Ali & Ava

Last updated

Ali & Ava
Directed by Clio Barnard
Written byClio Barnard
Produced byTracy O'Riordan
Starring
CinematographyOle Bratt Birkeland
Edited byMaya Maffioli
Music by Harry Escott
Production
companies
Distributed by Altitude (UK)
Release dates
  • 11 July 2021 (2021-07-11)(Cannes)
  • 4 March 2022 (2022-03-04)(UK)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$887,785 [2] [3]

Ali & Ava is a 2021 British drama film written and directed by Clio Barnard. The film stars Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook in the lead roles. It had its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight section on 11 July 2021 and was released in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2022.

Contents

Synopsis

The film is set in Bradford, [4] a working-class, predominantly white housing estate of Holme Wood, [5] noted in both reality around 2016 and in the film for racist anti-social behaviour towards taxi drivers. [6]

Ali, a man of Pakistani descent, lives with his soon-to-be ex-wife, Runa, who still mourns the loss of their unborn child. Ava lives in Holme Wood near her adult children, some of whom have children of their own.

Ali and Ava meet one day at the school where Ava works when Ali drops off his tenant's daughter. A friendship, built on a mutual love of music, gradually develops between the two, and deepens into something more as the couple struggles to overcome their respective familial entanglements and prejudices.

Cast

Production

In January 2020, it was announced that Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook had joined the cast of the film, with Clio Barnard directing from a screenplay she wrote. BBC Film would produce, and Altitude Film Distribution was set to distribute in the United Kingdom. [7] [8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight section on 11 July 2021. [9] It was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2022 and came out on VOD on 23 August 2022. [2] [10]

Reception

Box office

Ali & Ava grossed $44,072 in the United States and Canada [3] and $843,713 in other territories, [2] for a worldwide total of $887,785.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 88 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ali & Ava's tender, naturalistic love story adds another powerful chapter to writer–director Clio Barnard's filmography." [10] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme Wood</span> Human settlement in England

Holme Wood is a housing estate in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.

The Directors' Fortnight is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as an act of solidarity with striking workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 27 May 1981. The Palme d'Or went to the Człowiek z żelaza by Andrzej Wajda. The festival opened with Three Brothers by Francesco Rosi and closed with Honeysuckle Rose, directed by Jerry Schatzberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naheed Akhtar</span> Pakistani playback singer

Naheed Akhtar is a Pakistani playback singer. She is tagged as the "Nightingale of Pakistan". She was the top Lollywood playback singer during the second half of 70s and 80s. She won 3 Nigar Awards and a Pride of Performance in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noémie Lvovsky</span> French film director, screenwriter, and actress

Noémie Lvovsky is a French film director, screenwriter, and actress.

Adeel Akhtar is a British actor. In 2017, he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role in Murdered by My Father. He was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role on Channel 4's Utopia, as well as a British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ali & Ava.

Claire Louise Rushbrook is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Roxanne in Secrets & Lies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pablo Larraín</span> Chilean filmmaker (born 1976)

Pablo Larraín Matte is a Chilean filmmaker. He is known for films such as the Academy Award-nominated films No (2012), Neruda (2016), Jackie (2016), and Spencer (2021). In 2017, Larraín and his brother Juan de Dios co-produced Sebastián Lelio's A Fantastic Woman, which was the first Chilean film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2021, Larrain directed the psychological romance horror miniseries Lisey's Story.

<i>Little Misunderstandings</i> 1989 film

Piccoli equivoci is a 1989 Italian comedy film directed by Ricky Tognazzi. It was shown at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, in the section "Quinzaine des Réalisateurs".

<i>Private Lessons</i> (2008 film) 2008 Belgian film

Private Lessons is a 2008 Belgian drama film directed by Joachim Lafosse. It was written by Lafosse and François Pirot. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May. It was nominated for seven Magritte Awards and was awarded Best Actor for Jonathan Zaccaï and Most Promising Actress for Pauline Étienne.

Raffl is a 1984 Austrian drama film directed by Christian Berger. It was entered into the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. The film was screened for the Directors' Fortnight at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clio Barnard</span> British film director

Clio Barnard is a British director of documentary and feature films. She won widespread critical acclaim and multiple awards for her debut, The Arbor, an experimental documentary about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. In 2013 she was hailed as a significant new voice in British cinema for her film The Selfish Giant, which premiered in the Director's Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival.

<i>No Skin</i> 1994 Italian film

No Skin is a 1994 Italian drama film written and directed by Alessandro D'Alatri. It entered the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section at the 47th Cannes Film Festival. For this film D'Alatri won the David di Donatello, the Nastro d'Argento and the Ciak d'oro for best screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kleber Mendonça Filho</span> Brazilian film director, screenwriter, producer, and critic

Kleber Mendonça Filho is a Brazilian film director, screenwriter, producer, and critic.

<i>Fatima</i> (2015 film) 2015 film

Fatima is a 2015 French-Canadian drama film directed by Philippe Faucon. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Prix Louis-Delluc for Best Film in December 2015. It received four nominations at the 41st César Awards and won Best Film, Most Promising Actress and Best Adaptation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deniz Gamze Ergüven</span> Turkish-French film director

Deniz Gamze Ergüven, is a Turkish-French film director best known for her debut feature film Mustang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Safdie</span> American film director

Benjamin Safdie is an American film director, screenwriter, actor and film editor best known for working with his older brother Josh as a filmmaker, whose works include Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Léa Mysius</span> French film director and screenwriter

Léa Mysius is a French film director and screenwriter. In 2017, she made her feature directorial debut with the film Ava, which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival where it won the SACD Award. Her second feature film, The Five Devils, was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. As a screenwriter, Mysius has also collaborated with Arnaud Desplechin on Ismael's Ghosts (2017) and Oh Mercy! (2019), Jacques Audiard on Paris, 13th District (2021) and Claire Denis on Stars at Noon (2022).

Kamal Kaan is a British playwright, screenwriter and actor. He was listed in Prolific North's top scriptwriters of 2017. He also served as Script Consultant for Clio Barnard on the BAFTA nominated Outstanding British film Ali & Ava.

<i>Between Two Worlds</i> (2021 film) 2021 drama film

Between Two Worlds is a 2021 French drama film directed by Emmanuel Carrère, loosely based on Florence Aubenas's 2010 autobiographical book The Night Cleaner. The film stars Juliette Binoche. The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on 7 July 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Ali & Ava | Quinzaine des cinéastes". Quinzaine des Réalisateurs . Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ali and Ava (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Ali & Ava (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDbPro. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Kermode, Mark (6 March 2022). "Ali & Ava review – Clio Barnard's pitch-perfect Bradford love story". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Clayton, Emma (16 October 2021). "Holme Wood residents in cast of film that's 'love letter to Bradford'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Yob attacks on cab drivers lead to estate boycott". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Vourlias, Christopher (17 January 2020). "'Ali & Ava': First Look at Clio Barnard's Just-Wrapped Fourth Feature". Variety . Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  8. ↑ Rosser, Michael (17 January 2020). "First details of Clio Barnard's 'Ali & Ava' revealed". Screen International . Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Baronnet, Brigitte (11 July 2021). "Cannes 2021 : Ali & Ava, la délicate romance musicale de Clio Barnard à la Quinzaine des réalisateurs". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Ali & Ava". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ali & Ava Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.