TORONTO – The producers of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Canadian comedian and author Don Harron, producer, writer and director John Kastner, the writing team behind Mr. Dressup, broadcast journalist Tony Burman and singer and actor Tom Jackson will be awarded special Gemini awards this year, it was announced Wednesday.
Harron, who has been performing on television and radio, stage and through the pages of various books since 1936, was awarded the Earle Grey Award for his impressive body of work and contribution to the international profile of Canadian television.
Kastner picks up the Academy Achievement Award, which was introduced in 1995 to recognize individuals who quietly shape the television industry for the better without asking for recognition themselves. He is being honoured for his significant contribution to Canadian journalism and Canada’s TV industry. A documentary maker, Kastner has won three Emmys, the Prix Jeunesse (Project DARE), the Grand Prize at the World Red Cross Festival of Health and Medical Films (Four Women and Fighting Back) and a Special Jury Citation at the Prix Italia (Sharing the Secret). He has also produced, directed, written or performed in nearly every kind of TV programming, from quiz shows (Photo Finish) to more dramatic productions, such as The Terry Fox Story.
Burman, who started his journalistic career as a reporter with the Montreal Star, will receive the Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism. He has worked with the CBC for 35 years in various capacities. Most recently, he was the editor-in-chief of CBC News, Current Affairs and Newsworld.
The four Mr. Dressup writers – Chris Clark, Lilly Barnes, Joy Simons-Newall and Susan Marcus – are getting the Margaret Collier Award for the over 800 episodes they wrote of the popular children’s show and also for contributing to the national and international profile of Canadian TV screenwriters.
Jackson will be awarded the Gemini Humanitarian Award for his humanitarian activities and commitment to public service. Appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 for his music and humanitarian work, he has recorded 14 albums, two of which have received Juno nominations. He also played Chief Peter Kenidi for six seasons of North of 60. He produced two compilation CDs and along with The Huron Carol and Singing and Swinging for Supper has raised over $4.1 million dollars for food banks and family agencies across the country.
The CBC series Little Mosque on the Prairie will receive the Canada Award, which honours excellence in mainstream TV programming that reflects the racial and cultural diversity of Canada. The show, created by Muslim Canadian writer and director Zarqa Nawaz along with WestWind Pictures, explores Muslim and non-Muslim relationships with a comedic twist.
The 22nd Annual Gemini Awards Gala is set for the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan and will be broadcast live on CBC Television at 8:00 p.m. on October 28.
