Following on from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, Cartoon Saloon’s The Breadwinner will continue its Canadian odyssey with a stop at the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in northern Ontario. The film was one of 19 gala screenings announced for the festival, which also include the TIFF opener Borg/McEnroe.
The Breadwinner is directed by Twomey (co-director, Academy Award®-nominated The Secret of Kells) with screen story by Ellis and screenplay by Anita Doron. The Breadwinner is the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who must disguise herself as a boy to become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. A story of self-empowerment and imagination in the face of oppression, The Breadwinner also celebrates the culture, history and beauty of Afghanistan with a cast that includes many performers of Afghan descent.
The Breadwinner features the voice talents of Saara Chaudry (Max & Shred) in the role of Parvana, Soma Bhatia (Degrassi: Next Class) as Shauzia, Laara Sadiq (Remedy) as Parvana’s mother Fattema, Ali Badshah (The Cat In The Hat) as Parvana’s father Nurullah, Shaista Latif (This is the Life) as Parvana’s sister Soraya, and Kawa Ada (Jihad Gigilo) as Razaq.
The film is a collaborative effort of Canada’s Aircraft Pictures, Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon and Luxembourg’s Melusine Productions in association with Jolie Pas Productions. The Breadwinner was produced with the financial participation of Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund, the Irish Film Board, Film Fund Luxembourg, Mimi Gitlin Productions, The Shaw Rocket Fund, Artemis Rising Foundation, The Broadcast Authority of Ireland, The Ontario Media Development Corporation, The Harold Greenberg Fund, RTE, Movie Central, The Movie Network a division of Bell Media Inc., the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.
The quality has to be there. This can transpose to a children’s film, but not for young children. It would be more of a family-style film. It’s a very strong story. This film is set in Kabul, so it’s a violent setting as well, at times. The animation is spectacular and the story it tells is very empowering and beautiful.
Tammy Frick, Executive Director – Cinéfest
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival was established in 1989 and has grown into one of Canada’s largest film festival. It will celebrate its 29th anniversary with this year’s festival, which runs September 16th to 24th.