Who Do I Belong To from Meryam Joobeur is the recipient of the 2024 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film from the Windsor International Film Festival. The film competed against 9 other films for the $25,000 prize.
From the WIFF film description: "A Tunisian woman is caught between her maternal love and her search for the truth when her son returns home from war and unleashes a darkness throughout their village."
Who Do I Belong To is based from Joobeur's 2018 short film Brotherhood | Ikhwène, which won Best Canadian Short Film at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Live Action Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020.
The film is an extensive co-production with Tunisia, Canada, France, Norway, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Drama Who Do I Belong To? directed by Meryam Joobeur wins the $25,000 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film at @WindsorFilmFest. Producer Annick Blanc accepts the award. #WIFF24 pic.twitter.com/pPpQn2GWFE
— POV Magazine (@POVmagazine) October 27, 2024
"This debut feature is a bold stylistic film that tells its story through layers of poetic imagery that culminate with a visceral impact," said jury president Don McKellar in a press release.
Here is a full list of all 10 films in nomination along with their directors:
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story (Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee)
Hunting Daze (Annick Blanc)
Lucy Grizzli Sophie (Anne Émond)
On Earth As in Heaven (Nathalie Saint-Pierre)
Paying for It (Sook-Yin Lee)
Really Happy Someday (J Stevens)
Russians at War (Anastasia Trofimova)
Sharp Corner (Jason Buxton)
Universal Language (Matthew Rankin)
Who Do I Belong To (Meryam Joobeur)
Lucy Grizzli Sophie was the first film Anne Émond directed where she didn't have a hand in writing the script. Jason Buxton returned to the big screen for the first time in 12 years with Sharp Corner. Hunting Daze and Lucy Grizzli Sophie take on toxic masculinity in remote settings in different ways.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story and Russians at War were the 2 documentaries on the list. Russians at War and Who Do I Belong To are the 2 titles that are not visibly Canadian.
Annick Blanc was involved as a producer on Who Do I Belong To as well as writer and director on her feature debut with Hunting Daze.
Universal Language is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Universal Language is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
Matthew Rankin's Universal Language combines classic Iranian cinema with Winnipeg (Q with Tom Power — CBC Radio)
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"We are very excited for Meryam. Her masterful storytelling and evocative imagery leaves audiences stirred and inspired by its fearless exploration of love, loss, and redemption," said Vincent Georgie, executive director and chief programmer of WIFF, in a press release. "This year's nominations reflect a remarkable diversity of stories, perspectives, and creative mastery, and we are thrilled to recognize the talent and dedication that went into each one."
The jury members were Don McKellar, actor/filmmaker; Srimati Sen, executive director of promotions for Sony Pictures Entertainment; Aisling Chin-Yee, filmmaker; Joey Klein, actor/filmmaker; and Andrew Murphy, co-head & artistic director for Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival.
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Myriam Verreault won the prize for Kuessipan in 2019.
The 10 Canadian films were shown on October 25-26 at the 2024 Windsor International Film Festival.
We will have much more on the festival and Canadian films in our wrapup next month. The festival runs through November 3.
photo credit: Windsor International Film Festival
Twitter capture: @POVmagazine
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