Incendies

Incendies is a 2010 Canadian mystery drama film written and directed by Denis Villeneuve. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play of the same name, Incendies follows the journey of twin brother and sister as they attempt to unravel the mystery of their mother's life. The film premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in September 2010 and was released in Quebec on 17 September 2010. In 2011, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. And it won the UPC Audience Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2011.

The film won eight awards at the 31st Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Actress (Lubna Azabal), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Overall Sound and Sound Editing. Incendies was named by the New York Times as one of the 10 best films of 2011.

Plot

Nawal Marwan, an immigrant to Canada, succumbs to a stroke she suffers at a community swimming pool, and her two children, a brother and sister, receive her final requests in her will. To fulfill her wishes, they must journey to her birthplace.

Incendies (play)

Incendies is a 2003 play by Wajdi Mouawad. The play was translated into English as Scorched by Linda Gaboriau.

Plot

Incendies follows the journey of twins Jeanne and Simon, as they attempt to unravel the mystery of their mother's life. When Jeanne and Simon Marwan lose their mother, Nawal, they are instead left with a difficult mission that sends them on a journey to the Middle East in pursuit of their tangled roots and a long-lost brother.

Awards

The 2007 production at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto won two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Best Play and Best Director (for Richard Rose). The production has been remounted several times and went on a cross-Canada tour in 2008–2009.

Film version

Incendies was adapted into a film by the same title by Denis Villeneuve. It stars Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette and Lubna Azabal. It was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award in the category Best Foreign Language Film.

References