The festival also included a focus on Canadian Cinema.
His cinéma vérité, or direct camera, style helped define Canadian cinema at the time.
He is widely admired as "the godfather of independent Canadian cinema," particularly among young, independent filmmakers.
It has been sponsored by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television since 1985.
It opened in Canadian cinemas starting in September 1979 and was sold to international broadcasters.
Since his entry into Canadian cinema, McKellar has also been involved in numerous projects.
The Genies are the primary honours for Canadian cinema.
There was a spotlight on Canadian cinema, which included several films by Caribbean-Canadian directors.
He was also a founding member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.
Other critics have defined Canadian national cinema as a "...reflection of Canadian life and culture."