Darwin (2011 film)

2011 Swiss film

Darwin

Promotional film poster

Directed by| Nick Brandestini
Written by| Taylor Segrest
Produced by| Nick Brandestini
Sandra Ruch
Taylor Segrest
Vesna Brandestini
Cinematography| Nick Brandestini
Music by| Michael Brook

Release dates

* July 3, 2011 (2011-07-03) (Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival)
* August 12, 2011 (2011-08-12) (United States)

Running time

| 88 minutes
Country| Switzerland
Language| English

Darwin is a 2011 documentary film directed by Nick Brandestini. It is a portrait of the small and remote community of Darwin, located in California's Mojave Desert. The community is part of Inyo County, California. The film was released to good reviews at film festivals throughout the world and also had a limited theatrical release in the United States.

## Release

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The film premiered at the 2011 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. It went on to play at numerous American and Canadian film festivals. The European premiere of Darwin took place at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, a "category A" film festival, according to the FIAPF organization.[1]

In August 2011, the film had a limited theatrical run in New York City and Los Angeles as part of the 15th Annual DocuWeeks Theatrical Documentary Showcase.[2]

## Critical reaction

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Darwin received positive reviews from critics. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times gave the film 5 out of 5 stars and called it "a beautiful, elegiac work with unexpected impact and meaning."[3] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times also praised the film, calling it "a droll and dusty portrait of a place where privacy is prized and boundaries respected."[4] The film was also well received at the BFI London Film Festival where it was a Time Out London critics' choice.[5]

As of October 2021[update], Darwin holds an 80% rating on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes.[6]

Darwin won several awards at international film festivals, among others the "Best documentary award" at the Austin Film Festival,[7] the "Best German language documentary" award at the Zurich Film Festival,[8] the "Festival favorite award" at the Sonoma International Film Festival,[9] and a "Special jury mention award" at the DocAviv Film Festival.[10]

## References

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1. ^ "FIAPF-accredited film festivals". Archived from the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
2. ^ "DocuWeeks 2011 schedule". Archived from the original on 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
3. ^ Los Angeles Times review
4. ^ New York Times review
5. ^ "Time Out London review". Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
6. ^ "Darwin". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
7. ^ Variety: "Harold's Going Stiff," "Darwin" take Austin prizes
8. ^ Award from the Zurich Film Festival
9. ^ IndieWIRE: "Absentia," "Darwin" & "Rockefeller" Among Top 2011 Sonoma Film Festival Winners
10. ^ Midnight East: DocAviv 2011 Competition Winners

## External links

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* Official website
* Darwin at IMDb
* Darwin at Rotten Tomatoes