Night Raiders (2021 film)

Night Raiders is a 2021 Canadian-New Zealand science fiction dystopian film written and directed by Danis Goulet.[2] The film stars Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Brooklyn Letexier-Hart, Alex Tarrant, Amanda Plummer and Violet Nelson.

Night Raiders
Directed byDanis Goulet
Screenplay byDanis Goulet
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDaniel Grant
Edited byJorge Weisz
Music byMoniker
Production
company
Distributed bySamuel Goldwyn Films
Release date
Running time
101 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Canada(Hamilton,Toronto Ontario)
  • New Zealand
LanguageEnglish

The film had its worldwide premiere at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in March 2021.[2]

Synopsis

Set in a dystopian version of North America in the year 2044, the film centres on Niska (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), a Cree woman who joins a resistance movement to the military government in order to save her daughter.[3]

Cast

Production

The film, a coproduction of companies from Canada and New Zealand, is executive produced by Taika Waititi.[4] Goulet has described the film as inspired in part by Alfonso Cuarón's 2006 film Children of Men, as well as by the military response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in 2016;[4] in addition, the film functions in part as an allegory for the Indian residential school system.[5]

The film was shot in the Toronto area in 2019.[3] It was originally slated for commercial release in 2020, but was postponed to 2021 following production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Release

On February 10, 2021, Berlinale announced that the film would have its worldwide premiere at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section, in March 2021.[6][7] It had its Canadian premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival,[8] and is scheduled to screen as the opening film of the 2021 ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival.[9]

It premiered commercially in October 2021, with the widest opening of any film by an indigenous director in Canadian film history.[10] It was later released on TVOD platform in 2022.[11]

Reception

The film was mostly well-received by critics, who praised its cast and storytelling.[12][13] However, the film was also criticized for its reliance on tropes of YA fiction.[14] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 84% approval rating, based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads, "Night Raiders strikes grim parallels between its dystopian setting and the present, offering a disturbing reminder that the horrors of the past are often very much still with us."[15]

The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021.[16]

Awards
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Directors Guild of Canada2021DGC Discovery AwardDanis GouletWon[17]
Canadian Screen Awards2022Best PictureTara Woodbury, Paul Barkin, Ainsley Gardiner, Georgina Conder, Danis GouletNominated[18][19]
Best DirectorDanis GouletNominated
Best ActressElle-Máijá TailfeathersWon
Best Supporting ActressGail MauriceNominated
Best Original ScreenplayDanis GouletWon
Best Casting in a FilmRené HaynesNominated
Best Costume DesignKendra TerpenningWon
Best MakeupTraci LoaderWon
Best Sound MixingLou Solakofski, Graham Rogers, Stephen Marian, Alexis Feodoroff, Tim ChaproniereWon
Best Visual EffectsMartin Tori, Darwin Go, John Mariella, Frank ReuterWon
John Dunning Best First FeatureDanis GouletNominated
Toronto Film Critics Association2021Rogers Best Canadian Film AwardDanis GouletNominated[20]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle2021Best Canadian FilmNight RaidersNominated[21]
Best Actress in a Canadian FilmElle-Máijá TailfeathersNominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian FilmAlex TarrantNominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian FilmBrooklyn HartNominated
Amanda PlummerNominated
Best Director of a Canadian FilmDanis GouletWon[22]
Best Screenplay for a Canadian FilmNominated[21]

References
  1. "Night Raiders".
  2. Wiseman, Andreas (February 11, 2021). "XYZ Boards World Sales On Sci-Fi 'Night Raiders', Berlin Fest Entry Exec-Produced By Taika Waititi — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  3. Kelly Townsend, "Goulet’s Night Raiders brings its dystopian world to Toronto". Playback, October 22, 2019.
  4. Chris Knight, "Danis Goulet's film a first for New Zealand-Canada Indigenous co-operation". National Post, June 26, 2020.
  5. Jackson Weaver, "How Night Raiders uses science fiction to examine the past". CBC News, October 10, 2021.
  6. Roxborough, Scott (February 10, 2021). "Berlin Film Festival Unveils Panorama, Encounters Titles". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  7. Press Office (February 11, 2021). "Feb 10, 2021 Panorama 2021: Between Doubt and Revolt – A Critical Look at Power Relations". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  8. Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 20, 2021). "2021 Toronto Festival Unveils 'Dear Evan Hansen' As Opening Night Premiere; Check Out First Slated Films". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  9. "imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival returns to Toronto with in-person, virtual events". Toronto.com, September 16, 2021.
  10. Val Maloney, "Danis Goulet’s Night Raiders breaks record for opening weekend". Playback, October 8, 2021.
  11. "Night Raiders - Streaming Online on TVOD Platform in Feb 2022". February 14, 2022.
  12. Algieri, Josefine (March 3, 2021). "Night Raiders – Berlinale 2021 Review". One Room With A View. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  13. "The Cage of Innocence". Critic's Notebook. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  14. "Berlinale 2021: "Night Raiders" warps Native issues into a weak YA thriller". The Spool. March 6, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  15. "Night Raiders". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  16. Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021". Now, December 6, 2021.
  17. Nick Krewen, "Directors Guild of Canada reveals feature, doc and short film winners". Playback, October 25, 2021.
  18. Adina Bresge, "'Scarborough' top film winner at Canadian Screen Awards". CP24, April 10, 2022.
  19. Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022.
  20. Pat Mullen, "Drive My Car Leads TFCA Award Winners". That Shelf, January 16, 2022.
  21. Dana Gee, "The Power of the Dog, Night Raiders lead Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards nominations". Vancouver Sun, February 20, 2022.
  22. Dana Gee, "The Power of the Dog named year's best feature by Vancouver Film Critics Circle". Vancouver Sun, March 8, 2022.
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