‘Heated Rivalry’ leads with 13 trophies heading into marquee Screen Awards night

Comedian Mike Myers and “Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams and Sophie Nélisse are among those expected at the Canadian Screen Awards tonight.

“Saturday Night Live” alum Myers, who ushered in the nationalist cultural phrase “elbows up” last year in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada, will be honoured with the Icon Award. The Toronto-born star will be presented with a statuette recognizing ongoing contributions to the industry at home and abroad.

Known for his roles in “Austin Powers” and “Wayne’s World,” Myers will be part of a history-making moment for the Screen Awards this year. For the first time it will air on multiple networks and their streaming services including CBC, CTV and Global. The announcement was billed as a celebration of Canadian culture amid the rising “elbows up” movement and a show of support for homegrown talent.

“Heated Rivalry” has become a worldwide sensation with its sultry and steamy love story between two hockey players portrayed by Williams and Connor Storrie.

The show received 18 nominations — winning 13 at last night’s gala for scripted television — and will compete tonight for more hardware including best drama series and best lead performer.

Williams will face off in the category against co-star François Arnaud. Also nominated are Kathleen Munroe of Citytv’s “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent,” Allan Hawco of CBC’s “Saint-Pierre” and last year’s winner Supinder Wraich of CBC’s “Allegiance.”

“Heated Rivalry” creator Jacob Tierney completed a hat trick at the awards. On Friday, he won his first Screen Award of the year for executive producing “The Traitors Canada,” which nabbed best reality/competition series, and on Saturday he picked up best direction and best writing for his hockey drama.

At tonight’s ceremony “Heated Rivalry” will compete in the best drama series category against “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” and “Saint-Pierre” as well as “CBC’s “Wild Cards” and CBC Gem’s “Plan B.” 

Nélisse, who won a Screen Award for best supporting performer on Saturday, will be presented with this years Radius Award. The honour recognizes individuals whose work has gained international recognition and contributes to Canada’s global reputation. 

The Montreal-born actor, who plays Williams’ on-screen girlfriend, Rose Landry — will also be a presenter tonight. 

The ceremony will feature Shamier Anderson, Dave Foley, Lauren Ash, Mae Martin — who hosted the 2024 Screen Awards — and baseball broadcaster Hazel Mae, all handing out the top prizes.

Mae will also be one of the honorees. She will get the Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism for her outstanding contribution to Canadian sports media.

This year, Andrew Phung, known for his Screen Award-winning roles on “Kim’s Convenience” and “Run the Burbs,” will perform hosting duties. The Calgary-born comedian said in an interview last  week that he’s a bit nervous knowing comedy legend Myers will be watching from the front-row, but he’s ready for the “unreal” experience.

The CBC/Netflix sitcom “North of North” led all nominees overall with 20, and will be competing for best comedy series and best lead performer for Anna Lambe. 

Lambe’s category includes Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen from “Small Achievable Goals,” the CBC menopause comedy that earned 12 nominations this year. But the Screen Awards will mark the show’s final farewell, as it was not renewed by the public broadcaster.

“North of North” won seven awards on Saturday, including best writing, best supporting performer and best ensemble performance for a comedy.

The show will be up against Crave’s “Late Bloomer” and “The Trades,” CTV’s “Children Ruin Everything” and CBC’s “Son of a Critch.”

R.T. Thorne’s “40 Acres” has already swept up the nine trophies it was nominated for, and tonight the post-apocalyptic thriller will look to complete the clean sweep with a win for best motion picture.

“It’s more than you can dream of. Making any movie is super hard, obviously. Making an independent film in Canada is very hard. And you just kind of, you want to hope that you get an expression out,” Thorne said after the nominations were announced in March.

The film, which tells the story of a Black-Indigenous family trying to fend off a group of cannibals,  will try to fight off the other contenders including Matt Johnson’s “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” which has won four awards so far, and Sophy Romvari’s “Blue Heron.”

Jay McCarrol is up for his “Nirvanna” performance in a leading comedy role, competing against Eric K. Boulianne and Catherine Chabot for “Follies,” Neil Elias for “Lovely Day,” and Karine Gonthier-Hyndman and Laurence LeBoeuf for “Two Women.”

“Sweet Angel Baby” star Michaela Kurimsky is nominated for her performance in a leading drama film role. She’s up against Grace Glowicki for “Honey Bunch,” Nina Kiri for “Out Standing” and Jasmin Geljo for “Cat’s Cry.”

The Canadian Screen Awards broadcast will air Sunday evening on CBC, CTV and Global, as well as their streaming services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2026.