The 18th Canadian Film Awards were held on May 6, 1966 to honour achievements in Canadian film.
For the first time, CFA management decided to present the awards on television.
The Directors Guild of Canada which, in another first, was presenting CFA awards, voiced what was on everyone's minds: the fear that a poorly-presented show would cause irreparable harm to the CFAs and the industry.
After much debate, it was decided that they would go ahead with the live broadcast, which aired coast-to-coast on CBC Television and was hosted by comedian Rich Little.
[1] The telecast was plagued by technical difficulties and criticism was harsh, with journalists and industry members calling it "the poor-man's Oscars".