Kanaval (film)

2023 Canadian drama film

Kanaval

Directed by| Henri Pardo
Written by| Henri Pardo
Produced by| Eric Idriss Kanago
Daniela Mujica
Adolf El Assal
Starring| Rayan Dieudonné
Penande Estime
Martin Dubreuil
Cinematography| Glauco Bermudez
Edited by| Marc Recchia

Production
companies

Yzanakio
Wady Films

Distributed by| Maison 4:3
Wady Media

Release date

* September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08) (TIFF)

Running time

| 112 minutes
Countries| Canada
Luxembourg
Language| French

Kanaval is a 2023 drama film, directed by Henri Pardo. A co-production of companies from Canada and Luxembourg, the film centres on Rico (Rayan Dieudonné), a young boy who has emigrated with his mother Erzuile (Penande Estime) from their native Haiti to a small town in Quebec, where they live with childless older couple Albert (Martin Dubreuil) and Cécile (Claire Jacques).[1]

The cast includes Hana Sofia Lopes, Jean Jean, Marc Assiniwi, Christian Cardin, Carol Beaudry, Rykko Bellemare and David Biron. It's produced by Éric Idriss-Kanago and Daniela Mujica (Canada) and Adolf El Assal and Neigeme Glasgow-Maeda (Luxembourg).

The film's production was first announced in 2020, when it received support from the Netflix/Canadian Film Centre Project Development Accelerator project.[2] It entered production in April 2022, with shooting in both the Dominican Republic and Canada.[3]

The film premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]

## Critical response

[edit]

Courtney Small of That Shelf wrote that "Kanaval may not land all of the sprawling ideas it has flying in the air, but there is plenty to appreciate here. Anchored by Rayan Dieudonné’s moving wide-eyed performance, Pardo crafts an engaging film wrapped in mysticism and hope. Kanaval understands that the road that Rico and Erzuile find themselves on is one filled with uncertainty. However, the challenges are far more manageable when they are tackling them together."[1]

The film was named to TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.[5]

## Awards

[edit]

Award / Film Festival  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref(s)

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Toronto International Film Festival | 2023 | Best Canadian Film | Henri Pardo | Honored  | [6]
Amplify Voices Award for Best Film | Won
Canadian Screen Awards | 2024 | Best Director | Nominated  | [7]
Best Lead Performance in a Drama Film | Rayan Dieudonné | Nominated
Best Supporting Performance in a Drama Film | Martin Dubreuil | Nominated
John Dunning Best First Feature | Henri Pardo  | Nominated
Prix Iris | December 8, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Martin Dubreuil  | Nominated  | [8]
Best First Film | Henri Pardo  | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Courtney Small, "Tiff 2023: Kanaval review". That Shelf, September 8, 2023.
2. ^ "Netflix, Canadian Film Centre announce 4 films for development". CBC News, May 4, 2020.
3. ^ "Yzanakio entame le tournage de « Kanaval », premier long métrage d’Henri Pardo". Lien Multimédia, April 21, 2022.
4. ^ John Hazelton, "TIFF sets Centrepiece line-up of international cinema". Screen Daily, August 10, 2023.
5. ^ Pat Mullen, "TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten Includes BlackBerry, Solo, Humanist Vampire". That Shelf, December 6, 2023.
6. ^ Steve Pond, "‘American Fiction’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s Audience Award". TheWrap, September 17, 2023.
7. ^ "BlackBerry Leads CSA Nominations". Northern Stars, March 6, 2024.
8. ^ Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Kanaval at IMDb

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