Sugarcane (film)
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| Music by | Mali Obomsawin |
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| Distributed by | National Geographic Documentary Films (Worldwide) Variance Films (United States) Films We Like (Canada) |
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Running time | 107 minutes[1] |
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| Box office | $121,581[2][3] |
Sugarcane is a 2024 documentary film, directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie and produced by Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn. It follows an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system, igniting a reckoning in the lives of survivors and descendants.
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024 where it won the Grand Jury award for Directing.[4] It is theatrically released in limited engagements in the United States and Canada on August 9, 2024, before gradually expanding to other cities starting August 16, by National Geographic Documentary Films through Variance Films in the United States and Films We Like in Canada.
Premise
[edit]Sugarcane follows an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system, igniting a reckoning in the lives of survivors and descendants.[5][6]
Production
[edit]The film received grants from Catapult Film Fund and the International Documentary Association Enterprise Fund.[7][8][9] Lily Gladstone boarded the project as an executive producer.[10]
Release
[edit]It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.[11] It also played at the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival, 2024 Seattle International Film Festival,[12] the 2024 Sheffield International Documentary Festival,[13] the 2024 Sydney Film Festival,[14] the 2024 DOXA Documentary Film Festival,[15] the 2024 Nantucket Film Festival,[16] the 2024 Boston Independent Film Festival,[17] the 2024 Sarasota Film Festival,[18] the 2024 Maryland Film Festival,[19] the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival,[20] and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.[21]
In February 2024, National Geographic Documentary Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[22] It was later announced that the film would be screened in exclusive engagements at the Film Forum in Manhattan and TIFF Lightbox in Toronto starting August 9, 2024, followed by the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles starting August 16; an expansion to other cities in the United States and Canada will gradually take place starting August 16. Variance Films and Films We Like serve as co-distributors in the United States and Canada respectively.[23][24]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Accumulating immense emotional power as it methodically uncovers a grave injustice, Sugarcane is one of the most compelling and important documentaries of the year."[25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[26]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance Film Festival | January 28, 2024 | Grand Jury Prize U.S. Documentary | Sugarcane | Nominated | [27] |
| U.S. Documentary – Directing Award | Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie | Won | |||
| Sarasota Film Festival | April 14, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | Sugarcane | Won | [28] |
| San Francisco International Film Festival | April 28, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | Won | [29] | |
| Seattle International Film Festival | May 19, 2024 | Best Feature Film | Nominated | [30] | |
| Grand Jury Prize – Special Mention | Won | ||||
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 10, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | Nominated | [31] | |
| Best True Crime Documentary | Won | ||||
| Best Political Documentary | Won | ||||
| Best Historical Documentary | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie | Nominated | |||
| Best New Documentary Filmmaker(s) | Nominated | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Christopher LaMarca & Emily Kassie | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Nathan Punwar & Maya Daisy Hawke | Nominated | |||
| Gotham Awards | December 2, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn | Nominated | [32] |
| International Documentary Association Awards | December 5, 2024 | Best Feature Documentary | Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn | Pending | [33] |
| Best Director | Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie | Pending | |||
| Best Cinematography | Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie | Pending | |||
| Best Editing | Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke | Pending | |||
| Best Original Music Score | Mali Obomsawin | Pending | |||
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 9, 2024 | Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature | Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn, Christopher LaMarca, Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke, Mali Obomsawin, Martin Czembor, Andrea Bella, Michael Feuser and Ed Archie Noisecat | Pending | [34] |
| Outstanding Direction | Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Production | Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Cinematography | Emily Kassie and Christopher LaMarca | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Original Score | Mali Obomsawin | Pending | |||
| Audience Choice Prize | Sugarcane | Pending |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Sugarcane". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Sundance Film Festival Announces Award Winners - sundance.org". 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Impact Partners. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Williams Lake First Nation-Focused film 'Sugarcane' to premiere at Sundance Film Festival". Nation Talk. December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Catapult Film Fund. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "2022 Enterprise Documentary Fund Production Grantees". International Documentary Association. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". International Documentary Association. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ Murphy, Chris (October 17, 2024). "With Sugarcane Lily Gladstone Wants to Force North Americans to Face an Act of Collective Genocide". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Sugarcane". SIFF. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "SIFF 2024 Award Winners". sheffdocfest. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "SUGARCANE". SFF. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Eventine. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "SUGARCANE". nantucketfilmfestival. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "Independent Film Festival Boston". IFFBOSTON. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "Documentary Feature Competition Winner Award Winner". Sarasota Film Festival. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL 2024". MUBI. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Cleveland Film. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". full frame fest. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ White, Peter (February 21, 2024). "Nat Geo Buys 'Sugarcane' Documentary Out Of Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ "Film Forum July-September 2024" (PDF). Film Forum. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (10 July 2024). "Watch Trailer For 'Sugarcane,' Harrowing Documentary Investigating Sexual Abuse And Disappearances At Indigenous "Residential Schools"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "Sugarcane". Metacritic. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ The Complete List of 2024 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners|Sundance Film Festival
- ^ "'Thelma,' 'Sugarcane,' and 'Alok' Win Top Prizes at the 2024 Sarasota Film Festival". IndieWire. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Erik (May 1, 2024). "'Sugarcane,' 'The Teacher' Earn Awards at 67th San Francisco International Film Festival as SFFILM Enters a State of Change". Awards Watch. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "SIFF 2024 Award Winners". SIFF. May 19, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 14, 2024). "'Sugarcane' Leads Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (29 October 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (November 19, 2024). "IDA Documentary Awards Announces 2024 Nominees: 'Sugarcane,' 'No Other Land,' and More". IndieWire. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 24, 2024). "Cinema Eye Honors: 'Girls State', 'Ren Faire' Lead Broadcast Nominees; Audience Choice Award Longlist Revealed". Deadline. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
