Murmur is a Canadian docufiction film, directed by Heather Young and released in 2019.[2] Young's full-length directorial debut, the film stars a cast of largely non-professional actors and centres on Donna (Shan MacDonald), a lonely, alcoholic woman who is ordered to perform community service in an animal shelter after being arrested for drunk driving; when she adopts an older dog from the shelter to save him from being put down, she finds new meaning and purpose in her life but becomes obsessed with saving animals to the detriment of her own well-being.[3]
| Murmur | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Heather Young |
| Written by | Heather Young |
| Produced by | Martha Cooley |
| Starring | Shan MacDonald Andria Edwards |
| Cinematography | Jeffery Wheaton |
| Edited by | Heather Young |
| Music by | Sarah DeCourcy |
Production company | Houseplant Pictures |
Release date | |
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Produced by Houseplant Films, the film was funded in part by Telefilm Canada[4] and the Nova Scotia Film and Television Production Incentive Fund.[5]
The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival,[2] where it was announced as the winner of the FIPRESCI Discovery Prize.[6] In December 2019, the film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list.[7]
In January 2020, the film won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival.[8] The film won the John Dunning Best First Feature Award at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Murmur".
- ^ a b "TIFF 2019: Canadian lineup includes films by Ellen Page, Alanis Obomsawin". Now, July 31, 2019.
- ^ "Award winning director Heather Young's film 'Murmur' to premiere in 2019 TIFF". Canadian Media, July 31, 2019.
- ^ "Three Haligonian productions nab Telefilm feature funding". The Coast, June 27, 2018.
- ^ "Halifax feature film Murmur receives funding". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, January 10, 2019.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 12, 2019). "Toronto Film Festival Jury Winners: 'Martin Eden', 'Murmur', 'How To Build A Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada's top 10 films of 2019". Now, December 11, 2019.
- ^ Patrick Hipes, "Slamdance Film Festival Winners Led By ‘Murmur’ And ‘Residue’". Deadline Hollywood, January 30, 2020.
- ^ Brent Furdyk, "Canadian Screen Awards Announces Winners In Cinematic Arts Categories, Honouring The Year’s Best Movies". Entertainment Tonight Canada, May 28, 2020.