The Bijou Awards were a Canadian award for non-feature films, launched in 1981 but presented only once before being discontinued."Brides nominated for 7 awards". The Province, October 7, 1981. Created as a joint project of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and the Canadian Film and Television Association (CFTA), the awards were essentially a new home for many of the categories, particularly but not exclusively the ones for television films, that had been dropped after the old Canadian Film Awards transitioned into the Genie Awards in 1980,Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 135-139. as well as for the CFTA's trade and craft awards in areas such as television advertising and educational films."Bijou Awards bow for shorts and TV prods". Cinema Canada, November 1981.
The ceremony was held on October 28, 1981, at Casa Loma in Toronto, Ontario, and hosted by Nancy White."War Brides top Bijou winner". Regina Leader-Post, October 30, 1981.
The awards were not presented in 1982, as the Academy of Canadian Cinema undertook detailed planning toward introducing permanent television awards.Mark Dillon, "Playback tribute: a reinvigorated Academy celebrates its legacy". Playback, March 7, 2014. In 1983, the Academy formally proposed that the Bijou Awards replace the ACTRA Awards as the primary national television award,Lorne Parton, "TV trade looking at alternatives to the ACTRA awards". The Province, April 21, 1983. although this did not occur and the Bijous were ultimately never presented again; instead, the Gemini Awards, the Academy's permanent awards for television production, were launched in 1986,Matthew Fraser, "New awards for TV films announced". The Globe and Mail, May 31, 1985. and in 2012 the Genies and the Geminis were merged into the contemporary Canadian Screen Awards.
Some later sources have occasionally misattributed the Bijou winners as Genie or Gemini winners.For example, the headline "Hard life, hard film: true story of Linda M is sequel to Gemini winner Nose and Tina" (Winnipeg Free Press, October 17, 1995) mistakenly ascribes a Bijou winner listed here as a Gemini winner.
Winners and nominees Best Television Drama Over 30 Minutes Best Television Drama Under 30 Minutes War Brides — Bill GoughThe Running Man You've Come a Long Way, Katie | valign="top" | The Olden Days Coat — Michael MacMillan, Seaton McLean, Janice PlattDernier Voyage Irene Moves In |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Documentary Over 30 Minutes ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Documentary Under 30 Minutes |- | valign="top" | Challenger: An Industrial Romance — Stephen LowThe Last Days of Living The Lost Pharaoh | valign="top" | Nose and Tina — Wolf KoenigLaughlines Steady as She Goes |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Actor ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Actress |- | valign="top" | Chuck Shamata, The Running Man Richard Monette, A Far Cry from Home Al Waxman, The Winnings of Frankie Walls Lally Cadeau, You've Come a Long Way, Katie Sharry Flett, War Brides Dixie Seatle, A Population of One Best Animation Best Television Variety or Music Getting Started — Richard Condie, Jerry KrepavichOne Way Street (Les Naufragés du quartier) — Bernard Longpré Premiers jours — Clorinda Warny, Suzanne Gervais, Lina Gagnon | valign="top" | Royal Canadian Air Farce — Trevor EvansCatulli Carmina The Hawk |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Director of a Drama ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Director of a Documentary |- | valign="top" | Donald Brittain, The Running Man Martin Lavut, War Brides Peter Rowe, Final Edition Norma Bailey, Nose and Tina Robert Fresco, Steady as She Goes Nick Kendall, The Last Pharaoh Nielsen-Ferns International First Production Award Chetwynd Award for Business Promotion Exposure - Wayne ArronAgainst the River — York University Film Department Steady as She Goes — Pretty Pictures | valign="top" | PFA Labs|- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Screenplay ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Non-Dramatic Script |- | valign="top" | Gilles Carle and Roger Lemelin, The Plouffe Family (Les Plouffe) Tony Sheer, Final Edition Grahame Woods, War Brides Michel Gerard, The Canadian Establishment: "Ten Toronto Street" Donald Brittain, The Lost Pharaoh Gail Singer, Love, Honoured and Bruised Best Instructional Program Best Commercial Estuary — Peter JonesClass Project: The Garbage Movie What's Bugging Him? | valign="top" | Imperial Oil: "Energy Efficiency" — Patti GrechCoffee Council: "Cowboys" — Rabko Television Productions Sunlight: "Wedding" — The Partners Film Co. |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Art Direction ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Music Score |- | valign="top" | Barbara McLean, War Brides Larry Crosley, The Lost Pharaoh Best Cinematography in a Drama Best Cinematography in a Documentary Vic Sarin, War Brides Robert Fresco, Steady as She Goes Best Independent Production Best Sales, Promotion or Public Relations Film The Breakthrough — Ira Levy, Peter WilliamsonThe Olden Days Coat One Thousand Dozen Le Paradis des Chefs — Badji le pur | valign="top" | Snow — Lloyd Walton for Ontario ParksBe a Winner! — Pro Creation Canada The Little Paper That Grew — Extra Modern Productions |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Editing in a Drama ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Editing in a Documentary |- | valign="top" | Myrtle Virgo, War Brides Harvey Zlatarits, The Hawk Best Sound Best Visual Effects Ed Chong, The Running Man Colin Chivers, RC Cola: "Innertube" Best Audio-Video, 1-7 Projector Programs Best Audio-Video, 8-18 Projector Programs Modulighting The Green Network
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