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Rude
Rude
Directed by	Clement Virgo
Written by	Clement Virgo
Produced by	Clement Virgo; Damon D'Oliveira; Karen King
Starring	Maurice Dean Wint; Rachael Crawford; Richard Chevolleau; Clark Johnson
Cinematography	Barry Stone
Edited by	Susan Maggi
Release date	May 1995;
Running time	89 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English

Rude is a 1995 Canadian crime film directed by Clement Virgo in his feature-length directorial debut. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival,^[1] before having its Canadian premiere at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival as the opening film of the Perspectives Canada program.^[2]

Plot

Set in Toronto, Ontario,^[3] the film tells three distinct but interrelated stories about Black Canadian life in the impoverished Regent Park neighbourhood of the city.^[4] One focuses on "The General" (Maurice Dean Wint), a drug dealer trying to rebuild his life with the help of his brother Reece (Clark Johnson) after being released from prison; one centres on Jordan (Richard Chevolleau), an amateur boxer who is convinced to take part in a gay-bashing which forces him to finally confront his own repressed homosexuality; the third centres on Maxine (Rachael Crawford), a woman who has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend after having an abortion.^[5] All three stories are tied together by the voice of Rude (Sharon Lewis), a disc jockey for a pirate radio station in the neighbourhood.^[6]

Cast

Maurice Dean Wint - General
Rachael Crawford - Maxine
Clark Johnson - Reece
Richard Chevolleau - Jordan
Sharon Lewis - Rude (as Sharon M. Lewis)
Melanie Nicholls-King - Jessica
Stephen Shellen - Yankee
Gordon Michael Woolvett - Ricky
Dayo Ade - Mike
Dean Marshall - Joe
Ashley Brown - Johnny
Andy Marshall - Addict
Junior Williams - Curtis

Production

Rude is the first feature film created by the filmmaking duo Clement Virgo and Damon D'Oliveira after they met and conceived the concept of the film at a Canadian Film Centre residency in 1991.^[7] Produced by Conquering Lion Pictures with the assistance of the Canadian Film Centre,^[8] Rude was the first Canadian dramatic feature to be written, produced, and directed by an all-black team.^[9] It was hailed, along with Soul Survivor, as ushering in a new Black Canadian film aesthetic.^[10]

Awards

At TIFF, the film received an honorable mention from the jury for the Best Canadian Film award.^[11]

The film received eight Genie Award nominations at the 16th Genie Awards in 1996, for Best Picture, Best Director (Virgo), Best Supporting Actor (Johnson), Best Supporting Actress (Crawford), Best Screenplay (Virgo), Best Cinematography (Barry Stone), Best Editing (Susan Maggi) and Best Original Score (Aaron Davis and John Lang).

Restoration

In 2017 the film was digitally restored by Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal, under the supervision of Virgo and producer Damon D'Oliveira.^[12] The restored version screened in the Cinematheque section of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.^[9]

References

^ "Festival de Cannes: Rude". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
^ Jane Stevenson, "A Rude awakening". Hamilton Spectator, 27 July 1995.
^ Yaniya Lee (6 September 2017). "9 Films Art Lovers Need to See at TIFF". Canadian Art. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
^ Peter Birnie, "Clement Virgo colors the way we look at race, ethnicity and film-making". Vancouver Sun, 12 September 1995.
^ Judy Gerstel, "Rude's powerful black voice rivets attention". Toronto Star, 29 September 1995.
^ Rick Groen, "Film Review: Rude". The Globe and Mail, 29 September 1995.
^ Evans, Ferrin; Walker, Heather (February 2021). "Rude". University of Toronto Exhibits. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
^ Rob Salem, "Young directors take their features about life in black communities to prestigious fest". Toronto Star, 28 April 1995.
^ ^a ^b Kate Taylor (9 August 2017). "New Canadian talent shines in TIFF's Discovery program". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
^ Rinaldo Walcott (19 December 2017). "Soul Survivor and the Dream of "the Black '90s"". The Review. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
^ "Film fest names winners". Edmonton Journal, 18 September 1995.
^ Kate Erbland (9 August 2017). "TIFF Reveals Full Canadian Lineup, Including 'Alias Grace' Series Premiere and Restored Classics". IndieWire. Retrieved 9 March 2018.