The 1st Genie Awards were the first ever Genie Awards. They were presented on March 20, 1980 and honoured films released in 1979. They were given out at a gala event at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto with Bruno Gerussi as host. A luncheon the day before the gala saw the non-feature film awards presented. The show was broadcast on CBC and was noted for its Oscars-like production design. The show was not without controversy: Award winner Christopher Plummer used his speech to criticize the distinction made between Canadian and foreign actors. The fact that no French language films won any major awards was also a source of some controversy.

Award winners

• Best Picture - Garth Drabinsky and Joel Michaels , The Changeling
• Director - Bob Clark , Murder by Decree
• Actress - Kate Lynch , Meatballs
• Actor - Christopher Plummer, Murder b.y Decree
• Supporting Actor - Gordon Pinsent, Klondike Fever
• Supporting Actress - Genevieve Bujold, Murder by Decree
• Foreign Actor - George C. Scott, The Changeling
• Foreign Actress - Trish Van Devere , The Changeling
• Original Script - Len Blum , Dan Goldburg , Janis Allen , Meatballs
• Adapted Screenplay - William Gray and Diana Maddox , The Changeling
• Art Design - Trevor Williams , The Changeling
• Cinematography - John Coquillon , The Changeling
• Costume Design - Louise Jobin , Cordelia
• Music - Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza , Murder by Decree
• Sound - Joe Grimaldi , Austin Grimaldi , Doni Pigat , Karl Scherer , The Changeling
• Sound Editing - Patrick Drummond , Dennis Drummond , Robert Grieve , The Changeling