# Gala Québec Cinéma

The Gala Québec Cinéma is a Quebec film award, presented annually by Québec Cinéma, which recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly feature film industry of Quebec. Until 2016, it was known as La soirée des prix Jutra (The evening of the Jutra prizes) in reference of influential Quebec film director Claude Jutra, but Jutra's name was withdrawn from the awards following the publication of Yves Lever's biography of Jutra, which alleged that he had sexually abused children.
It should not be confused with the Claude Jutra Award, a special award presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television as part of the separate Canadian Screen Awards program which was also renamed in 2016 following the allegations against Jutra.

## History

Introduced in 1999, the awards are presented for Best Film and performance, writing and technical categories such as best actor, actress, director, screenplay, et cetera. Due to Quebec's majority francophone population, most films made in the province are French-language films, but English-language films made in the province are also fully eligible for nomination. The awards maintain slightly different eligibility criteria for international coproductions, however: a coproduction which surpasses the organization's criteria for "majority Québécois" involvement is treated the same as a Quebec film, with full eligibility in all categories, while a coproduction which is classified as "minority Québécois", such as the 2015 film Brooklyn, is eligible only in categories where a resident of Quebec is the nominee, and cannot be submitted for Best Film.
The initial creation of the awards sparked some concern that the idea of a separate award for Quebec films would undermine the pan-Canadian scope of the Genie Awards; Québec Cinéma clarified that it did not have, and would not impose, a rule that films could not be submitted for both awards, although at least one film producer, Roger Frappier, voluntarily declined to submit the films August 32nd on Earth (Un 32 août sur terre) and 2 Seconds (2 secondes) for Genie consideration at all on the grounds that since neither film was projected to be popular outside Quebec, they would purportedly not get any public relations or marketing benefit out of Genie nominations. Frappier has not subsequently refused to submit other films to the Genies or the Canadian Screen Awards after 1999.
Following the withdrawal of Jutra's name from the award, the 2016 awards were presented solely under the name Québec Cinéma pending an announcement of the award's new permanent name. The Prix Iris name was announced in October 2016.
The trophy was designed by sculptor Charles Daudelin. The awards replaced the prix Guy-L'Écuyer, created in 1987 by Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois in memory of actor Guy L'Écuyer.
The 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards ceremony, originally planned for June 7, 2020, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada; unlike the 8th Canadian Screen Awards, however, the award nominations had not yet been released when the cancellation of the ceremony was announced. Nominations were still released on April 22, and the winners were announced via livestreaming on June 10.
Following the death of influential Quebec filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée in December 2021, there was some public demand that Québec Cinéma rename the awards to the Prix Vallée in his honour.
In 2022, Radio-Canada announced that due to declining ratings in recent years, it would not televise the 2023 awards, and was instead planning alternative ways to highlight Quebec film in its programming. In February 2023, Québec Cinéma indicated that it was in negotiations with other broadcasters to carry the 25th Quebec Cinema Awards; as of May 2023, however, the organization had confirmed only that the ceremony would not take place in its usual June scheduling. In July 2023, Québec Cinéma announced that the ceremony would be held in December 2023, and broadcast by Noovo.

## Ceremonies and Best Film winners

| Ceremony | Date | Best Picture | Host | Location | Broadcaster |
| 1st | March 7, 1999 | The Red Violin (Le violon rouge) | Rémy Girard | Théâtre Saint-Denis | TVA |
| 2nd | March 5, 2000 | Post Mortem | Yves Jacques and Élise Guilbault | Monument-National | TVA |
| 3rd | February 25, 2001 | Maelström | Yves Jacques and Élise Guilbault | Théâtre Saint-Denis | TVA |
| 4th | February 17, 2002 | Soft Shell Man (Un crabe dans la tête) | Sylvie Moreau | Théâtre Saint-Denis | TVA |
| 5th | February 23, 2003 | Québec-Montréal | Sylvie Moreau | Théâtre Maisonneuve | Radio-Canada |
| 6th | February 22, 2004 | The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares) | Sylvie Moreau | Théâtre Maisonneuve | Radio-Canada |
| 7th | February 20, 2005 | Looking for Alexander (Mémoires affectives) | Patrick Huard | Théâtre Maisonneuve | Radio-Canada |
| 8th | March 19, 2006 | C.R.A.Z.Y. | Normand Brathwaite | Théâtre Maisonneuve | Radio-Canada |
| 9th | February 18, 2007 | Congorama | Normand Brathwaite | Théâtre Maisonneuve | Radio-Canada |
| 10th | March 9, 2008 | Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil) | Normand Brathwaite | Théâtre Saint-Denis | Radio-Canada |
| 11th | March 29, 2009 | The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre) | Karine Vanasse | Théâtre Saint-Denis | Radio-Canada |
| 12th | March 28, 2010 | I Killed My Mother (J'ai tué ma mère) | Patrice L'Écuyer | Théâtre Saint-Denis | Radio-Canada |
| 13th | March 13, 2011 | Incendies | Yves Pelletier and Sylvie Moreau | Théâtre Saint-Denis | Radio-Canada |
| 14th | March 11, 2012 | Monsieur Lazhar | Yves Pelletier and Sylvie Moreau | Théâtre Saint-Denis | Radio-Canada |
| 15th | March 17, 2013 | War Witch (Rebelle) | Rémy Girard | Salle Pierre-Mercure | Radio-Canada |
| 16th | March 23, 2014 | Louis Cyr (Louis Cyr: L'homme le plus fort du monde) | Pénélope McQuade and Laurent Paquin | Monument-National | Radio-Canada |
| 17th | March 15, 2015 | Mommy | Pénélope McQuade and Stéphane Bellavance | Monument-National | Radio-Canada |
| 18th | March 20, 2016 | The Passion of Augustine (La passion d'Augustine) | Pénélope McQuade and Stéphane Bellavance | Monument-National | Radio-Canada |
| 19th | June 4, 2017 | It's Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde) | Guylaine Tremblay and Édith Cochrane [fr] | Maison Radio-Canada | Radio-Canada |
| 20th | June 3, 2018 | Ravenous (Les affamés) | Guylaine Tremblay and Édith Cochrane [fr] | Maison Radio-Canada | Radio-Canada |
| 21st | June 2, 2019 | 1991 | Guylaine Tremblay and Édith Cochrane [fr] | Maison Radio-Canada | Radio-Canada |
| 22nd | June 10, 2020 | Antigone | No ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic; winners were announced via livestreaming. | No ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic; winners were announced via livestreaming. | | Radio-Canada |
| 23rd | June 6, 2021 | Goddess of the Fireflies (La déesse des mouches à feu) | Geneviève Schmidt | Maison Radio-Canada | Radio-Canada |
| 24th | June 5, 2022 | Drunken Birds (Les oiseaux ivres) | Geneviève Schmidt | Maison Radio-Canada | Radio-Canada |
| 25th | December 10, 2023 | Viking | Jay Du Temple | Grandé Studios | Noovo |
| 26th | December 8, 2024 | Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant) | Phil Roy | Grandé Studios | Noovo |

## Most wins and nominations

| Nominations | Title |
| 22 | Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person |
| 18 | Viking |
| 17 | Drunken Birds |
| 16 | 1991 |
| 16 | Goddess of the Fireflies |
| 16 | Maria Chapdelaine |
| 14 | C.R.A.Z.Y. |
| 14 | The Rocket |
| 14 | The 3 L'il Pigs |
| 14 | Babysitter |
| 14 | Red Rooms |
| 14 | The Nature of Love |
| 13 | Seducing Doctor Lewis |
| 13 | Bon Cop, Bad Cop |
| 13 | And the Birds Rained Down |
| 13 | Underground |
| 13 | The Vinland Club |
| 13 | The Time Thief |
| 12 | The Barbarian Invasions |
| 12 | A Sunday in Kigali |
| 12 | Incendies |
| 12 | It's Only the End of the World |
| 12 | Two Lovers and a Bear |
| 12 | For Those Who Don't Read Me |
| 12 | The Dishwasher |
| 11 | The Red Violin |
| 11 | Laurence Anyways |
| 11 | Louis Cyr |
| 11 | Mommy |
| 11 | The Passion of Augustine |
| 11 | La Bolduc |
| 11 | A Brother's Love |
| 11 | Ghost Town Anthology |
| 11 | My Salinger Year |
| 11 | Beans |
| 11 | 1995 |
| 10 | Séraphin: Heart of Stone |
| 10 | Gaz Bar Blues |
| 10 | Audition |
| 10 | Through the Mist |
| 10 | Monsieur Lazhar |
| 10 | War Witch |
| 10 | Gabrielle |
| 10 | You're Sleeping Nicole |
| 10 | Tom at the Farm |
| 10 | Corbo |
| 10 | Hochelaga, Land of Souls |
| 10 | Infiltration |
| 10 | Mafia Inc. |
| 10 | Target Number One |
| 10 | Richelieu |
| 10 | Solo |
| Awards | Title |
| 16 | C.R.A.Z.Y. |
| 11 | Viking |
| 10 | Incendies |
| 10 | Mommy |
| 10 | Drunken Birds |
| 9 | The Red Violin |
| 9 | Maelström |
| 9 | Louis Cyr |
| 8 | Monsieur Lazhar |
| 8 | War Witch |
| 8 | Ravenous |
| 8 | Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person |
| 7 | Soft Shell Man |
| 7 | The Barbarian Invasions |
| 7 | Seducing Doctor Lewis |
| 7 | Séraphin: Heart of Stone |
| 7 | Goddess of the Fireflies |
| 6 | A Sunday in Kigali |
| 6 | The Passion of Augustine |
| 6 | La Bolduc |
| 6 | Antigone |
| 5 | Post Mortem |
| 5 | Bittersweet Memories |
| 5 | Congorama |
| 5 | Babine |
| 5 | Polytechnique |
| 5 | Gabrielle |
| 5 | It's Only the End of the World |
| 5 | Hochelaga, Land of Souls |
| 5 | 1991 |
| Nominations | Nominee |
| 31 | Xavier Dolan |
| 30 | Bernard Gariépy Strobl |
| 26 | Luc Boudrias |
| 26 | Nancy Grant |
| 23 | Sylvain Corbeil |
| 22 | Sylvain Bellemare |
| 21 | Luc Déry |
| 20 | Kim McCraw |
| 17 | Olivier Calvert |
| 16 | Stéphane Bergeron |
| 15 | Kathryn Casault |
| 15 | Claude La Haye |
| 15 | Martin Lapointe |
| 15 | André Turpin |
| 14 | Claude Beaugrand |
| 14 | Roger Frappier |
| 14 | Denise Robert |
| 13 | Denis Côté |
| 13 | Philippe Falardeau |
| 13 | Sara Mishara |
| 13 | Robert Morin |
| 13 | Luc Picard |
| 13 | Hans Peter Strobl |
| 13 | Luc Vandal |
| 12 | André-Line Beauparlant |
| 12 | Marc Bertrand |
| 12 | Céline Bonnier |
| 12 | Gavin Fernandes |
| 12 | Stéphane Lafleur |
| 12 | Ricardo Trogi |
| 11 | Monia Chokri |
| 11 | Denis Villeneuve |
| 10 | Robin Aubert |
| 10 | Francesca Chamberland |
| 10 | Louis Gignac |
| 10 | Nathanaël Karmitz |
| 10 | Marie-Claude Lafontaine |
| 10 | Lyse Lafontaine |
| 10 | Ginette Magny |
| 10 | Kim Nguyen |
| 10 | Denis Parent |
| 10 | Theodore Ushev |
| Awards | Nominee |
| 15 | Xavier Dolan |
| 10 | Bernard Gariépy Strobl |
| 10 | Nancy Grant |
| 9 | Luc Déry |
| 9 | André Turpin |
| 9 | Denis Villeneuve |
| 8 | Kim McCraw |
| 7 | Stéphane Lafleur |
| 7 | Martin Lapointe |
| 7 | Denise Robert |
| 7 | Jean-Marc Vallée |
| 6 | Claude Beaugrand |
| 6 | Sylvain Bellemare |
| 6 | Richard Comeau |
| 6 | Hans Peter Strobl |
| 5 | Denys Arcand |
| 5 | Louise Archambault |
| 5 | Sylvain Corbeil |
| 5 | Philippe Falardeau |
| 5 | Claude La Haye |

## "Big Five" winners and nominees

To date, thirteen films were nominated for the "Big Five" categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. Of those, only Mommy managed to win all five awards.
* 2 Seconds (2 secondes) - 1999
* Tar Angel (L’ange de goudron) - 2002
* The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares) – 2004
* The Rocket (Maurice Richard) – 2006
* The Novena (La neuvaine) – 2006
* Days of Darkness (L’âge des ténèbres) – 2008
* I Killed My Mother (J’ai tué ma mère) – 2010
* Mommy – 2015
* Two Lovers and a Bear – 2017
* Family First (Chien de garde) – 2018
* Viking – 2023
* Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant) – 2024
* The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain) – 2024

## Categories

* Best Film
* Best Director
* Best Actor
* Best Actress
* Best Supporting Actor
* Best Supporting Actress
* Best Screenplay
* Best Documentary Film
* Best Live Action Short Film
* Best Animated Short Film
* Best Art Direction
* Best Casting
* Best Cinematography
* Best Cinematography in a Documentary
* Best Costume Design
* Best Editing
* Best Editing in a Documentary
* Best First Film
* Best Hair
* Best Makeup
* Best Original Music
* Best Original Music in a Documentary
* Best Short Documentary
* Best Sound
* Best Sound in a Documentary
* Best Visual Effects
* Most Successful Film Outside Quebec
* Public Prize
* Revelation of the Year
* Tribute