Hello Destroyer
Film poster
Directed byKevan Funk
Written byKevan Funk
Produced by
  • Daniel Domachowski
  • Haydn Wazelle[1]
StarringJared Abrahamson
CinematographyBenjamin Loeb
Edited byAjla Odobašić
Music byEdo Van Breemen
Production
companies
  • Tabula Dada
  • Type One
Distributed byTabula Dada
Release date
  • 10 September 2016 (2016-09-10) (TIFF)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Hello Destroyer is a 2016 Canadian drama film written and directed by Kevan Funk.[2] It had its world premiere in the Discovery section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[3]

The film stars Jared Abrahamson as an enforcer on a hockey team who faces difficult consequences when a hit on an opposing player during a game turns more violent than intended.[4] It was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.

Cast

Production

The film was an expansion of his 2013 short film Destroyer.[5]

According to Funk, his intention was to make a film that explored institutional and systemic violence rather than a sports film per se;[6] he chose a hockey-related setting as it represented an "aggressively Canadian" cultural institution which has a complex relationship with violence and toxic masculinity, and has stated that if he were making the same film in the United States he would likely have chosen a military setting.[6]

The film was shot primarily in Prince George, British Columbia, including at the CN Centre.[7]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews.[8] Vice Sports describes the film as "about how violence is cultivated, showcased and then punished within a set of institutions that require its presence to be profitable",[4] and Alex Rose of the magazine Cult MTL called the film "as Canadian as a Weakerthans song and as depressing as that second Leonard Cohen record."[9]

On 7 December 2016, the film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Canada's Top 10 list.[10]

Accolades

The film received four Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, including Best Motion Picture and Best Actor (Abrahamson).[11]

Awards Date of ceremony Category Recipients and nominees Result Ref(s)
Canadian Screen Awards 12 March 2017 Best Motion Picture Daniel Domachowski, Haydn Wazelle Nominated [12]
Best Director Kevan Funk Nominated
Best Actor Jared Abrahamson Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Kevan Funk Nominated
Leo Awards 2017 Best Motion Picture Haydn Wazelle, Daniel Domachowski Won [13]
Best Direction in a Motion Picture Kevan Funk Won
Best Screenwriting in a Motion Picture Won
Best Cinematography in a Motion Picture Benjamin Loeb Won
Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture Kurt Max Runte Nominated
Joe Buffalo Nominated
Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture Jared Abrahamson Won
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 16 December 2016 Best Canadian Film Kevan Funk Won [14]
Best British Columbia Film Won
Best Canadian Director Won
Best Actor in a Canadian Film Jared Abrahamson Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Kurt Max Runte Won
Vancouver International Film Festival 2016 BC Emerging Filmmaker Award Kevan Funk Won [15]

References

  1. ^ "Hello Destroyer [programme note]". Vancouver International Film Festival. 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Hello Destroyer (Kevan Funk, Canada) — Discovery". Cinema Scope. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  3. ^ "POLITICS AND BOLD STORYTELLING HEADLINE CANADIAN LINEUP AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL" (PDF) (Press release). Toronto International Film Festival. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  4. ^ a b "VICE Sports Q&A: We Talked to the Director of 'Hello Destroyer'—a Film That Critiques Canada's National Pastime". Vice Sports. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  5. ^ Rob Alexander, "Funk brothers share Calgary limelight". Rocky Mountain Outlook, September 26, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Hello Destroyer director Kevan Funk wanted to make 'aggressively' Canadian film". Toronto Star. 10 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Hello Destroyer producer grateful to city for help with film". Prince George Citizen. 24 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Hello Destroyer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Hot new films from day four of TIFF". Cult MTL, 12 September 2016.
  10. ^ "'Telling stories that show Canadians who we are:' TIFF unveils top 10 Canadian films of 2016". CBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Orphan Black, Schitt's Creek, Kim's Convenience up for Canadian Screen Awards". CBC News. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  12. ^ Furdyk, Brent (17 January 2017). "2017 Canadian Screen Awards nominees revealed". Global News. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Leo Awards, 2017 Winners by Name". www.leoawards.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Hello Destroyer Named Best Canadian Film by VFCC". Vancouver Film Critics Circle. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  15. ^ Smith, Charlie (11 October 2016). "VIFF honours B.C. filmmakers Ann Marie Fleming, Kevan Funk, Julia Hutchings, Jessica Parsons, and Jennifer Chiu". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 13 March 2017.

External links

Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Canadian Film
Categories