The Lesser Blessed
| The Lesser Blessed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Anita Doron |
| Produced by | Christina Piovesan |
| Written by |
Anita Doron (screenplay) Richard Van Camp (novel) |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Paul Intson |
| Cinematography | Brendan Steacy |
| Edited by | Geoff Ashenhurst |
| Distributed by |
Monterey Media (USA) E1 Films (Canada) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 86 minutes[1] |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | C$2.2 million |
The Lesser Blessed is a Canadian drama film, released in 2012.[2] The film was written and directed by Anita Doron based on the novel of the same name by Richard Van Camp, the film stars Joel Evans as Larry Sole, a young Tłı̨chǫ teenager living in the Northwest Territories. The film's cast also includes Chloe Rose, Kiowa Gordon, Benjamin Bratt, Dylan Cook and Tamara Podemski.[2] Despite being set in the Northwest Territories, the film was shot in Sudbury, Ontario.[2]
The film received a gala screening at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in 2012.[2] Doron garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards.[3] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.[4]
Plot
A teenager living in a small, remote community in the Northwest Territories of Canada deals with life as a high school student. Larry's (Joel Nathan Evans) life is full of too many parties, too much drinking, and not enough responsibility or independence.[5] The film explores several typical teen issues, such as alienation and the search for one's own identity, but in this case from the perspective of a Dogrib Indian who struggles between his Native ancestry and finding his place in to the modern world.[6]
Cast
- Benjamin Bratt as Jed
- Krista Bridges as Auntie
- Joel Evans as Larry Sole
- Kiowa Gordon as Johnny Beck
- Adam Butcher as Darcy McManus
- Chloe Rose as Juliet Hope
- Tamara Podemski as Verna Sole
- Spencer Van Wyck as Kevin Garner
- Dylan Cook as Mustache Sammy
- Jacob Neayem as Clarence Jerome
Release
In February 2013, Monterey Media brought the United States distribution rights from Entertainment One.[7] The film will be released in Toronto on May 31, 2013 and in Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Ottawa on June 7, 2013.[8] The film was released in the United States on home entertainment (DVD and Video on Demand) on June 25, 2013.[9] Kiowa Gordon won best supporting actor at American Indian Film Festival for his role in the film.[10]
Festivals
The Lesser Blessed has screened at the following festivals:
- American Indian Film Festival[11] - Winner - Best Supporting Actor (Kiowa Gordon)[10]
- imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival[2]
- Red Nation Film Festival[12]
- Middle of the Map Fest[13]
- Sapatq’ayn Cinema Native American Film Festival[14]
- Toronto International Film Festival[15]
References
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2056740/technical?ref_=tt_dt_spec
- 1 2 3 4 5 "The Lesser Blessed tells universal story of alienation". CBC News, October 22, 2012.
- ↑ "'Rebelle' and 'Flashpoint' lead nominees for Canadian Screen Awards". CTV News, January 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Lesser Blessed film to debut at TIFF". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ↑ "The Lesser Blessed - Contemporary World Cinema". Toronto International Film Festival, February 6, 2013.
- ↑ Cupryn, Isabel. "Interview: Director Anita Doron talks 'The Lesser Blessed". Criticize This!, May 27, 2013.
- ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Monterey Media Acquires U.S. Rights to 'The Lesser Blessed' Starring Benjamin Bratt". Indie Wire. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ↑ "Filming "The Lesser Blessed": Freezing and Burning in the Northwest Territories". Huffington Post Canada. 28 May 2013.
- ↑ "The Lesser Blessed". Critics Choice Video. 25 June 2013.
- 1 2 "American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show". aifisf.com. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ↑ "AIFISF Schedule". aifisf.com. http://aifisf.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013. External link in
|publisher=(help) - ↑ "A drama centered on a First Nations teenager trying to find his place in the modern world.". http://rednationfilmfestival.com/. rednationfilmfestival.com/. Retrieved 13 November 2013. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "FILMS - LESSER BLESSED". middleofthemapfest.com. middleofthemapfest.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ "'The Lesser Blessed' at the Sapatq'ayn Cinema Native American Film Festival". congenialityguy.com. congenialityguy.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ "Lesser Blessed film to debut at TIFF". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-11.