| Firecrackers | |
| Director: | Jasmin Mozaffari |
| Producer: | Caitlin Grabham Kristy Neville |
| Starring: | Michaela Kurimsky Karena Evans |
| Music: | Casey Manierka-Quaile |
| Cinematography: | Catherine Lutes |
| Editing: | Simone Smith |
| Studio: | Prowler Film Wildling Pictures Alcina Pictures |
| Distributor: | levelFILM (Canada) Good Deed Entertainment (USA) |
| Runtime: | 93 min |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
Firecrackers is a 2018 Canadian drama film written and directed by Jasmin Mozaffari. An expansion of Mozaffari's 2013 short film of the same name, the film stars Michaela Kurimsky and Karena Evans as two teenage girls trying to escape their small town.[1]
The film has its world premiere on September 8, 2018 at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] It was released theatrically on March 29, 2019 in Canada[3] and on July 12, 2019 in the United States.[4]
Lou and Chantal are best friends whose plan to leave their isolated small town to move to the city are threatened when Chantal is assaulted by her possessive ex-boyfriend. The young women take revenge and the consequences threaten their chances of ever leaving. The more Lou fights to save her friendship and hold onto her dreams, the more she spins out of control.
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of, based on reviews, and an average rating of .[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Katie Walsh wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "Firecrackers isn’t just a confident feature debut from Mozaffari, but a daring one, the kind of fast and furious feminine filmmaking that heralds the arrival of several exciting new talents."[7]
The film was named a New York Times Critic's Pick in 2019,[8] and David Edelstein named it to New York's "The Movies We Loved in 2019" list.[9]
In December 2018, the Toronto International Film Festival named the film to its annual year-end Canada's Top Ten films.[10]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Screen Awards | March 31, 2019 | Best Director | Jasmin Mozaffari | [11] [12] | |
| Best Costume Design | Mara Zigler | ||||
| Best Editing | Simone Smith | ||||
| Best First Feature | Jasmin Mozaffari | ||||
| Directors Guild of Canada | 26 October 2019 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Feature Film | [13] | ||
| Best Production Design – Feature Film | Thea Hollatz | ||||
| Best Picture Editing – Feature Film | Simone Smith | ||||
| Stockholm International Film Festival | November 2018 | Best Film | Jasmin Mozaffari | [14] | |
| Best Actress | Michaela Kurimsky | ||||
| Toronto Film Critics Association | January 9, 2020 | Rogers Best Canadian Film Award | Jasmin Mozaffari | [15] | |