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Film Archive

Incendies

Tribute to Denis Villeneuve 2011 / Incendies / Canada, France 2010

Twins Simon and Jeanne visit a notary to hear their mother’s will and are surprised to find that they have an older brother and that their father is still alive. Their search for their roots leads them to the Middle East, where in an unnamed Arab country they discover that the fortunes of their family were determined by the religious and political conflicts of the region.

Incendies Incendies

Synopsis

After their mother’s death, twins Simon and Jeanne Marwan visit a notary for the reading of her will. Surprisingly, the notary, who had employed their mother Nawal for years, tells them that not only is their father still alive, but they also have a brother. Their task is to deliver their mother’s letters to them; only then will they be allowed to raise a tombstone and engrave their mother’s name on it. Simon is reluctant to search for his family roots in an unspecified Middle Eastern country, but his sister immediately flies there to find out that the fortunes of the Marwan family reflect the history of the whole region. The viewer is always a step ahead, as in flashbacks they also watch the story of Nawal, who, before she came to Canada, personally suffered the consequences of the political and religious conflicts that shake her native land. In the atmosphere of pervasive violence it was difficult to take sides; that is why Nawal decided to fight against those whose atrocities she witnessed, even though she had to allow her own religion to retreat into the background. The sophisticated film language and the superb cinematography (André Turpin, who also occasionally directs) make us forget that this is an adaptation of a theater play by Wajdi Mouawad, a Canadian of Lebanese origin, whose own film Littoral (2004) was also shown at the Karlovy Vary festival. Villeneuve’s film, shot mostly in Jordan, won a number of international awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

About the film

130 min / Color, 35 mm

Director Denis Villeneuve / Screenplay Denis Villeneuve podle divadelní hry / based on the stageplay by Wajdi Mouawad / Dir. of Photography André Turpin / Music Grégoire Hetzel / Editor Monique Dartonne / Producer Luc Déry, Kim McCraw / Production Micro Scope Inc. / Cast Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard / Contact Entertainment One Films International
www: www.incendies-thefilm.com

Contacts

Entertainment One Films International
175 Bloor St. East, Suite 601, North Tower, M4W 3R8, Toronto
Canada
Phone: +1 416 646 2400
Fax: +1 416 979 5824

Guests

Denis Villeneuve
Film Director

Natalie Kampelmacher

Carolle Brabant
Film Institution Rep.

Matt Hansen
Sales Agent

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