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Toronto native Samantha Bee is returning home to host the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards.
Organizers for the ceremony celebrating the best in Canadian film and television said Bee will helm the pre-recorded broadcast to cap off Canadian Screen Week, during which there will be numerous in-person events for the first time in four years.
In a departure from the pre-pandemic format, the final show wrapping up the week’s festivities that Bee is hosting will not take place live in front of an audience of guests and nominees.
A spokesperson from the The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television says that the special will highlight award winners feted throughout the week, and will include interviews and “notable moments.”
The Academy says awards will be handed out over the course of seven events divided by genre.
The festivities will begin April 11, with awards being given to sports, news and documentary and factual programming.
Children’s animation and lifestyle and reality awards are set to be handed out on April 12, while digital, immersive and cinematic arts programs will be honoured April 13. Comedic and dramatic arts awards will be given out April 14.
Bee, who made a name for herself as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” before hosting her late-night comedy series “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” said she’s excited for the opportunity to celebrate “our country’s finest creative minds.”
Another major change to the CSAs announced last year is that the performance categories for film and TV are no longer split by gender.
The “Canadian Screen Awards with Samantha Bee” airs April 16 on CBC and CBC Gem. Special award recipients include Ryan Reynolds, Catherine O’Hara, and Simu Liu.
Nominees will be announced on Feb. 22.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously stated the April 16 broadcast will be live. In fact, it will be pre-recorded.
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