The 11th annual Genie Awards were presented March 20, 1990, and honoured Canadian films released in 1989.
For this year, CTV had negotiated to serve as broadcaster and the academy formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACCTV Productions, to independently produce its show.
In the months leading up to the event, CTV extensively promoted the awards, and broadcaster Brian Linehan and a film crew traveled to Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, shooting vignettes about Canadian films and filmmaking.
[1] However, CTV failed to persuade its regional affiliate stations to broadcast the ceremony.
[5] Ratings plummeted, with only half as many people (460,000) watching, compared to the previous year.