Men, women, Gemini

Finally, the academy that oversees the ceremony regains its senses. No one in Quebec actively campaigned for the implementation of these unisex categories, which only lasted a year, thank God. A good decision corrects a bad one.

Caroline Gaudet, chairwoman of the academy's board of directors, acknowledged Thursday that the public would like to see a similar unified show. “The public likes their stars and wants to see their stars. The public has recognized themselves very little in this election,” he explains.

Indeed, the Academy unilaterally imposed mixed awards last year, without alerting its partner Radio-Canada, although Quebec televises the festival. The bosses of the public broadcaster, like the journalists, learned that their gala was going down the same “disruptive” path as the Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto, which did not inspire any interest, what a boring event. They said it was difficult to pass the pill.

In retrospect, the Academy recognizes gaps in explaining the changes and communicating its objectives. In short, it went too quickly, and everything went wrong.

Locally, most of the 1,000 members of the Academy in Quebec, which brings together producers, actors, directors, screenwriters and other audiovisual artisans, pushed for a return to the future, meaning the reestablishment of feminine and masculine categories.

Since the controversial September gala, where Insecure beat her STAT, no one yet understands how or why, and many prominent producers have condemned the exorbitant fees the Academy charges for registration and participation in Gemini. In 2023, KOTV's Louis Morissette (Zenith, eye of the hurricane) raised $60,000 to join the televised festivities. That's a lot, a lot of money, especially in less prosperous times for the small screen.

Speaking of those great tips, the Academy is offering a 15% discount on all bookings made before February 2nd. Feels like Black Friday, hurry up! The academy's general director, Chantal Cote, recalled that membership fees had been frozen for four years and were comparable to those required at similar galas in the US and Europe.

Unfortunately, the announcement of these changes didn't bring Gemini dissidents back into the fold. No, Fabienne Larouche will not submit STAT In the next race for trophies, it will eliminate the daily series category, which will be linked to soap operas.

“The Academy did not consult us, but from reading their press release, we understand that their priority is funding. Give a 15% discount like Sky Pass and then add categories to finance it. The problem is always the same, it is systematic. Earned through Gemini membership cards. The truth is that the formula needs to be rethought in its foundation, its relevance and, above all, the way it is financed,” believes Fabian LaRouche of Etios (STAT, reasonable doubt, With a beating heart)

Alexis Durand-Brault and Sophie Lorain, co-directors of ALSO (Megantic, Crime free plan), will also ignore the subsequent presentation of the golden statues. “It's a good decision to bring gender categories back. Still, it doesn't make us want to come back. I don't have $60,000 to spend on this. If an actor wants to record, call me, I have no intention of harming anyone,” says Alexis Durand-Brault.

Producer Guillaume Lspérance from A Media (Discussions with my parents, Bad weather) said he was disappointed to see the increase in the number of units from 91 to 109. In 2022 there were 144 categories, which was the highest. “I thought the Academy would do a better job of cleaning. It's funny that there are so many prices. I decided not to leave completely. I'm going to think about it all,” says Guillaume Lspérance.

Boss of Attraction (Leaders!, Love is in the meadow), Richard Speer is still pushing the idea of ​​Gemini withdrawing (or not) from the competition.

Among other changes, the weightage of audience ratings, which accounted for up to 20% in awarding Gemini to a show, has been revised downwards. It now counts for only 10%, but only for soap operas and daily serials. In the case of drama series and reality shows, for example, their popularity in Numeris audience meters does not weigh in the final balance.

At night Laurier Gaudreult woke up And Megantic, two Club Illigo titles, were affected by this 20% rule last year. Because these series did not air on traditional television, their viewership was not measured and automatically lost 20 points based on Numeris surveys.

According to KOTV's Louis Morissette, these changes are moving in the right direction, “but I'm going to cut records, that's for sure.” “The profession is tough and I have to choose,” he says.

And Louis Morissette, like many influential figures in showbiz, denounces a certain snobbishness in presenting Gemini. “Some shows, like The Master of the Game, cannot be the Academy's favorite,” he notes, not at all angry but resigned. The slogan for 2024, it seems.