The 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize will be broadcast on CBC Television at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2012.
CBC is thrilled to announce the roster of esteemed presenters that will participate in the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize gala on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. The five finalists Will Ferguson, Alix Ohlin, Nancy Richler, Kim Thúy and Russell Wangersky will be introduced by the following special presenters: CBC Television’s host of The Rick Mercer Report, Canadian comedian, political satirist and blogger, Rick Mercer; Golden Globe Award winning actress Kim Cattrall; Juno Award winner Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman; Television writer, producer and lead actor in CBC Television’s Republic of Doyle, Allan Hawco. A fifth presenter is still to be announced, as well as the musical performance for the evening, more details will follow shortly.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize gala will be hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (CBC Radio One and TV’s arts and culture program, Q), and be broadcast at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television from the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto. It will also be live-streamed on CBC Books with a concurrent live chat, so that many more Canadians can be part of the Giller experience. With a winner being crowned and awarded the prize that night, the presenters will join the authors on stage to celebrate the year’s biggest achievements in Canadian arts and letters. The winner’s interview on Q the following morning will be the first national broadcast feature interview for this year’s winner.
“The CBC has outdone itself again. I can’t think of a more fitting way of celebrating the Giller finalists and their books than pairing them with true fans that also happen to be Canadian icons”, says Jack Rabinovitch, founder of the Scotiabank Giller Prize. “I think they and Canadian audiences everywhere are in for quite a treat on October 30th.”
“It is an honour to be a part of such a prestigious celebration of the arts,” says Kim Cattrall. “It is so important to give recognition and praise to these talented writers and their gift of storytelling.”
The five presenters will introduce:
* Rick Mercer will introduce Will Ferguson and his novel, 419
* TBA will introduce Alix Ohlin and her novel, INSIDE
* Kim Cattrall will introduce Nancy Richler and her novel, THE IMPOSTER BRIDE
* Measha Brueggergosman will introduce Kim Thúy and her novel, RU
* Allan Hawco will introduce Russell Wangersky and his collection of short stories, WHIRL AWAY
With a chance to win the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize, the five authors were selected by a uniquely pedigreed jury made up of some of the finest writers in Europe and North America including: Irish author and screenwriter Roddy Doyle; writer and essayist Anna Porter; and American author and satirist Gary Shteyngart.
About the Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $50,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $5,000 to each of the finalists. The Scotiabank Giller Prize is named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller and was founded in 1994 by her husband Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada is celebrating 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.
About CBC Books
CBC Books features all of CBC’s rich literary content across all platforms - audio, video and digital. This one-stop destination for book lovers includes in-depth information on books, exclusive interviews with authors, the latest news stories from the publishing world, book reviews, best-seller lists, discussions and blogs. It’s an online meeting place where literary enthusiasts can find the books they want to read, connect with other Canadians who love to read as much as they do, and keep up on all of CBC’s major literary events and programs such as Canada Reads, the Massey Lectures and Canada Writes. Visit us at www.cbc.ca/books.
Scotiabank
Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, ‘Bright Future’. Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.
For more information, please contact:
Elana Rabinovitch
Giller Prize
elana@propagandaink.ca
O: 416.934.0755
C: 416.275.5418
Dayna Shiskos
CBC Publicist
Dayna.Shiskos@cbc.ca
O: (416) 205-7973
C: (416) 420-5241
