Hoard (film)

2023 film by Luna Carmoon

Hoard

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Luna Carmoon
Written by| Luna Carmoon
Produced by|

* Loran Dunn
* Helen Simmons
* Andrew Starke

Starring|

* Saura Lightfoot Leon
* Hayley Squires
* Joseph Quinn
* Lily-Beau Leach
* Deba Hekmat
* Samantha Spiro
* Cathy Tyson

Cinematography| Nanu Segal
Edited by| Rachel Durance
Music by| Jim Williams

Production
companies

* BFI
* BBC Film
* Anti-Worlds
* Delaval Film
* Erebus Pictures

Distributed by| Vertigo Releasing

Release dates

* 2 September 2023 (2023-09-02) (Venice International Film Festival)
* 17 May 2024 (2024-05-17) (United Kingdom and Ireland)

Running time

| 126 minutes[1]
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English
Box office| $88,244[2]

Hoard is a 2023 British drama film written and directed by Luna Carmoon. It stars Saura Lightfoot Leon, Hayley Squires, Joseph Quinn, Lily-Beau Leach, Deba Hekmat, Samantha Spiro, and Cathy Tyson. The film premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2023, and released in the UK cinemas on 17 May 2024.

## Synopsis

[edit]

The film is set in the 1980s and 1990s and follows a mother-daughter relationship.[3]

## Cast

[edit]

* Saura Lightfoot Leon as Maria
* Lily-Beau Leach as young Maria
* Hayley Squires as Cynthia, Maria's mother
* Joseph Quinn as Michael, one of Michelle's former foster children
* Deba Hekmat as Laraib, Maria's school friend
* Samantha Spiro as Michelle, Maria's foster mother
* Cathy Tyson as Sam
* Nabil Elouahabi as Ali
* Sandra Hale as Janice

## Production

[edit]

The film is produced by Delaval Film, Erebus Pictures, Anti-Worlds with producers Loran Dunn, Helen Simmons and Andy Starke. It is backed by the British Film Institute (BFI) and BBC Film.[4][5]

Casting was revealed in April 2022 with Saura Lightfoot Leon, Deba Hekmat, Hayley Squires, Joseph Quinn and Lily-Beau Leach in the lead roles.[6]

Principal photography took place in South-East London and was completed by May 2022.[7]

## Release

[edit]

Hoard was shown at the BFI London Film Festival Works-in-Progress showcase in October 2022.[8] It had a UK premiere date of 9 October 2023, again at the BFI London Film Festival.[9] The film was theatrically released in the UK and Ireland on 17 May 2024.[10] In April 2024, Sunrise Films acquired distribution rights for the United States and Canada, where it is scheduled to be released on 6 September 2024.[11][12]

## Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 34 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]

Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian gave the film four stars out of five, describing a "deeply strange and emotionally extravagant story" with "a lot of storytelling substance. Hoard isn’t perfect but its pure vehemence and the commitment of its performances are arresting".[15] Ed Potton in The Times compared the filmmaking to Andrea Arnold and Andrew Birkin but said that "Carmoon is very much her own film-maker" and praised Lightfoot Leon's performance, saying she was "a leading lady with animalistic, inhibited presence".[16] The film also received four stars out of five from Sophie Monks Kauffman in Time Out who called it a "visceral debut" which "defies simple interpretations" and made mention of cinematographer Nanu Segal’s handheld camerawork which "captures the fearless Lightfoot Leon".[17]

### Accolades

[edit]

Carmoon was nominated for Best Directing Debut and Squires, Lightloot Leon and Quinn all received acting nominations at the British Independent Film Awards in November 2024.[18]

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Venice Film Festival | 9 September 2023 | Venice International Critics' Week – Grand Prize  | Luna Carmoon | Nominated  | [19]
The Film Club Audience Award  | Won
Verona Film Club Award  | Won
Authors Under 40 Award – Best Directing and Screenwriting  | Won
Venice International Critics' Week – Jury Special Mention  | Saura Lightfoot Leon  | Won
London Film Festival | 15 October 2023 | Sutherland Award for Best First Feature  | Hoard | Nominated  | [20]
Valladolid International Film Festival | 28 October 2023 | Punto de Encuentro Award  | Nominated  | [21]
New Horizons Film Festival | 27 July 2024  | The Audience Award  | Hoard | Won  | [22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hoard (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
2. ^ "Hoard (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
3. ^ Cooper, Sarah (29 June 2022). "Stars of Tomorrow 2022: Luna Carmoon (writer/director)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
4. ^ "Hoard". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
5. ^ Dalton, Ben (25 April 2022). "Saura Lightfoot Leon, Joseph Quinn, Hayley Squires to lead Luna Carmoon's 'Hoard' for BBC Film, BFI". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
6. ^ Grater, Tom (25 April 2022). "Saura Lightfoot Leon, Hayley Squires & Joseph Quinn Starring In UK Debut 'Hoard'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
7. ^ Leigh, Janet (30 May 2022). "Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn says season 4 part two will be the show's craziest". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
8. ^ Tabbara, Mona (20 September 2022). "Adura Onashile's 'Girl', Luna Carmoon's 'Hoard' selected for BFI London Film Festival Works-in-Progress". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
9. ^ Duncan, Charlie (9 October 2023). "Stranger Things star's critically acclaimed new movie lands UK release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
10. ^ Sandwell, Ian (31 January 2024). "UK film release dates: Find out when all the latest movies are coming to cinemas". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
11. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (29 April 2024). "Luna Carmoon's Venice Winner Hoard Acquired for U.S. and Canada by Sunrise Films (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
12. ^ McPherson, Chris (29 August 2024). "Things Get Cramped for Joseph Quinn in New 'Hoard Poster [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
13. ^ "Hoard". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
14. ^ "Hoard". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
15. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (2 September 2023). "Hoard review – a haunting study of loneliness and thwarted sexuality". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
16. ^ Potton, Ed (14 May 2024). "Hoard review — a thrilling cinematic fever dream". The Times. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
17. ^ Monks Kaufman, Sophie (18 September 2023). "Hoard film review". Time Out. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
18. ^ Ntim, Zac (5 November 2024). "British Independent Film Awards: 'Kneecap' Leads Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
19. ^ "COLLATERAL AWARDS OF THE 80TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL". La Biennale di Venezia. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
20. ^ Ntim, Zac (31 August 2023). "BFI London Film Festival Full Lineup: 'The Book Of Clarence' World Premiere; Scorsese, Miyazaki, Lanthimos & Fincher Among Headline Galas". Deadline. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
21. ^ "The female gaze prevails among the new and audacious voices selected for the Seminci program". Valladolid International Film Festival (in Spanish). 19 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
22. ^ "Znamy laureatów 24. MFF mBank Nowe Horyzonty | Aktualności | mBank Nowe Horyzonty". www.nowehoryzonty.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 July 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Hoard at IMDb