THE GENIE AWARDS SHOW

December 15, 1997

The Canadian equivalent to the American Oscar, The Genie Awards Show was recorded from The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel on Sunday December 14th and broadcast over the Canadian cable station Bravo the following evening. Bruce Greenwood was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Billy Ansel in The Sweet Hereafter, and introduced the film in its bid for Best Picture. In all the The Sweet Hereafter won 8 Genies including Best Picture and Best Director for Atom Egoyan. Although Bruce was not the winner he graciously accepted on behalf of his co-star Ian Holm.

Bruce's introduction of The Sweet Hereafter:

The Sweet Hereafter is a story about repairing wounds to the soul and the moral choices that have to be made in the process of healing. It's based on the novel by Russell Banks and was shot on location in Toronto and in the interior of British Columbia. The movie takes us inside a town united by tragedy. After a school bus accident shatters the life of this small community, a big city lawyer descends and, driven by his own demons, the lawyer stirs up the anger of the townspeople as he encourages them to allay their fear with blame. And in the ensuing atmosphere of suspiscion and doubt, one teenager manages to tell the truth, her truth, and regain her dignity. Her courage illuminates the path to the sweet hereafter, the realm reserved for those who are at peace with their fate.

And Bruce's acceptance speech on behalf of Ian Holm:

Hi, Atom asked me to thank the academy on behalf of Ian and wanted me to mention that - as I discovered when working with him - that he came in with the intention of working with - in a collaborative way - with a bunch of people who just wanted to get down and work. And there was no... he just walked in and became a member of this family in an instant (snaps his fingers), and it was so clearly evident at the end of the film when he thanked everybody from the bottom of his heart, and by the end of his two-minute speech, the entire crew was weeping with gratitude for having worked with him. And I was among them, so I just want to thank you on behalf of Ian Holm. Thanks very much.

THE 1997 GENIE AWARDS

	Introducing The Sweet Hereafter	1 min 6 secs
	Accepting for Ian Holm	36.68 secs

Personal Appearances E Now coverage The Sweet Hereafter Atom Egoyan