Leo Awards 2019

The Leo Awards are celebrating their 21st Year of recognizing excellence in BC film and television

This year’s celebrations will include two ceremonies at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre on May 25 & 26th, culminating in the Gala Awards on Saturday, June 1st at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver hosted by Peter Kelamis

The Leo Awardsare celebrating 21 years of honoring the best in British Columbia film and television this year. The anticipated annual ceremony, where the awards are presented to the distinguished winners, is a major part of the British Columbia film industry’s awards season.

Walter Daroshin and Sonny Wong are thrilled to be bringing these awards presentation to life, where standout talents from across the big and small screens will be honored for their work. 

Hosts for the three 2019 Leo Awards evenings have been announced. Matthew Kevin Anderson will be the host at the Celebration Awards Ceremony One on Saturday, May 25thand Lucie Guest and Kalyn Miles will host the Celebration Awards Ceremony Two on Sunday, May 26th.  Both ceremonies will take place at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. Peter Kelamis will host the Gala Awards Ceremony on June 1st at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver.

Leading this year’s awards with 20 nominations is the Syfy/Netflix TV series Van Helsing, including Best Program, Best Direction Jacquie Gould and Michael Nankin, Supporting Male Aleks Paunovic and Vincent Gale, Supporting Female Rukiya Bernard and Lead Male Jonathan Scarfe.

CBC’s critically acclaimed miniseries Unspeakableabout Canada’s tainted blood scandal has 17 nominations in the Dramatic Series category, including three for Best Supporting Male: Alex Rose, Brian Markinson and David Lewis. 

The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco has eight nominations, including Lead Female for Crystal Balint, while Netflix’s hit series The Order follows with six, including Best Guest Performance Female for Jewel Staite.

In the Motion Picture category, three films garnered 10 nominations apiece: Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Haida-language epic Edge of the Knife (Sgaawaay K’uuna), Bruce Sweeney’s acclaimed feature Kingsway, and Marie Clements’ Red Snow. 

Jesse James Miller’s drama Rabbit has nine nominations in the Motion Picture category, including three for Supporting Female: Jennifer Copping, Johanna Marlowe, and Gabrielle Miller. 

In the Documentary category Letter to Masanjiathe feature-length documentary about an SOS letter sent from inside a Chinese labour camp, received six nominations, including Best Feature-Length Documentary, Best Direction, and Best Screenwriting. 

Overall, 110 awards will be handed out in the categories of Short Drama, Documentary Program or Series, Information, Lifestyle or Reality Program or Series, Music, Comedy or Variety Program or Series, Animation Program or Series, Youth or Children’s Program or Series, Web Series, Music Video, Dramatic Series, Motion Picture, and Student Production.

A complete list of the 2019 nominees is available at the Leo Awardswebsite.

About the BC Film & TV Industry: 

In 2018, the B.C. film production industry set a new record, According to a report released by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), the budgets of film and TV production Canada increased by 5.9 per cent to an all-time high of $8.92 billion in 2018. The British Columbia film and television industry provides more than 25,000 jobs and generates more than $2 billion (Canadian) in economic activity each year, making the industry an integral one to the economic and social vitality of British Columbia. 

About the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia and the Leo Awards:

The Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote the achievements of the British Columbia film and television industry through the presentation of an annual awards program – The Leo Awards.  

The Leo Awards were established in 1998 to provide support and recognition for the work of film and television producers, writers, directors, performers and others in the industry. Nominees for the Leo Awards – which recognize on-screen and behind-the-camera excellence in the British Columbia film and television sphere and are handed out over three ceremonies.

Through a system of peer adjudication, Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants complete the final ballot tabulations for the awards.

Walter Daroshin, President of the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia and the Leo Awards says, “We would like to extend a special thank you to all of our jurors – many of whom spent upwards of five weeks screening and adjudicating our eligible entries. They exemplify the spirit of community service and we are grateful for their care and consideration while deliberating.” 

Leo Awards Event Details:

The Leo Awardswill take place at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre and Hyatt Regency Vancouver.

The Celebration Awards One: 

  • Saturday, May 25th Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre

Celebration Awards Two:

  • Sunday, May 26th Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre

The Leo Gala Awards:

  • Saturday, June 1st Hyatt Regency Vancouver 

Celebrate with the largest Red Carpet in Western Canada with nominees walking the Red Carpet with press in attendance.

Walter Daroshin and Sonny Wong are available for interviews leading up to the Leo Awards or on the Red Carpet on June 1st, 2019.

For more information, interview requests, a spot on or a list of celebrities walking the Gala awards Red Carpet, please contact:

Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca| 604-726-5575

Social Media Handles & Hashtag: