‘Degrassi’ creator given Canadian screen industry award

CTV.ca

Linda Schuyler can now add another prestigious award to her rsum after receiving another laurel for her contributions to Canada’s screen industry.

On Wednesday, May 27, Schuyler received the Anthony Minghella Memorial Award at the Summer Institute of Film and Television in Ottawa.

The award, named after the acclaimed director of “The English Patient, honours film or television professionals, and is given out by the Canadian Screen Training Centre.

Sarah Polley received the award in 2008.

In a statement released by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, he said the following:

“The Degrassi series illustrate television’s tremendous capacity to bring us together and influence our collective imagination. For nearly three decades, millions of viewers, particularly young viewers, have tuned in to watch these series, identifying with fictional trials and challenges that often reflect their own reality. Touching viewers around the world, Degrassi has served as a forum for discussion and helped open the lines of communication between adults and youth.”

Schuyler has previously been invested into the Order of Canada in 1993, and has also won 16 Gemini Awards and two International Emmys, among other various awards.

Schuyler is the CEO of Epitome Pictures and served as the co-creator of “Degrassi Junior High” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”

The “Degrassi” creator has also recently won the “Maverick Award” by the 2009 Female Film Festival in Toronto.

“Degrassi: The Next Generation” currently airs Sunday nights on CTV, and is available online in the CTV Video Player at CTV.ca.