Native movie actors nominated for Genies

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Two Canadian Native people who are former residents of Edmonton have been nominated for Canada's most prestigious film awards, the Genies. Tantoo (Martin) Cardinal and Tom Jackson's names have been submitted for their roles in the widely acclaimed film production "Loyalties."

Altogether, Loyalties has been nominated for eight Genies at the 8th annual Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Genie Awards. This year they are to be presented on March 18 in Toronto.

Released last fall, Loyalties ran for four months in Edmonton which is very good by normal standards for a Canadian production. In most cases Canadian films are only

on the market through any given theatre for two, three or four weeks, then gone. But not Loyalties.

Written by Sharon Riis of Lac La Biche, where the film was shot, and produced-directed by Ann Wheeler of Edmonton, Loyalties has the third highest number of nominations and is only one away from tying for second place said Wheeler, in a recent interview with Windspeaker. A French film, The Decline of the American Empire, has received 12 nominations.

Both Wheeler and Riis are of a mind that Loyalties, unfortunately, is up against very strong competition. "I don't think I'm going to win," says Riis. "I think Denys Arcand (who wrote the screenplay for The Decline of the American Empire) is going to win everything," she conceded. Nonetheless, she is quite happy with the product and is very happy that Cardinal has been nominated as best actress. "There's times Tantoo does parts better than I had ever imagined.," she says.

What is notable about Loyalties nominations are the categories - best picture, screenplay, direction, actress (Cardinal), actor, supporting actor (Jackson), costumes and sound.

"I'm not sure that a Native actor has been up for this award before," says producer Wheeler. "It may be a first. Certainly, it must be setting some precedent." Response to the film demonstrates that "Tantoo's performance has really gotten a lot of peoples' attention as being one of the most powerful performances in Canadian film to date," she adds. Wheeler also credits it's success to a "well-written role" by Riis.

Jackson's role was one that could have gone unnoticed but fortunately did not, says Wheeler. It was not a big role, "but I think he just sparkled," she said. "At the end

of the film, he was an actor people wanted to see more of.. Certainly, if either of them get this award, it makes them more sought after," she concludes.

When questioned about the film's success since its release, Wheeler termed it

"a critical success," but not one in which the acting, directing or casting could be held

at fault. Rather, she explains, it may not have been given enough push by its distributor, Northstar Releasing of Toronto. "I don't think the distributorship showed a confidence

in it and it was often shown in theatres that weren't the best for it," she remarks.

An example she gave was Winnipeg where, according to information passed on from Rose Martin to Wheeler, the film was shown "a way out of the city centre and in a theatre where a film of this kind would not normally run; a theatre where B grade violent movies run." Riis shares Wheeler's sentiments regarding Northstar. "They were very nonchalant about its potential," she says.

Wheeler, however, derives a certain satisfaction from the good reviews that Loyalties has received. Of over 60 reviews, "all of them were quite positive," beams Wheeler. She further points out that Loyalties won top honours for best film,. direction and performance at the North American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco and in Quebec City. "And there are still a number of festivals to go," she adds. The film has been sold in Australia, Britain, France, Denmark and Argentina. Additional foreign sales

are pending. "Overall, it is a success in Canadian terms," boasts Wheeler.

Since Loyalties opened, Cardinal and Jackson have moved to Toronto in hopes

of getting morefilm work, says Wheeler, who thinks the film "is opening up new opportunities for them both."

Loyalties was recently televised on CBC-TV and Wheeler thinks it may have attracted over two million viewers. As for its future, she projected that, "it'll have a long life."