The room was packed with representatives of the media as well as several production companies and distributors when Sara Morton, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television strolled to the podium to introduce Pinsent and Maslany. "This year's nominations reflect a national cinema that is courageous in its storytelling,” said Morton. "They are films created from the wealth of cultures, communities, and historical moments that make up the Canadian identity. As the Genie Awards celebrate its 30th anniversary, these nominees will remind us of why it is as important as ever to celebrate and cherish the best of Canadian film.”

Following is the list of nominations for the 30th Annual Genie Awards:

BEST MOTION PICTURE:
3 SAISONS – Maude Bouchard, Jim Donovan, Sandy Martinez, Bruno Rosato
BEFORE TOMORROW – Stéphane Rituit
FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING – Shawn Williamson, Stephen Hegyes, Peter La Terriere, Kari Skogland
NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY – Ingrid Veninger
POLYTECHNIQUE – Maxime Rémillard, Don Carmody

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION:
MARIE- HÉLÈNE COUSINEAU, MADELINE PIUJUQ IVALU – Before Tomorrow
KARI SKOGLAND – Fifty Dead Men Walking
CHARLES OFFICER – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
DENIS VILLENEUVE – Polytechnique
BRUCE MCDONALD – Pontypool

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
JEAN-CARL BOUCHER – 1981
PAUL DYLAN IVALU – Before Tomorrow
JOSHUA JACKSON – One Week
CLARK JOHNSON – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
STEPHEN MCHATTIE – Pontypool

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
PATRICK DROLET – De père en flic / Father and Guns
JOHN DUNSWORTH – Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day
MAXIM GAUDETTE – Polytechnique
RÉMY GIRARD – De père en flic / Father and Guns
SCOTT SPEEDMAN – Adoration

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
MADELINE PIUJUQ IVALU – Before Tomorrow
KAREN LEBLANC – NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
CARINNE LEDUC – 3 Saisons
GABRIELLE ROSE – Mothers&Daughters
KARINE VANASSE - Polytechnique

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
LIANE BALABAN – One Week
MARIE BRASSARD – Les grandes chaleurs / Heat Wave
MARTHA BURNS – Love & Savagery
ISABEL RICHER – Babine
SONIA VACHON – 5150, rue des Ormes / 5150 Elm’s Way

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
ATOM EGOYAN - Adoration
ÉMILE GAUDREAULT, IAN LAUZON - De père en flic / Father and Guns
CHARLES OFFICER, INGRID VENINGER - NURSE.FIGHTER.BOY
JACQUES DAVIDTS - Polytechnique
DAVID BEZMOZGIS - Victoria Day

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
MARIE-HÉLÈNE COUSINEAU, SUSAN AVINGAQ, MADELINE PIUJUQ IVALU - Before Tomorrow
KARI SKOGLAND - Fifty Dead Men Walking
TONY BURGESS - Pontypool

BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY:
A HARD NAME - Kristina McLaughlin, Michael McMahon, Alan Zweig
LES DAMES EN BLEU / LADIES IN BLUE - Claude Demers
INSIDE HANA'S SUITCASE - Larry Weinstein, Rudolf Biermann, Jessica Daniel
PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI - Patricia Aquino, Paul Saltzman
RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO - Mila Aung-Thwin, Kat Baulu, Brett Gaylor, Germaine Ying Gee Wong

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY:
THE DELIAN MODE - Kara Blake, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
PASSAGES - Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
PETROPOLIS: AERIAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ALBERTA TAR SANDS - Peter Mettler, Sandy Hunter, Laura Severinac

It came as no surprise that the annual Claude Jutra Award for a first time feature director would go to Xavier Dolan for his remarkable film, J'ai tué ma mère. Made when he was still a teenager, the film has received rave reviews almost everywhere it has played.

There were a number of nominations in the technical categories, such as Make-up, Sound, Cinematography and Music that were not announced this morning but are available from the Academy's website. There were also a number of surprises in the announcements. First, and most obvious to anyone paying any attention to Canadian film, was the total absence of Cairo Time from this morning's nominations. One of the more polished films released last year, we can only surmise that it just wasn't Canadian enough given that it was shot in Egypt and featured a largely non-Canadian cast. But a similar case can be made against Fifty Dead Men Walking, which also featured a largely non-Canadian cast and was shot almost entirely in Ireland and, deservedly, ended up being nominated in three key categories including Best Motion Picture. Also hard to fathom is why One Week, one of the most successful and popular English Canadian movies ever made wasn't nominated for Best Motion Picture.

Another surprise is that the nominations were so late in coming this year, which could be explained by the focus on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and the coming US Academy Awards this Sunday, March 7th. That said, the fact that there was no announcement regarding a broadcaster for the 30th annual awards ceremony may indicate a deeper problem for the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. The awards, televised or not, will be handed out on April 12 at the Guvernment / Kool Haus Entertainment Complex, located on Toronto’s waterfront.