'Juno' won't compete for Genie Awards

TORONTO, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- "Juno," a critically acclaimed big-screen comedy helmed by a Canadian director and starring two Canadian actors, is not competing for Canada's top film awards.

Shot in the Vancouver area, the film was financed by Fox Searchlight, a U.S. company, and not submitted for consideration for Canada's prestigious Genie Awards, The Toronto Star said.

Nominations for the prizes were announced Monday and the awards are scheduled to be handed out March 3 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The newspaper said even if "Juno" had been suggested for consideration, it probably wouldn't have met the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office's criteria to qualify as a Canadian candidate since none of the film's funding came from Canadian sources.

"'Juno' did not apply, so it's really hard for me to comment on why it might not be Canadian," Sara Morton, the CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, told the Star. "I'm making a guess based on the fact that it's got a clear association with a U.S. studio. Chances are it wouldn't fall within the CAVCO requirement, even though it has some Canadian talent in it."