The Canadian Screen Awards [1]are put together by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. They used to be called the Genie Awards (for film) and Gemini Awards (for TV). Now they're all rolled into one big happy family. Just thought I'd explain that to you.
The Animation category has suffered for years, primarily because of cost and access. Indie animators either can't afford the entry fees or qualification requirements. The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) - armed with a marketing and festivals department - has benefitted from the lack of competition to a point where they've become the Harlem Globetrotters of the category. That's not a shot at the NFB, who regularly produce award winning films, but there are many exciting Canadian animation films being made across Canada by indie animators - who don't have the marketing machine of an NFB. Gets a bit tiresome seeing the NFB Globetrotters playing with itself all the time.
The Academy is trying to change the situation by making fees and qualifications more feasible for indie animators, but it takes time, knowledge and awareness... so it's not too surprising that this year's Animation film nominees are once again dominated by the NFB. Of the four films nominated, three (Bydlo, Paula, Edmond was a Donkey) are NFB productions. The one non-NFB film (Demoni) is by frequent NFB animator, Theodore Ushev:
Here's Ushev's competition:
Links:
[1] http://www.academy.ca/awards/nominees.cfm