The glitz and glamour of Alberta's leading entertainers shined in full soiree last night in Edmonton, Alberta for the 34^th Annual Alberta Film and Television Awards. Presented in honour of the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association (AMPIA), the awards, more commonly known as ‘The Rosies', stands as the longest running regional entertainment awards show in Canada...

Written by Leah Mertz (Calgary/Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

April 26^th 2008

The glitz and glamour of Alberta's leading entertainers shined in full soiree last night in Edmonton, Alberta for the 34^th Annual Alberta Film and Television Awards. Presented in honour of the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association (AMPIA), the awards, more commonly known as ‘The Rosies', stands as the longest running regional entertainment awards show in Canada. Whether they were writers, directors, producers, actors or simply connoisseurs of Alberta's arts, the Rosies served as a night where the industry simply gets to recognize its accomplishments and relax in a night of celebration with their fellow comrades.

Received in record numbers, roughly eight hundred and forty three submissions to AMPIA made up the varied array of work to be adjudicated for Rosie recognition. A carefully selected jury of thirty industry professionals from across Canada made up the panel that would decide who would be walking away with what is known as ‘Alberta's Highest Honour'.

The night began with Albertan television hosts Jill Belland (The City Show) and Mark Connolly (CBC at Six) hosting the awards. Upon reaching the second half, notable Canadian actors Shaun Johnston (Heartland) and Rebecca Jenkins (Whole New Thing) took the reins in handing out the remaining Rosies for the ‘Craft' nominations.  Forty five awards were handed out to various productions; all seemed to be decisive wins other than the award given for Best Musical or Variety Special. ‘My Song is My Gift: George Canyon Special' was a tough competitor up against ‘The Fiddle and the Drum'; careful deliberation was needed to declare a winner. However, publicist for the event Gordon Imlach explains that ‘It was just so difficult to decide; they talked and talked about it before deciding it would be a tie'. An unusual twist to what was an otherwise clear cut night of deserving recipients.

There was a true feeling of communal gathering at the Rosies; young and old alike came together to signify the meaning that the Alberta film industry has to so many people. When talking to Andrew Misle of ‘The Jane Show' fame, he tells me ‘that you have to follow your heart in this business; the arts can mean so much to people that the only way to carry on is to be doing it for the right reasons.' Hopefully some of these right reasons include what writer David Schultz had to say about the Rosies: ‘Getting an AMPIA is what prompts entertainers, especially in the younger generation, to keep doing what they do as they aspire in the industry, because it isn't always easy.'

The awards were truly a showcase of home-grown talent. The award for best actor went to Landon Liboiron; a young talent from Jenner, Alberta. He has barely graduated high school but has already starred in some of Alberta's leading productions like ‘Mayerthorpe' and ‘Don't Cry Now'. His humble acceptance speech for his award was full of nothing but thanks to the support of his family. He is definitely one to look out for in coming years, he brings great prospect and dignity to the Alberta film industry.

On the other hand, the award for best actress went to Tina Lameman. Her spunky performance in the television series ‘Mixed Blessings' garnered plenty of critical acclaim. As her first official accredited role, Tina was overcome with emotion and surprise to be receiving the honour. The biggest surprise of the night (well, not really considering the brilliance of the production) was made-for-TV movie ‘The Secret of the Nutcracker'. The film won a total of six awards making it the leading winner of the evening.

The Rosies have always been a platform for important films that highlight the untold stories of Alberta's history. Tom Cox and Jordy Randall were the producers accepting the win for ‘Mayerthorpe' in the Best Made-for-TV or Mini-Series category. ‘Mayerthorpe' is the gripping account of Jimmy Roszko's decision to murder four RCMP officers in March of 2005. In their acceptance speech, Cox noted that ‘this was a story we did not want to tell, but had to tell; it was important for Canada to see and understand'. It is obvious that the Alberta film industry plays a vital part in bringing these stories to life; valuable life lessons can be learned and shared by all.

The producers from ‘The Dogwalker' summed up the evening quite nicely upon receiving one of the awards for Best Documentary: ‘Films are seductive; we have the best job ever!' The Rosies were in fact the best way to recognize one of Alberta's most treasured industries of film and television.

For a full list of winners go to www.ampia.org. The Alberta Film and Television Awards will be airing on CityTV in the upcoming weeks. Check your local listings.