The award was originally named in memory of
Claude Jutra, a Canadian film director who died in 1986. Formerly part of the
Genie Awards ceremonies, the Claude Jutra Award was transitioned to be part of the new
Canadian Screen Awards in 2013. Following the February 2016 publication of
Yves Lever's biography of Jutra, which contained allegations that Jutra had sexually abused underage children during his lifetime, the Academy announced that it was removing Jutra's name from the award.
Québec Cinéma also removed Jutra's name from its
Prix Jutra ceremonies on the same day. until the two awards were merged under the John Dunning Best First Feature Award name beginning with the
7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019. ==Winners==