle will present the award to JFL founder Gilbert Rozon and COO Bruce Hills during the CSA awards ceremony at Toronto's Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, which airs March 12 at 8 pm (9PM AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC-TV.