Khaled (film)

2001 film by Asghar Massombagi

Khaled

Directed by| Asghar Massombagi
Written by| Asghar Massombagi
Produced by| Paul Scherzer
Starring| Michael D'Ascenzo
Michelle Duquet
John Ralston
Joanne Boland
Cinematography| Luc Montpellier
Edited by| Christopher Donaldson
Music by| Mel Mrabet

Production
companies

Mongrel Media
Canadian Film Centre

Distributed by| Mongrel Media

Release date

* September 10, 2001 (2001-09-10) (TIFF)

Running time

| 85 minutes
Country| Canada
Languages| English
French

Khaled is a 2001 Canadian drama film, directed and written by Asghar Massombagi[1] following the titular character Khaled, a ten-year-old boy who tries to conceal the death of his mother. The film is noted for garnering honorable mentions and film festival awards.

## Plot

[edit]

Khaled (Michael D'Ascenzo) lives in a Toronto housing project with his mother, who is French Canadian and chronically ill. His father is Moroccan and abandoned the family when Khaled was young. One day his mother dies, but Khaled attempts to carry on life as normal. His life deteriorates as his landlord harasses him for overdue rent, and neighbors begin to notice the smell of decay from his apartment.[2]

## Release

[edit]

The film premiered at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival.[3]

## Awards

[edit]

At TIFF the film received an honorable mention for the FIPRESCI International Critics Award,[4] and it was later named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2001.[5]

At the 23rd Genie Awards in 2003, Mel M'Rabet received a nomination for Best Original Song, for "Ab (Father)".

Massombagi won the Best Director Award for the film at the 37th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival,[6] and the First Time Filmmaker Award at the ReelWorld Film Festival.[7]

## Legacy

[edit]

In 2023, Telefilm Canada announced that the film was one of 23 titles that will be digitally restored under its new Canadian Cinema Reignited program to preserve classic Canadian films.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ray Conlogue, "An unsentimental jungle through a child's eyes". The Globe and Mail, April 19, 2002.
2. ^ David Spaner, "Another corpse, another tale". The Province, April 19, 2002.
3. ^ Peter Howell, "Out on a limb ; Canadian directors follow risky path looking for our personal identities in the stories they tell". Toronto Star, September 7, 2001.
4. ^ "Inuit film wins festival prize; Fast Runner named best Canadian entry at subdued closing ceremonies". Waterloo Region Record, September 17, 2001.
5. ^ "Lists, lists and lists: Tops in video". Peterborough Examiner, December 20, 2001.
6. ^ Daniela Lazarová, "Karlovy Vary Film Festival ends". Radio Prague, July 14, 2002.
7. ^ Alexandra Gill, "Reflections in an exile's eye". The Globe and Mail, April 20, 2002.
8. ^ Pat Mullen, "Oscar Winning Doc Leads List of Restored Canadian Classics". Point of View, May 9, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Khaled at IMDb