APTN congratulations 2010 Gemini Award winners

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) congratulates the programs associated with the network which were recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television at the 2010 Gemini Awards.



APTN’s celebrated stop-motion animated series Wapos Bay, starring the voices of Lorne Cardinal and Andrea Menard, won the Gemini Award for Best Writing in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series. This is the fourth Gemini win for Wapos Bay, and was presented to Trevor Cameron, who also received a nomination for Best Direction in an Animated Program or Series.



Wapos Bay also received three additional nominations, including Best Animated Program or Series and Best Original Music Score for an Animated Program or Series. A nomination for Best Performance in an Animated Series went to DeRic Starlight for his part in the Wapos Bay episode: It Came from Out There.



Reel Injun was honoured with the Canada Award, which recognizes excellence in mainstream television programming best reflecting the racial and cultural diversity of Canada. Reel Injun is a documentary that takes an entertaining and insightful look at the ‘Hollywood Indian’, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through the history of cinema. Reel Injun also won for Best Direction in a Documentary Program, which was presented to Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, and Jeremiah Hayes, and for Best Visual Research, which was presented to Elizabeth Klinck and Laura Blaney. The documentary was nominated for Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series.



For his hilarious portrayal on APTN’s Fish Out of Water, comedian Don Kelly was nominated for Best Host or Interviewer in a General/Human Interest or Talk Program or Series.



Down the Mighty River, nominated for Best Documentary Series, takes audiences on a cultural, environmental and scientific journey down the Rupert River, on the last summer before it’s diverted for a major hydroelectric project.



Passage, the documentary which follows John Rae, the Hudson's Bay Company doctor who used the ways of the Inuit to uncover the grisly fate of a lost expedition, received nominations for Best History Documentary Program and Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series.    



The awards were presented over three evenings; the Annual Gemini Awards Industry Galas took place on November 2nd and 3rd in Toronto, Ontario at the Kool Haus Entertainment Complex; and the Broadcast Gala was held on November 13th at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre.



The Gemini Awards celebrate excellence in Canadian English-language television by creating a national television showcase to assist the industry in building television audiences and public awareness, as well as an appreciation of Canadian production and talent.





About APTN:

September 1, 2010 marked the 11-year anniversary of the launch of the first national Aboriginal television network in the world with programming by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples to share with all Canadians and viewers around the world. APTN is available in approximately 10 million Canadian households and commercial establishments with cable, direct-to-home satellite (DTH), telco-delivered and fixed wireless television service providers. The network launched its high definition channel APTNHD in the spring of 2008. APTN does not receive government funding for operations but generates revenue through subscriber fees, advertising sales and strategic partnerships. APTN broadcasts programming with 56% offered in English, 16% in French and 28% in Aboriginal languages. For program schedule or for more information, please contact APTN at (204) 947-9331 or toll-free at 1-888-278-8862, or visit the website at www.aptn.ca.