Additional broadcast details for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize, November 11, on CTV and Bravo!
A celebratory black-tie affair, The 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize is broadcast live directly from the ballroom of Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday, November 11 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo! and online on the CTV Video Player at giller.CTV.ca.
As the winner makes headlines across the country, CTV presents the broadcast again on Wednesday, November 12 at 10 a.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET and Saturday, November 15 at 5 p.m. ET on CTV.
Hosted by Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan, the one-hour broadcast features an eclectic group of presenters who will introduce each shortlisted book, including Alice Munro, Dr. Vincent Lam, Rex Harrington, Allan Hawco and Dr. Samantha Nutt.
Attending the gala are a who's who of Canada's literary and publishing community. To help celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, nine previous winners are expected to attend, including Elizabeth Hay (2007), presenter Dr. Vincent Lam (2006), Alice Munro (2004), two-time winner M.G. Vassanji (2003/1994), Austin Clarke (2002), Richard B. Wright (2001), Michael Ondaatje (2000), juror Margaret Atwood (1996) and Bonnie Burnard (1999).
The live presentation of The Scotiabank Giller Prize will feature highlight reels and interviews filmed in the Canadian locations the finalists hold most dear to them: Mary Swan in Guelph, ON; Anthony De Sa in Toronto's Portuguese district; Marina Endicott in her hometown of Cochrane, AB; avid outdoorsman Joseph Boyden fishing in Banff, AB; and a visit with Rawi Hage in his adopted hometown of Montreal.
Additionally, a highlight video to be played takes a look back at past Giller moments in celebration of the Prize's 15th Anniversary. Throughout the broadcast, each finalist and their book will be introduced by an esteemed group of presenters.
The presenters are:
- Two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author and living legend Alice Munro will present finalist Mary Swan's The Boys in the Trees. Munro was once Swan's teacher and mentor.
- 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author and doctor Vincent Lam - a great admirer of finalist Joseph Boyden - will introduce Boyden's novel, Through Black Spruce.
- Rex Harrington, artist-in-residence for The National Ballet of Canada and guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, brings his love of the written word to his introduction of finalist Anthony De Sa's Barnacle Love.
- Canadian actor and co-founder of The Company Theatre, Allan Hawco, will introduce former theatre actor, director and 2008 Giller finalist Marina Endicott's book, Good to A Fault.
- Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada, Dr. Samantha Nutt, will introduce finalist Rawi Hage's Cockroach. Nutt's experiences dealing with the impact of war provides insight to the struggles of the characters in Cockroach, and in author Hage's own life; he lived through nine years of civil war in Lebanon before immigrating to Canada.
At the end of the broadcast, Giller Prize founder Jack Rabinovitch will accept the envelope from the three-person judging panel and announce the 2008 winner of The Scotiabank Giller Prize.
As the national broadcaster of The Scotiabank Giller Prize for the fourth consecutive year, CTV's family of channels - including Bravo!, BookTelevision, Star! and CP24 - support the event with unprecedented programming on their news and entertainment properties.
On Tuesday, November 11, the morning of the big event, viewers can preview The 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize broadcast with a sneak peek of the awards ceremony on CANADA AM.
Then, on Wednesday, November 12, the morning after the ceremony, Canada AM features an interview with the Giller Prize winner live, in studio. On awards night itself, etalk's Lainey dishes about the A-list attendees at the hot literary event before The Scotiabank Giller Prize is handed out.
On Wednesday, November 12 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings), etalk will feature highlights from the Gala Ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto.
On Saturday, November 22 at 6 p.m. ET, Arts & Minds, Bravo!'s weekly half-hour arts magazine, wraps up The 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize broadcast with an in-depth segment about the prize, the ceremony and the newly crowned winner.
Additionally, CTV's online presence includes expanded coverage at its dedicated Scotiabank Giller Prize website, giller.ctv.ca, including author bios, excerpts from the shortlisted books, interviews, videos and more. The gala will be streamed to readers around the world on CTV.ca, via the giller.ctv.ca website, and will also be available on demand on the CTV Video Player at CTV.ca immediately following the broadcast.
These five finalists were shortlisted by a respected judging panel comprised of award-winning author Margaret Atwood; Liberal MP, Foreign Affairs critic and author Bob Rae; and renowned international journalist, professor and author Colm Toibin, all of whom will be in attendance at the gala. The winner of this year's Scotiabank Giller Prize is awarded $50,000, while each finalist receives $5,000.
About Bravo!
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About CTV
CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News with Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTVglobemedia Inc. is Canada's premier multi-media company which owns CTV Inc. and The Globe and Mail. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country, and leading national specialty channels. Other CTVglobemedia investments include an interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and in Dome Productions, a North American leader in the provision of mobile high definition production facilities.
