Aruba (film)

Last updated
Aruba
Aruba (film).jpg
Film poster
Directed by Hubert Davis
Screenplay byHubert Davis
Produced byHubert Davis
Sam McLaren
David Miller
Starring A.J. Saudin
Devon Bostick
Soo Garay
CinematographyDavid Tennant
Edited byHubert Davis
Music byMichael White
Fraser Macdougall
Production
companies
Brown Entertainment
Shine Films
Sienna Films
Release date
Running time
11 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Aruba is a 2006 Canadian coming-of-age dramatic short film and the fiction debut of director Hubert Davis. It was his first major work after his Academy Award-nominated film Hardwood . [1]

Contents

Davis was inspired to create the film after having worked with "at risk kids" in Vancouver, and toward his film addressing issues found within Black communities, he "advocates the need for 'intelligent urban films' that offer a different perspective from the conventions of urban comedies and Black Entertainment TV." [2]

The film has been archived in the National Film Board of Canada African-Canadian Issues Collection. [3]

Premise

Milan (A.J. Saudin) is an 11-year-old boy who dreams about escaping a violent home life. When his parents fight or take drugs, or when bullies pick on him in school, he finds peace in contemplating a postcard with an idyllic picture of the island of Aruba, and imagines himself in that faraway place as a way to survive.

Cast

Release

Screenings

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2006, [4] [5] and then screened at several festivals, including the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, [6] the 2006 Palm Springs International ShortFest, [7] the 2007 Seattle International Film Festival, [8] and the 2008 Kansas City Jubilee Film Festival. [9] Of its screening at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Mark Harris of Straight.com called the film "desperately touching". [10]

DVD

Aruba was released by Paradox on January 21, 2008, as part of the compilation DVD "And the Winner Is...", a collection of multiple award-winning short films which also included the films Ryan (2004), The Danish Poet (2006), Strange Invaders (2002), Walking (1969), Hardwood (2004), and My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts (1999). [11]

Reception

The National Film Board of Canada wrote that the film is one about salvation and "a reflection of a part of our Canadian landscape too often ignored". They write that the film deals with children whose parents come from different cultures, and is reflective "of a new Canada" by its offering "a new perspective into the Canadian culture" through its approach on how race and poverty disconnect from the mainstream. [3]

The Manitoba Library Association's CM Magazine wrote that the film reflected "the diversity of worlds and cultures that are a part of the inner city", through its "choosing to highlight the effects of poverty, violence, and abuse on one urban family". They offered that the film's strength was through limiting its dialogue and relying on visual narrative to allow "viewers to bring their thoughts and feelings to the images." They recommend it for classroom use to open discussion on "topics including bullying, poverty, drug abuse, domestic violence, and the struggles of many inner-city children," [12] and offer grade 7-12 study guide. [2]

In a retrospective of Hubert Davis' short works, Aruba, Truth and Hardwood screened at the Toronto's NFB Mediatheque in November 2011. [13] [14]

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film festival</span> Event with films being shown

A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon the festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some film festivals focus on a specific filmmaker, genre of film, or on a subject matter. Several film festivals focus solely on presenting short films of a defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians, including Jerry Beck, do not consider film festivals as official releases of the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geetu Mohandas</span> Indian actress

Gayatri Das, known professionally as Geetu Mohandas, is an Indian actress and director known for her works in Malayalam cinema and Bollywood. In 2013, she directed the socio political film Liar's Dice which has received two National Film Awards, was premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and was chosen by the Government of India as India's entry for the U.S. 87th Academy Awards, but was not shortlisted or nominated.

Hubert Davis is a Canadian filmmaker who was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cultural and Artistic Programming for his directorial debut in Hardwood, a short documentary exploring the life of his father, former Harlem Globetrotter Mel Davis. Davis was the first Afro-Canadian to be nominated for an Oscar.

Hardwood is a 2005 documentary short film about Canadian director Hubert Davis' relationship to his father, former Harlem Globetrotters member Mel Davis. Through interviews with his mother, his father's wife, his half-brother, and Mel Davis himself, Hubert Davis explores why Mel made the decisions that he did, and how that has affected his life.

The Young and Evil is a 2008 short film directed by Julian Breece, in which a sexually promiscuous teenager actively pursues unprotected sex in order to catch HIV. The title is inspired by the 1933 book by Charles Henri Ford and Parker Tyler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yung Chang</span>

Yung Chang is a Chinese Canadian film director and was part of the collective member directors of Canadian film production firm EyeSteelFilm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A.J. Saudin</span> Canadian-Tanzanian actor (born 1992)

Faisal A.J. Saudin, known professionally as A.J. Saudin or Saudin, is a Canadian actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his role as Connor DeLaurier in the long-running teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jen Heck</span> American film director

Jen Heck is an American writer, director, and producer best known for her award-winning films. Her work has appeared at the Whitney Biennial (2004), and at major film festivals including the Sundance Film Festival, the São Paulo International Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival. Her stories are often described as "quirky", with themes of love, isolation, and the delicate nature of relationships between young women commonly recurring. Her signature visual style often incorporates found or pre-existing media with rich, original material to create a unique, heavily stylized narrative result.

The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin is a 1981 Canadian animated short by Janet Perlman that comically adapts the tale of Cinderella with penguins. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 54th Academy Awards, losing to another animated short from Montreal, Frédéric Back's Crac. The Oscar nomination was the fourth in five years for executive producer Derek Lamb, also Perlman's husband. The film also received a Parents' Choice Award.

<i>Runaway</i> (2009 film) 2009 Canadian film

Runaway is a 2009 animated short by Canadian animator Cordell Barker. The film received a special jury award for short films at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was named the best animated short film at the 2010 Genie Awards. In 2010 the film won the Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Award for Best Animation.

<i>Bully Dance</i> 2000 Canadian film

Bully Dance is a 2000 animated short film by Janet Perlman about bullying. In this 10 minutes short film without words, a community is disrupted when a bully victimizes a smaller member of the group. The whole community becomes involved in dealing with the bully, who is himself a victim at home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Screen Institute</span> Non-profit organization headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The National Screen Institute - Canada is a non-profit organization headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The organization describes itself as "Serving content creators across Canada to tell unforgettable stories through industry-informed training and mentoring."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 until January 29, 2012 in Park City, Utah.

Vic is a 2006 American short film drama. It is the directorial debut of Sage Stallone. The film stars Clu Gulager, Tom Gulager and Miriam Byrd-Nethery with cameos by Carol Lynley, John LaZar, and John Phillip Law. Stallone won the 2006 Boston Film Festival “Best New Filmmaker” award for the film. The film had its world premiere at the 2006 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, where the cast and filmmakers were in attendance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Anderson (artist)</span> Canadian filmmaker and musician

Trevor Anderson is a Canadian filmmaker and musician. His films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adastra Films</span> French film production and distribution company

Adastra Films is a film production and distribution company based in Cannes, France. It was founded in March 2008 by Sébastien Aubert and David Guiraud.

<i>Fauve</i> (film) 2018 Canadian film

Fauve is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Jérémy Comte and released in 2018. The film centres on two boys looking for adventure near an open pit mine, who are soon drawn into a dangerous situation as their power game spins out of control.

Matthew Puccini is an American filmmaker. He is known for his short films that deal with LGBT-related subject matters. These include The Mess He Made (2017), Marquise (2018), Dirty (2020) and Lavender (2019). His films have played at several festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs ShortsFest, and Outfest Los Angeles. His work has also been featured on Topic and The Huffington Post.

<i>The Devils Harmony</i> Live action short film

The Devil's Harmony is a live action short film directed by Dylan Holmes Williams in 2019.

<i>When We Were Bullies</i> 2021 American film

When We Were Bullies is a 2021 German-American documentary short film by Jay Rosenblatt.

References

  1. ↑ Mark Deming (2012). "Aruba". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  2. 1 2 Schenke, Arleen. "ARUBA Study Guide" (PDF). The Manitoba Library Association. National Film Board of Canada . Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Aruba". National Film Board of Canada . Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Six Canadian short films at Sundance". CBC News. December 6, 2005. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  5. ↑ "Aruba". The Sundance Channel. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  6. ↑ Walker, Susan (September 8, 2006). "Shorts on show". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  7. ↑ "Aruba". Palm Springs International Film Society. Archived from the original on 2010-08-02. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  8. ↑ "Aruba". Seattle International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  9. ↑ "Aruba screening". Kansas City Jubilee Film Festival. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  10. ↑ Harris, Mark (September 28, 2006). "Shorts provoke a longer look". The Georgia Straight . Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  11. ↑ Staff. "And the Winner Is... / Et le gagnant est..." National Film Board of Canada . Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  12. ↑ Dimm, Jocelyn A. (April 27, 2007). "review: Aruba". CM Magazine. The Manitoba Library Association. XIII (18). ISSN   1201-9364.
  13. ↑ D'Aoust, Amanda. "Free Favourites at Four presents three Hubert Davis short films". rabble.ca . Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  14. ↑ Staff. "FREE FAVOURITES AT FOUR presents A HUBERT DAVIS TRIO". National Film Board of Canada. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Panavision Grand Jury Award, "Aruba"". Palm Springs International Film Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-09. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
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.