Kuessipan
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''Kuessipan'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by
Myriam Verreault Myriam Verreault is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.Éric Moreault"Myriam Verreault: Construire un pont entre les nations" ''Le Soleil'', September 27, 2019. She is most noted for her 2019 film ''Kuessipan'', for which she received a Can ...
and released in 2019. An adaptation of
Naomi Fontaine Naomi Fontaine is a Canadians, Canadian writer from Quebec, noted as one of the most prominent First Nations in Canada, First Nations writers in contemporary francophone Canadian literature. She is a member of the Innu nation. Biography A member ...
's eponymous novel, the script was co-written by Fontaine and Verreault. Its plot centres on Mikuan (
Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao is an Innu actress from Canada.Sylvain Turcotte"Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao se plaît à jouer" ''Le Nord-Côtier'', August 2, 2022. She is most noted for her role in the film ''Kuessipan'', for which she received a Prix Iris ...
) and Shaniss (
Yamie Grégoire Yamie Grégoire is an Innu actress from Quebec. She is most noted for her performance in the film ''Kuessipan'' (2019), for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards.Norman ...
), two young
Innu The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for ' mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to ...
women in
Uashat-Maliotenam Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam is an Innu First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in Quebec, Canada. It is based in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Sept-Îles in the Côte-Nord region on the North shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It ow ...
, whose friendship is strained when Mikuan falls in love with a white man (
Étienne Galloy Étienne Galloy is a Canadian actor and filmmaker from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance as Stefie in the 2016 film ''Prank'', for which he received a Prix Iris nomination for Revelation of the Year at the 19th Quebec Cinema Awards in 2 ...
) and plans to move away. The film premiered at the
2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...
and was a critical success, garnering praise for its cast and portrayal of Indigenous lives. Its theatrical release on October 4, 2019.


Plot

The film centers on Mikuan and Shaniss, two childhood friends who grow up together in
Uashat Uashat is an Indian reserve in Quebec, located adjacent to the city of Sept-ÃŽles, Quebec, Sept-ÃŽles. Together with Maliotenam some distance away, it forms the Innu community of Uashat-Maliotenam. Prior to December 24, 1993, it was known as th ...
. Their lives diverge during high school, when Shaniss drops out and has a baby with her abusive boyfriend Greg while Mikuan plans to move away from the reservation and attend university in
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
so that she can follow her dream of becoming a writer. When Mikuan begins dating Francis, a white boy from her writing workshop, her friendship with Shaniss becomes strained. Mikuan helps Shaniss move out from Greg, but they argue after Shaniss accuses Mikuan of rejecting her culture by entering a relationship with Francis and planning to move away. Mikuan's life is disrupted by the sudden death of her brother, a promising hockey player, and her break up with Francis. She and Shaniss eventually revive their friendship but their lives diverge, as Mikuan becomes a successful author and writes a book about Shaniss.


Cast

*
Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao is an Innu actress from Canada.Sylvain Turcotte"Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao se plaît à jouer" ''Le Nord-Côtier'', August 2, 2022. She is most noted for her role in the film ''Kuessipan'', for which she received a Prix Iris ...
as Mikuan *
Yamie Grégoire Yamie Grégoire is an Innu actress from Quebec. She is most noted for her performance in the film ''Kuessipan'' (2019), for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards.Norman ...
as Shaniss *
Étienne Galloy Étienne Galloy is a Canadian actor and filmmaker from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance as Stefie in the 2016 film ''Prank'', for which he received a Prix Iris nomination for Revelation of the Year at the 19th Quebec Cinema Awards in 2 ...
as Francis *
Douglas Grégoire Douglas Grégoire (born August 27, 1996) is an Innu actor and filmmaker from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance in the film ''Kuessipan'', for which he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 8th Cana ...
as Greg *
Brigitte Poupart Brigitte Poupart is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. She is most noted for her performance in the film '' Ravenous'' (''Les Affamés'') and for directing the 2012 film '' Over My Dead Body.'' Early life Poupart was accepted both to law school ...
as Enseignante


Production


Development

The title of the film and eponymous novel is an
Innu-aimun Innu-aimun or Montagnais is an Algonquian language spoken by over 10,000 Innu in Labrador and Quebec in Eastern Canada. It is a member of the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi dialect continuum and is spoken in various dialects depending on the com ...
word meaning "it's your turn", which Fontaine meant to mean "it’s my turn to talk, my turn for my people and I to talk about our community." Verreault approached Fontaine after reading her novel Kuessipan in 2012 and being "deeply affected" by it. Verreault had previously lived and worked with the Innu community and produced short films about the Innu communities on the North Shore. The two agreed to make a film adaptation together, and co-wrote the film's script together. The original novel is a collection of stories based on Fontaine's experiences growing up in Uashat. Verreault described the book as "not at all adaptable" to film, so she and Fontaine went through a process of creating a singular narrative that captured the themes of the book. Several changes were made from the original novel to adapt it for the screen, including the creation of Mikuan and Shaniss, who are not present in the novel. Production and development of the film took seven years.


Casting

The cast mostly included non-professional actors, from the Uashat community. Over 400 Innu actors took part in the casting process, with Verreault personally meeting with 200 of them. Twenty actors auditioned for the role of Mikuan, with fifteen actors auditioning for the role of Shaniss. Verreault invited three potential candidates for the role of Shaniss and two for the role of Mikuan to take part in a two-week workshop, after which Fontaine-Ishpatao and Grégoire were cast. The film was Fontaine-Ishpatao's debut role.


Filming

Cinematographer
Nicolas Canniccioni Nicolas Canniccioni is a Canadian cinematographer. In 2009, Canniccioni served as additional director of photography for Xavier Dolan's '' I Killed My Mother''. In 2015, he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Cinematography in a D ...
and Verreault shot the film in
Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam is an Innu First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in Quebec, Canada. It is based in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Sept-Îles in the Côte-Nord region on the North shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It ow ...
and
Sept-Îles, Quebec Sept-Îles (, , ) is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec. Along with Brador, Quebec, Brador and Blanc-Sablon, Sept-Îles is one of the oldest places in the province. The population was 24,569 as of the 2021 Canadian census. The ...
. It was shot in the French and Innu-aimun languages.


Release

The film premiered at the
2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...
. Its theatrical release in Quebec was held on October 4, 2019.


Reception

The film has a 100% fresh rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, indicating universal critical acclaim. Sara Clements of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' gave the film an 8 out of 10, writing that the film focused on an Indigenous perspective to portray the culture and experiences of the Innu people. Anne T. Donahue of ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'' gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, describing the performances of Fontaine-Ishpatao and Grégoire as "raw and unflinching". Erica Commanda of ''
Muskrat Magazine ''Muskrat Magazine'' is an online Indigenous literary, art, and culture publication, published in Toronto. It includes profiles of Indigenous peoples engaged in the arts including literature, film, music, and visual and performing arts. The publ ...
'' also praised their performances, which she wrote were "down-to-earth and realistic".


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2019 films Canadian drama films First Nations films Algonquian-language films Films based on Canadian novels Quebec films Films shot in Quebec French-language Canadian films 2010s Canadian films Canadian coming-of-age drama films Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam Films directed by Myriam Verreault Innu culture