Zo Reken

Last updated
Zo Reken
Directed byEmanuel Licha
Written byEmanuel Licha
Produced byEmanuel Licha
Cinematography Étienne Roussy
Edited byAriane Pétel-Despots
Music byDavid Drury
Production
company
Les Films de L'Autre
Distributed byLes Films du 3 mars
Release date
  • April 29, 2021 (2021-04-29)(Hot Docs)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesFrench
Haitian Creole

Zo Reken is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Emanuel Licha and released in 2021. [1] Taking its name from a Haitian Creole slang term for the Toyota Land Cruiser, the film is an exploration of the impact of the international humanitarian aid apparatus on Haiti, centering on the ways in which it can be both a necessary lifeline and an instrument of economic inequality and repression. [2]

The film premiered at the 2021 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, [2] where it won the juried award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary. [3] It won the award for Best Documentary Film at the 2021 Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie. [4] At the 2021 Montreal International Documentary Festival, it won the Grand Prize, National Feature and the Student Jury Award, and received an honorable mention from the Magnus Isacsson Award jury. [5]

It received two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, for Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Cinematography in a Documentary (Étienne Roussy). [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Resurrecting Hassan</i> 2016 Canadian film

Resurrecting Hassan is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Carlo Guillermo Proto and released in 2016. The documentary centres on the Hartings, a family of blind musicians in Montreal who supported themselves by busking in the Guy-Concordia station of the Montreal Metro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaveh Nabatian</span> Iranian-Canadian musician and film director

Kaveh Nabatian is an Iranian-Canadian musician and film director, known as a trumpeter and keyboardist with the Juno Award winning orchestral post-rock band Bell Orchestre.

<i>Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up</i> 2019 Canadian film

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Tasha Hubbard and released in 2019. The film centres on the 2016 death of Colten Boushie, and depicts his family's struggle to attain justice after the controversial acquittal of Boushie's killer. Narrated by Hubbard, the film also includes a number of animated segments which contextualize the broader history of indigenous peoples of Canada.

Prayer for a Lost Mitten is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jean-François Lesage and released in 2020. The film centres on the lost and found office of the Montreal Metro system.

Matt Gallagher is a Canadian film director, producer and cinematographer from Windsor, Ontario.

Stateless is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Michèle Stephenson and released in 2020. The film centres on the crisis of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, many of whom have been left stateless by the Dominican Republic's 2013 decision to strip citizenship from Haitian immigrants and their descendants.

The Lindalee Tracey Award is an annual film award, presented in memory of Canadian documentary filmmaker Lindalee Tracey to emerging filmmakers whose works reflect values of social justice and a strong personal point of view. Created by Peter Raymont, Tracey's widower and former filmmaking partner, through his production studio White Pine Pictures, the award is presented annually at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival; however, the award is not limited to documentary films, but may be awarded to films in any genre, and films do not have to have been screened as part of the Hot Docs program to be eligible.

<i>Mutts</i> (film) 2019 Canadian short documentary film

Mutts is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Halima Ouardiri and released in 2019. The film is a portrait of a sanctuary for stray dogs in Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thyrone Tommy</span> Canadian film director

Thyrone Tommy is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. After writing and directing the short film Mariner (2016), Tommy received acclaim for his work on the feature film Learn to Swim (2021), both of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

One of Ours is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Yasmine Mathurin and released in 2021. The film centres on the 2016 incident in which Josiah Wilson, a Haitian Canadian who was adopted into a Heiltsuk family and raised as a status member of the Heiltsuk Nation, was barred from participating in the All Native Basketball Tournament on the grounds that he is not indigenous by blood.

Geographies of Solitude is a Canadian documentary film by Jacquelyn Mills that was released in 2022. The film is guided by Zoe Lucas, a naturalist and environmentalist who lives on Nova Scotia's Sable Island, where she catalogues the island's wild Sable Island horses, and endeavours to preserve its unique ecosystem.

The Hot Docs Award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary is an annual Canadian film award, presented by the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival to the film selected by jury members as the year's best Canadian feature film in the festival program. The award was presented for the first time in 1998; prior to that year, awards were presented in various genre categories, but no special distinction for Canadian films was presented. The award is sponsored by the Documentary Organization of Canada and Telefilm Canada, and carries a cash prize of $10,000.

<i>Rojek</i> (film) 2022 Canadian film

Rojek is a 2022 Canadian documentary film written, directed and produced by Zaynê Akyol. It is about the recovery of Kurdistan from the Rojava–Islamist conflict with a special emphasis on interviews with imprisoned former members of the Islamic State about their motivations. It was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Perfecting the Art of Longing is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Kitra Cahana and released in 2021. The film is a portrait of Cahana's father Ronnie, a former rabbi who has been living in long-term care since suffering a stroke which left him quadriplegic and unable to speak, and the family's efforts to stay connected to him remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

Bill Reid Remembers is a 2022 Canadian short documentary film, directed by Alanis Obomsawin. The film is a portrait of the life and career of influential Haida artist Bill Reid.

Jean-François Lesage is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, most noted for his 2020 film Prayer for a Lost Mitten .

The Benevolents is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Sarah Baril Gaudet and released in 2021. An exploration of contemporary loneliness and the importance of human social connection, the film is a portrait of various people who are training to become volunteers for Tel-Aide, a crisis hotline in Montreal, Quebec.

The Perfect Story is a 2022 Canadian documentary film directed by Michelle Shephard. The film revisits Shephard's 2010 news story about Ismael Abdulle, a young Somali man who had his hand and foot amputated by Al-Shabaab militants. Her initial reportage sparked a campaign to get him transported to another country as a refugee. However, the documentary explores the ethical dilemmas Shephard faced when Abdulle later admitted he had lied about key details of the incident, revealing he was guilty of attempted theft as Al-Shabaab had claimed.

The Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary is a Canadian award, presented annually by the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival to honour a film judged as the best Canadian short documentary film in that year's festival program. The award comes with a $3,000 prize from festival sponsors John and Betty Youson.

Henri Pardo is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is most noted as director of the documentary film Dear Jackie, which was a nominee for the Donald Brittain Award at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.

References

  1. Jennie Punter, "The Streets of Port-au-Prince Speak Out in ‘Zo Reken,’ Winner of Hot Docs’ Best Canadian Feature Award". Variety , May 8, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Courtney Small, "zo reken Review: A Brilliant Ride". Point of View , May 5, 2021.
  3. Kevin Ritchie, "Hot Docs 2021: Zo Reken, One Of Ours claim top prizes". Now , May 7, 2021.
  4. "Le jury du 35e FICFA récompense les meilleurs films". Ici Radio-Canada Nouveau-Brunswick, November 18, 2021.
  5. Pat Mullen (November 21, 2021). "zo reken, Looking for Horses Lead RIDM 2021 Winners". Point of View .
  6. Pat Mullen, "2023 Canadian Screen Award Nominations for Documentary". Point of View , February 22, 2023.