The 4th annual Genie Awards were held March 23, 1983, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. The ceremony was hosted by comedian Dave Thomas.

The Grey Fox was the event's big winner, with seven awards including Best Picture. The film also topped the overall nomination count, with 13 nominations.

In the Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium category, the award to Richard Paluck and Robert Guza Jr. for Melanie was later rescinded, as the short story on which the screenplay was based had not been previously published. Another nominee, Latitude 55° by John Juliani and Sharon Riis, had already been disqualified for similar reasons, although the error had been discovered prior to the ceremony. It was decided not to award the trophy that year.

Nonetheless, that year's event was one of the most successful ever, with a sold-out theatre audience and a record 1.5 million Canadian television viewers.

Nominees and winners

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! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Motion Picture

! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Direction

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  • The Grey Fox — Peter O'Brian
  • Harry Tracy, Desperado — Ronald I. Cohen
  • A Day in a Taxi (Une journée en taxi) — Robert Ménard
  • Quest for Fire — Denis Héroux and John Kemeny
  • Threshold — Jon Slan and Michael Burns

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  • Phillip Borsos, The Grey Fox
  • Rex Bromfield, Melanie
  • Jean Pierre Lefebvre, Wild Flowers (Les fleurs sauvages)
  • Robert Ménard, A Day in a Taxi (Une journée en taxi)
  • Eric Till, If You Could See What I Hear

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! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Actor in a leading role

! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Actress in a leading role

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  • Donald Sutherland, Threshold
  • Gilles Renaud, A Day in a Taxi (Une journée en taxi)
  • Saul Rubinek, By Design
  • Marcel Sabourin, Sweet Lies and Loving Oaths (Doux aveux)
  • August Schellenberg, Latitude 55°

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  • Rae Dawn Chong, Quest for Fire
  • Sara Botsford, By Design
  • Hélène Loiselle, Sweet Lies and Loving Oaths (Doux aveux)
  • Monique Mercure, Beyond Forty (La Quarantaine)
  • Andrée Pelletier, Latitude 55°

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! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Actor in a supporting role

! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Actress in a supporting role

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  • R.H. Thomson, If You Could See What I Hear
  • Nicholas Campbell, The Man in 5A
  • Doug McGrath, Porky's
  • Gary Reineke, The Grey Fox
  • Wayne Robson, The Grey Fox

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  • Jackie Burroughs, The Grey Fox
  • Geneviève Brassard, Sweet Lies and Loving Oaths (Doux aveux)
  • Clare Coulter, By Design
  • Patricia Nolin, Beyond Forty (La Quarantaine)
  • Trudy Young, Melanie

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! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Foreign Actor

! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Foreign Actress

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  • Richard Farnsworth, The Grey Fox
  • Grand L. Bush, Hard Feelings
  • Bruce Dern, Harry Tracy, Desperado
  • Jeff Goldblum, Threshold
  • Ron Perlman, Quest for Fire
  • Jean Yanne, A Day in a Taxi (Une journée en taxi)

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  • Glynnis O'Connor, Melanie
  • Patty Duke, By Design
  • Lee Grant, Visiting Hours
  • Marie-France Pisier, The Hot Touch
  • Mare Winningham, Threshold
  • Charlayne Woodard, Hard Feelings

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! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Original Screenplay

! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%" | Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium

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  • John Hunter, The Grey Fox
  • Roger Fournier, A Day in a Taxi (Une journée en taxi)
  • David Lee Henry, Harry Tracy, Desperado
  • John Juliani and Sharon Riis, Latitude 55°
  • Laurence Keane, Chris Windsor and Phil Savath, Big Meat Eater

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  • Richard Paluck and Robert Guza Jr. - Melanie (rescinded)