The child – soldier drama “Rebelle” leads the film nominations at the inaugural Canadian Screen Awards.

Kim Nguyen’s  harrowing feature, also known as “War Witch,” dominates the prizes with 12 nominations including best picture and best director.

It will compete in those categories against Xavier Dolan’s gender-bending drama “Laurence Anyways,” which earned 10 nominations  and Deepa Mehta’s sprawling historical epic, “Midnight’s Children,” which drew eight.

The first-ever nominees for the Canadian Screen Awards were announced this morning at simultaneous news conferences in Toronto and Montreal.

The new award honours achievement in both Canadian television and film, replacing the previously separate Gemini and Genie Awards.

Comedian  Martin Short will host the first awards gala on March 3rd at Toronto’s Sony Centre.