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A Colony

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A Colony
FrenchUne colonie
Directed byGeneviève Dulude-De Celles
Written byGeneviève Dulude-De Celles
Produced byFanny Drew
Sarah Mannering
StarringÉmilie Bierre
Cassandra Gosselin-Pelletier
Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie
Irlande Côté
Robin Aubert
CinematographyLéna Mill-Reuillard
Étienne Roussy
Edited byStéphane Lafleur
Music byMathieu Charbonneau
Release date
  • September 15, 2018 (2018-09-15) (QCFF)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench

A Colony (French: Une colonie) is a Canadian drama film from Quebec, directed by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles and released in 2018.[1] The film centres on Mylia (Émilie Bierre), a young girl starting high school who is torn between her new friendships with Jacinthe (Cassandra Gosselin-Pelletier), a bad influence who encourages her to experiment with sex and alcohol, and Jimmy (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), an artistic First Nations student.[2] The film's cast also includes Irlande Côté as Mylia's younger sister Camille, and Noémie Godin-Vigneau and Robin Aubert as their parents.

Plot

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In rural Quebec, Mylia begins high school while living with her younger sister Camille and her parents, Nathalie and Henri. They live on the border of an Abenaki First Nation reserve and Camille struggles with being bullied by her peers, with Mylia being her only friend. When Mylia gets to high school, she finds her locker is next to her cousin Gab, but Gab is cold to her. Mylia is placed in a history and citizenship class. There, she meets Jacinthe. Jacinthe notices that Mylia takes notes in history class and asks for Mylia's help with the course, to avoid a failing grade. The two girls meet and collaborate on their homework; afterwards, Jacinthe invites Mylia to a party. Mylia goes, and begins drinking alcohol. Intoxicated, she leaves and vomits. She wakes up in a home on a reserve, where a local boy Jimmy lives, and Jimmy's grandmother lets her recover on her couch. When Mylia returns home, she finds her father Henri on the couch for the night, and denies she was drinking.

Mylia becomes increasingly acquainted with Jimmy as he allows Camille to use his trampoline. In history class, the students discuss their readings on the Europeans' early contact with indigenous peoples in Quebec. When students begin asking about passages about the indigenous people's depravity (from the racist perspective of the European settlers), Jimmy becomes angered and has a physical altercation with the boys in the halls. He is afterwards suspended. Jacinthe invites Mylia to a Halloween party, where she and her friends plan to dress as the Fifth Harmony. Although the party falls on Camille's birthday, Mylia agrees to join. Later, Mylia meets with Jimmy. Jimmy, who says Halloween costumes reveal one's true self, discloses he will be dressing as an "Indian". Mylia says she will be dressing with her friends as the Fifth Harmony, and is offended when Jimmy criticizes her for dressing as a "slut".

Camille is upset when she learns Mylia will not be at her birthday party and only her parents will be there. At the party, Mylia is peer-pressured by her friends to make out with a boy, Vincent, but becomes uncomfortable with the sexual nature of his advances and puts a stop to them. She leaves and meets Jimmy. At home, Nathalie and Henri sit Mylia and Camille down for a talk, where they reveal they are undergoing a separation. Mylia and Camille are upset to learn their mother is moving them out of a house. Mylia leaves the home and sees Jimmy, and tells him she loves him. After time passes, Mylia is attending a new school. She writes to Jimmy about learning about the Scramble for Africa, and about how none of her classmates believed her when she said she was from a forest and her friend is an "Abenaki warrior". Mylia writes her peers find her unusual, but concludes by saying she does not want to be like everyone else.

Cast

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Release

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The film premiered at the 2018 Quebec City Film Festival.[3] It went into general theatrical release in early 2019,[4] and was screened at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival in the Generation Kplus program.[5]

Accolades

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The film received seven nominations at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019, for Best Picture, Best Actress (Bierre), Best Supporting Actor (Whiteduck-Lavoie), Best Supporting Actress (Côté), Best Director (Dulude-De Celles), Best Costume Design (Eugénie Clermont) and the John Dunning Best First Feature Award.[6]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Berlin International Film Festival 7–17 February 2019 Crystal Bear Won [7]
Canadian Screen Awards 31 March 2019 Best Motion Picture Fanny Drew, Sarah Mannering Won [8][9]
Best Director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles Nominated
Best Actress Émilie Bierre Won
Best Supporting Actor Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Irlande Côté Nominated
Best Costume Design Eugénie Clermont Nominated
Best First Feature Geneviève Dulude-De Celles Won
Prix Iris 2 June 2019 Best Film Fanny Drew, Sarah Mannering Nominated [10][11]
Best Director Geneviève Dulude-DeCelles Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Robin Aubert Won
Revelation of the Year Émilie Bierre Won
Irlande Côté Nominated
Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie Nominated
Best Casting Ariane Castellanos Won [12]
Quebec City Film Festival September 2018 Grand Prix Won [3]
Whistler Film Festival December 2018 Best Canadian Feature Won [13]
Best Director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles Won
Best Performance Émilie Bierre Won

References

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  1. ^ "Une colonie – Film de Geneviève Dulude-De Celles". Films du Québec. January 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "QCFF Review: 'A Colony' Is 'Eighth Grade' Without the Redemptive Cuteness". Exclaim!. September 19, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Le film québécois Une colonie couronné au FCVQ". La Presse (in French). September 20, 2018.
  4. ^ "Une colonie: trouver sa propre voie". La Presse (in French). February 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Le film Une colonie sera présenté à Berlin". Ici Radio-Canada. December 19, 2018.
  6. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards: 'Anne With an E,' 'Schitt's Creek' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. February 7, 2019.
  7. ^ Townsend, Kelly (19 February 2019). "A Colony wins Crystal Bear at Berlin film fest". Playback. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  8. ^ "A Colony". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. ^ Duchesne, Andre (31 March 2019). "Cinq prix Écrans canadiens à La grande noirceur". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  10. ^ Moreault, Éric (12 April 2019). "Gala Québec cinéma: «1991» de Ricardo Trogi mène le bal". Le Soleil (in French). Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  11. ^ Marc-Andre Lussier (2 June 2019). "Gala Québec Cinéma: 1991 sacré meilleur film de l'année". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  12. ^ Marc-Andre Lussier (2 June 2019). "La Bolduc domine au Gala Artisans Québec Cinéma". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  13. ^ Mack, Adrian. "Québécois film A Colony sweeps Whistler Film Fest awards". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
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