Sugarcane (film)

Last updated

Sugarcane
Sugarcane theatrical release poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Emily Kassie
  • Kellen Quinn
Cinematography
  • Christopher LaMarca
  • Emily Kassie
Edited by
  • Nathan Punwar
  • Maya Daisy Hawke
Music by Mali Obomsawin
Production
companies
Distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films (Worldwide)
Variance Films (United States)
Films We Like (Canada)
Release dates
  • January 20, 2024 (2024-01-20)(Sundance)
  • August 9, 2024 (2024-08-09)(United States and Canada)
Running time
107 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Canada
Languages
  • English
  • Secwepemctsín [1]
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.

Contents

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. It received critical acclaim and won the award for Best Documentary at the National Board of Review. [5] At the 97th Academy Awards, it was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Film award.

Premise

Sugarcane follows an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system, igniting a reckoning in the lives of survivors and descendants. [6] [7]

Production

The film received grants from Catapult Film Fund and the International Documentary Association Enterprise Fund. [8] [9] [10] Lily Gladstone boarded the project as an executive producer. [11]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024. [12] It also played at the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival, 2024 Seattle International Film Festival, [13] the 2024 Sheffield International Documentary Festival, [14] the 2024 Sydney Film Festival, [15] the 2024 DOXA Documentary Film Festival, [16] the 2024 Nantucket Film Festival, [17] the 2024 Boston Independent Film Festival, [18] the 2024 Sarasota Film Festival, [19] the 2024 Maryland Film Festival, [20] the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival, [21] and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. [22]

In February 2024, National Geographic Documentary Films acquired distribution rights to the film. [23] 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. [24] [25]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.9/10.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." [26] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [27]

Accolades

AwardDateCategoryRecipientResultRef.
Sundance Film Festival January 28, 2024 Grand Jury Prize U.S. DocumentarySugarcaneNominated [28]
U.S. Documentary – Directing Award Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie Won
Sarasota Film Festival April 14, 2024Best Documentary FeatureSugarcaneWon [29]
San Francisco International Film Festival April 28, 2024Best Documentary FeatureWon [30]
Seattle International Film Festival May 19, 2024Best Feature FilmNominated [31]
Grand Jury Prize – Special MentionWon
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 10, 2024 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [32]
Best True Crime DocumentaryWon
Best Political DocumentaryWon
Best Historical DocumentaryNominated
Best Director Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie Nominated
Best New Documentary Filmmaker(s) Nominated
Best CinematographyChristopher LaMarca & Emily Kassie Nominated
Best EditingNathan Punwar & Maya Daisy HawkeNominated
Gotham Awards December 2, 2024 Best Documentary Feature Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Kellen QuinnNominated [33]
National Board of Review December 4, 2024 Best Documentary Film SugarcaneWon [34]
International Documentary Association Awards December 5, 2024Best Feature DocumentaryJulian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Kellen QuinnNominated [35]
Best DirectorJulian Brave NoiseCat, Emily KassieNominated
Best CinematographyChristopher LaMarca, Emily KassieNominated
Best EditingNathan Punwar, Maya Daisy HawkeNominated
Best Original Music ScoreMali ObomsawinNominated
San Diego Film Critics Society December 9, 2024 Best Documentary FilmSugarcaneNominated [36]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 12, 2024 Best Documentary Film Nominated [37]
St. Louis Film Critics Association December 15, 2024 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [38]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle December 15, 2024 Best Documentary Feature Won [39]
Seattle Film Critics Society December 16, 2024 Best Documentary Film Nominated [40]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association December 18, 2024 Best Documentary Film Won [41]
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 NoisecatNominated [42]
Outstanding DirectionJulian Brave NoiseCat and Emily KassieNominated
Outstanding ProductionEmily Kassie and Kellen QuinnNominated
Outstanding CinematographyEmily Kassie and Christopher LaMarcaWon
Outstanding Original Score Mali Obomsawin Nominated
Audience Choice PrizeSugarcaneNominated
Satellite Awards January 26, 2025 Best Motion Picture – Documentary Pending [43]
Directors Guild of America Awards February 8, 2025 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily KassiePending [44] [45]
Independent Spirit Awards February 22, 2025 Truer Than Fiction AwardJulian Brave NoiseCat and Emily KassiePending [46]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists January 7, 2025Best Documentary FilmSugarcaneNominated [47]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Sugarcane". Sundance Film Festival . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Sugarcane". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved November 22, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ "Sugarcane". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  4. ↑ "2024 Sundance Film Festival Announces Award Winners - sundance.org". January 26, 2024. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  5. ↑ "2024 Archives". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Sugarcane". Impact Partners . Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Williams Lake First Nation-Focused film 'Sugarcane' to premiere at Sundance Film Festival". Nation Talk. December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Sugarcane". Catapult Film Fund. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ "2022 Enterprise Documentary Fund Production Grantees". International Documentary Association . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Sugarcane". International Documentary Association. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ Murphy, Chris (October 17, 2024). "With Sugarcane Lily Gladstone Wants to Force North Americans to Face an Act of Collective Genocide". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  12. ↑ 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 . Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
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  15. ↑ "SUGARCANE". SFF. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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  17. ↑ "SUGARCANE". nantucketfilmfestival. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Independent Film Festival Boston". IFFBOSTON. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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  20. ↑ "MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL 2024". MUBI. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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  22. ↑ "Sugarcane". full frame fest. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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  26. ↑ "Sugarcane". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
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  28. ↑ "The Complete List of 2024 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners|Sundance Film Festival". Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  29. ↑ "'Thelma,' 'Sugarcane,' and 'Alok' Win Top Prizes at the 2024 Sarasota Film Festival". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  30. ↑ 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. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  31. ↑ "SIFF 2024 Award Winners". SIFF. May 19, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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  33. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill (October 29, 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  34. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (December 4, 2024). "'Wicked' and Jon M. Chu Win Big with the National Board of Review — See the Full List". IndieWire . Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  35. ↑ Bergeson, Samantha (November 19, 2024). "IDA Documentary Awards Announces 2024 Nominees: 'Sugarcane,' 'No Other Land,' and More". IndieWire . Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  36. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 6, 2024). "The 2024 San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  37. ↑ "The 2024 Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  38. ↑ "The 2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. December 7, 2024. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  39. ↑ "2024 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Nominations". AwardsWatch. December 10, 2024. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  40. ↑ Josh (December 6, 2024). "Seattle Film Critics Society announce 2024 nominees". The SunBreak . Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  41. ↑ "Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association – Official site of the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association". December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  42. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (October 24, 2024). "Cinema Eye Honors: 'Girls State', 'Ren Faire' Lead Broadcast Nominees; Audience Choice Award Longlist Revealed". Deadline . Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  43. ↑ "2024 Nominees | International Press Academy" . Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  44. ↑ Verhoeven, Beatrice; Lewis, Hilary (January 7, 2025). "DGA Awards: The Bear, Shogun and The Penguin Lead TV Nominations with Three Nods Each". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  45. ↑ "DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2024" (Press release). Los Angeles: Directors Guild of America. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  46. ↑ Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (December 4, 2024). "Spirit Awards 2025 Nominations: 'Anora' and 'I Saw the TV Glow' Lead Film Categories, 'Shōgun' Rules TV". Variety . Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  47. ↑ "The 2024 EDA Award Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists . December 13, 2024. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
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