Devery Jacobs, Lamar Johnson to Receive Honorary Canadian Screen Awards

Reservation Dogs star Devery Jacobs and The Last of Us‘ Lamar Johnson are set to receive special awards at the Canadian Screen Awards.

On Thursday, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television said Jacobs would receive the Radius Award as the actress, writer, director and producer from the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory uses her growing career platform to campaign for indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ rights. In addition to Reservation Dogs, Jacobs stars alongside Alaqua Cox in Marvel’s Echo. She also starred in and produced Backspot, a feature film set in the world of competitive cheerleading.

A Radius Award will also go to Johnson, an actor, director, dancer and artist who received an Emmy nomination for playing Henry Burrell on HBO’s The Last of Us series. Johnson earned a 2023 Canadian Screen Award for his co-starring role in Clement Virgo’s Brother and will also appear in Netflix’s upcoming Western drama The Abandons. 

Canada’s film and TV awards, culminating in a May 31 telecast, will include tribute awards for the late director Jeff Barnaby and veteran producer John Brunton, a Changemaker Award for Tonya Williams and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Marilyn Denis. Barnaby’s breakout 2013 film Rhymes for Young Ghouls starred Jacobs as Aila.

There’s also a broadcast journalism award for longtime CBC and CTV foreign correspondent Paul Workman. Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope by Science North will receive the inaugural sustainable production award.

On March 6, the Canadian indigenous TV drama Little Bird was handed a field-leading 19 nominations heading into the awards show.  

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television pushed the dates for the country’s equivalent of the Oscars and Emmys combined to May 28-31 in Toronto, with Mae Martin set to host a TV special to celebrate award winners.