Mel Hoppenheim, President and CEO of La Cité du Cinéma and benefactor of Concordia’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, is the 2010 recipient of the Academy Achievement Award. In 1965, he founded Panavision Canada, a film equipment rental company. Based in Montreal, additional facilities were opened in Toronto (1972) and Vancouver (1977). In 1988, Hoppenheim acquired the historic Theatre Expo de la Cité du Havre and opened La Cité du Cinéma, a state of the art sound stage and one of the most modern facilities available to the Canadian film and television industry. Today, La Cité du Cinéma is a favorite for many large domestic and international productions.

In 1997, Hoppenheim made a generous donation to Concordia University, which was used to establish the renowned Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, the largest university-based centre for the study of film animation, film production and film studies in Canada. Hoppenheim has also assisted in the development of Montreal’s Institut National de l’Image et du Son (INIS), a respected private school for the development of world-class writers, directors and producers for film and television.

The Academy is pleased to present this special award to Mel Hoppenheim for his enduring passion and lasting contributions to the Canadian film industry.

Xavier Dolan has captivated critics and audiences around the world with his debut feature film J’ai tué ma mère / I Killed My Mother. A compelling work exploring the complex and explosive relationship between a teenage boy, Hubert (played by Dolan), and his mother, Chantal (Anne Dorval), the film is an intimate and poignantly funny portrait of modern-day family strife.

The Claude Jutra Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a first-time feature filmmaker. Established in honour of renowned Quebec director Claude Jutra, this special award is chosen by the Genie Nominating committee, a group comprised of Academy members, filmmakers, critics, and industry professionals from across Canada.

Grossing nearly $11 million at the Canadian box office in 2009, De père en flic / Father and Guns is this year’s Golden Reel Award recipient. Presented annually to the Canadian film that has earned the highest domestic box office, the Golden Reel Award is sponsored by Zip.ca.

De père en flic / Father and Guns is an action-comedy about two cops, father and son, who can't stand each other. Released in Quebec this past summer, the film took in two-thirds of the summer's ticket sales in French-language films in Quebec and out-grossed Hollywood fare by more than a 50% margin. It is now the highest-grossing French-language film ever released in Quebec and Canada.

Denise Robert and Daniel Louis co-founded feature film production company Cinémaginaire in 1988. Over the years, their partnership has garnered countless nominations and awards around the world, including a Best Motion Picture Genie Award and an Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film for The Barbarian Invasions in 2004, the Golden Reel Award for Nuit de Noces / Wedding Night (2001) and Genie nominations for Maurice Richard / The Rocket (2006), and L’Âge des ténèbres / Days of Darkness (2007).