Dark Suns (film)

Dark Suns (French: Soleils noirs) is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Julien Élie and released in 2018.[1] The film examines the epidemic of murder as consequence of the illegal drug trade in Mexico.[2] It centres on "the stories of disappeared women" and "the violence against journalists, union leaders, social rights activists, and priests", primarily through the personal testimonies of surviving friends, colleagues and family members of murder victims.[3]

Dark Suns
Film poster
FrenchSoleils noirs
Directed byJulien Élie
Written byJulien Élie
Produced byJulien Élie
CinematographyFrançois Messier-Rheault
Ernesto Pardo
Edited byAube Foglia
Music byMimi Allard
Production
company
Cineme Belmopan
Distributed byFunfilm Distribution
Release date
  • November 8, 2018 (2018-11-08) (RIDM)
Running time
152 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageSpanish

The film premiered at the Montreal International Documentary Festival in November 2018,[1] and received a commercial run in 2019 alongside other film festival screenings.[3]

Critical response

In a review for Film Inquiry, the film was described as "remarkably constructed despite the non-linear storytelling."[4] The reviewer added, "Dark Suns is utterly vital and haunting, chronicling a staggering history of crime and injustice that needs – and has long needed – urgent attention from any higher-up with a conscience. It's often difficult to stomach, but these stories need to be told."[4]

For the Modern Times Review, "Julien Elie's Mexico is a nightmare where anyone can disappear, anybody can get killed, and everybody is in constant danger. Criminals produce mass graves while countless people look for the bones of loved ones."[5]

Awards

The film won the Sichtwechsel Film Award at Filmfest Hamburg in 2019.[6] It received three Prix Iris nominations at the 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards in 2020, for Best Documentary Film, Best Cinematography in a Documentary (François Messier-Rheault and Ernesto Pardo) and Best Editing in a Documentary (Aube Foglia).[7]

References
  1. Jean-Baptiste Hervé, "Soleils noirs aux RIDM : Des restes humains". Voir, November 9, 2018.
  2. Kauffman, Hannah (May 2019). "True/False Film Festival: An Interview with Julien Elie of 'Dark Suns'". The Missouri Review. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  3. Jérôme Delgado, "«Soleils noirs»: noirceur et rage de vivre". Le Devoir, September 7, 2019.
  4. Ahmed, Musanna (June 5, 2019). "Dark Suns: Unsettling Doc About Mexico's Missing & Murdered Is Impossible To Forget". Film Inquiry. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  5. Zoldnere, Astra (July 28, 2019). "The nightmare in Mexico". Modern Times Review. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  6. Lukas Dose, "Das war das Filmfest Hamburg 2019". Fink Hamburg, October 7, 2019.
  7. "Le film Antigone, grand gagnant du Gala Québec Cinéma avec six prix". Ici Radio-Canada, June 10, 2020.
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