Prix Gemeaux host wants more access to Quebec film and TV

Ther trophy at the Gala Gemeaux awards ceremony in Montreal, Que., Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. (Allen McInnis, The Canadian Press)

While the Prix Gémeaux gala continues to attract criticism from all quarters every year, host Pierre-Yves Lord intends to adopt a more unifying tone at the ceremony on Sunday, which won't prevent him from pointing out certain aspects of Quebec's television horizon that bother him.

"The controller doesn't look like the controller I used to have. On the new connected TVs, there are three buttons: volume, Netflix and Prime," he said. "I've got nothing against that, but my kids, when they hold that controller, what do they do?

"If I want to watch 'Lakay Nou', if I want to watch 'Les Chefs', if I want to watch the hockey game, what do I do? (...) I have the impression that sometimes, as a viewer, I have to make an effort to find content."

Are Lord's comments the cause of this year's controversy?

"No, no, But you have to be aware of the world we live in," he said.

He emphasized that the gala remains a celebration of what has been achieved in television here.

Lord is hosting the gala for a second year, after taking over from Véronique Cloutier.

But new quarrels have arisen in the past year: production companies are shunning the gala, which means that the very popular show 'STAT' will be largely absent from the categories.

Fans of the series will, however, be able to vote for it as part of the Prix Gémeaux du public Fonds Cogeco.

The show will compete against nine other popular series.

Despite these notable absences, Lord says he wants to offer a very unifying evening.

"It's still a TV party," he said. "There are people who are going to win prizes, who are going to experience great emotions on stage, and I'm rolling out the red carpet for them. Here's an opportunity where all the jobs go to the same place. (...) Rare are the shows that praise all the shows, all the channels."

Asked if he himself has had any TV shows he loves this year, Lord prefers to keep them to himself, so as not to give the impression that the choice of winners was influenced by him.

"I watch everything. I've tried to take a look at everything that's been highlighted, everything that's been nominated," he said.

After a year of devouring Quebec television shows and films, he believes they should be shared more widely in schools so that young people don't have to "guess" about Quebec culture.

And that's why he wants to get the message across that local television should be made more accessible, using modern tools.

"You have to put it in their hands, not blame them for not knowing who Micheline Lanctôt is. (...) She has to be accessible at the tip of your fingers," he said. "If we stay in our little ecosystems (...) when something's too hard to find, you give up and everyone loses out."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 14, 2024.