Carmen (2021 film)

Carmen
Carmen
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Valerie Buhagiar
Written by	Valerie Buhagiar
Produced by	Pierre Ellul; Coral Aiken; Anika Psaila Savona;
Starring	Natascha McElhone; Steven Love; Michela Farrugia; Peter Galea; Pauline Fenech; André Agius; Rachel Fabri; Mikhail Basmadjian; Paul Cilia; Henry Zammit Cordina; Paul Portelli; Richard Clarkin;
Cinematography	Diego Guijarro
Edited by	Matt Lyon; Peter Strauss;
Production; companies	Falkun Films; Aiken Heart Films;
Distributed by	Vortex Media
Release dates	December 4, 2021 (Whistler); August 19, 2022 (Canada); September 21, 2022 (Malta);
Running time	87 minutes (North American version); 90 minutes (European version);
Countries	Canada; Malta;
Languages	English; Maltese;

Carmen is a 2021 drama film written and directed by Valerie Buhagiar.^[1] Inspired in part by the real experiences of Buhagiar's own aunt Rita, the film stars Natascha McElhone as Carmen, a Maltese spinster who has spent her adult life serving as a caretaker for her brother, who is a Roman Catholic priest, but who finds herself feeling free to explore her own desires and goals in life as she nears age 50.^[1] The cast also includes Steven Love, Michaela Farrugia, Peter Galea, Mikhail Basmadjian, Henry Zammit Cordina, and Richard Clarkin.

Shot in Malta in 2019,^[2] the film was screened for distributors in the Industry Selects program at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, but was not made available to the general public.^[3] It had its public premiere at the 2021 Whistler Film Festival,^[4] where Diego Guijarro won the award for Best Cinematography in a Borsos Competition film.^[5] In 2022, it was screened at the Canadian Film Festival in Toronto, where it won the award for Best Film.^[6] The film was released by Vortex Media in Canada in select theatres on August 19, 2022, and on video on demand on September 23, 2022.^[7]^[8]^[9] In Malta, it was released theatrically on September 21, 2022.^[10] In the United States, it was released theatrically in major cities and on video on demand on September 23, 2022, by Good Deed Entertainment.^[9]^[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 25 critics, with an average rating of 7/10.^[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b Gee, Dana (December 14, 2021). "Family member's sheltered life of servitude inspires filmmaker to shade the patriarchy". Vancouver Sun.
^ Dalton, Ben (July 19, 2019). "Natascha McElhone signs to star in Valerie Buhagiar's 'Carmen', now shooting in Malta". Screen Daily.
^ "Toronto Film Festival Unveils Conversations, Industry Selects, Special Event Lineups". Shoot. August 24, 2021.
^ Smith, Charlie (December 13, 2021). "Whistler Film Festival movies, including The Pink Cloud and Drinkwater, are available online across Canada". The Georgia Straight.
^ Smith, Charlie (December 20, 2021). "Cinema of Sleep wins Borsos award for best Canadian feature at Whistler Film Festival". The Georgia Straight.
^ "Maltese film Carmen gets best feature award in Canadian Film Fest". Times of Malta. April 5, 2022.
^ "TFCA Friday: Week of August 19". Toronto Film Critics Association. August 19, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
^ "Carmen". Edmonton Movie Guide. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "CARMEN Trailer. Natascha McElhone Stars as a 50-year-old Woman Finding a New Start in Life". VIMooZ. August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^ Magri, Giulia (September 21, 2022). "Award-winning Maltese-Canadian film Carmen released locally". Times of Malta. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
^ Kraft, Tim (September 20, 2022). "Exclusive: Valerie Buhagiar and Natascha McElhone Discuss Carmen". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^ "Carmen". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
^ "Carmen Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2022.

External links

Carmen at IMDb

This article related to a Canadian film of the 2020s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[sun-1] Gee, Dana (December 14, 2021). "Family member's sheltered life of servitude inspires filmmaker to shade the patriarchy". Vancouver Sun.

[2] Dalton, Ben (July 19, 2019). "Natascha McElhone signs to star in Valerie Buhagiar's 'Carmen', now shooting in Malta". Screen Daily.

[3] "Toronto Film Festival Unveils Conversations, Industry Selects, Special Event Lineups". Shoot. August 24, 2021.

[4] Smith, Charlie (December 13, 2021). "Whistler Film Festival movies, including The Pink Cloud and Drinkwater, are available online across Canada". The Georgia Straight.

[5] Smith, Charlie (December 20, 2021). "Cinema of Sleep wins Borsos award for best Canadian feature at Whistler Film Festival". The Georgia Straight.

[6] "Maltese film Carmen gets best feature award in Canadian Film Fest". Times of Malta. April 5, 2022.

[7] "TFCA Friday: Week of August 19". Toronto Film Critics Association. August 19, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

[8] "Carmen". Edmonton Movie Guide. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

[vimooz-9] "CARMEN Trailer. Natascha McElhone Stars as a 50-year-old Woman Finding a New Start in Life". VIMooZ. August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.

[10] Magri, Giulia (September 21, 2022). "Award-winning Maltese-Canadian film Carmen released locally". Times of Malta. Retrieved September 28, 2022.

[11] Kraft, Tim (September 20, 2022). "Exclusive: Valerie Buhagiar and Natascha McElhone Discuss Carmen". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 27, 2022.

[12] "Carmen". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2022.

[13] "Carmen Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]