''Rude'' is a 1995 Canadian

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Clement Virgo Clement Virgo (born June 1, 1966) is a Canadian film and television writer, producer and director who runs the production company, Conquering Lion Pictures, with producer Damon D'Oliveira. Virgo is best known for co-writing and directing an adapt ...

. It was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, before having its Canadian premiere at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival as the opening film of the Perspectives Canada program.

Plot

Set in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, the film tells three distinct but interrelated stories about Black Canadian life in the impoverished

Regent Park Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing. It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and ...

neighbourhood of the city. One focuses on "The General" (

Maurice Dean Wint Maurice Dean Wint is a British-born Canadian actor who has starred in several films and television shows. Life and career Wint was born in Leicestershire, England, and moved to Canada in 1967 with his family. He began to act in Toronto on stag ...

), a drug dealer trying to rebuild his life with the help of his brother Reece (

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...

) after being released from prison; one centres on Jordan (

Richard Chevolleau Richard Chevolleau is a Jamaican–Canadian actor, best known for playing Augur on '' Earth: Final Conflict'' from 1997 to 2002.Chris Krejlgaard, "Black actor hoping to play a superhero". ''Times and Transcript'', May 14, 1999. Early life Chevo ...

), an amateur boxer who is convinced to take part in a

gay-bashing Gay bashing is an attack, abuse, or assault committed against a person who is perceived by the aggressor to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or ge ...

which forces him to finally confront his own repressed homosexuality; the third centres on Maxine (

Rachael Crawford Rachael Crawford (born c. 1969 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is an actress best known for her roles in '' Brewster Place'', '' Here and Now'', and ''Show Me Yours'', as well as guest appearances on various television series such as ''Cold Squad' ...

), a woman who has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend after having an

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

. All three stories are tied together by the voice of Rude (

Sharon Lewis Sharon M. Lewis is a Canadians, Canadian television personality and film director from Toronto, Ontario. She studied political science at the University of Toronto.John McKay, "Sharon Lewis finds activism experience a plus for new role as Counter ...

), a disc jockey for a

pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

station in the neighbourhood.

Cast

- General *

- Maxine *

- Reece *

- Jordan *

- Rude (as Sharon M. Lewis) *

Melanie Nicholls-King Melanie Nicholls-King is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known for playing Cheryl in the drama series ''The Wire'', and for her portrayal of Officer Noelle Williams in the drama series ''Rookie Blue''. Personal life Nicholls-King is from Toron ...

- Jessica * Stephen Shellen - Yankee *

Gordon Michael Woolvett Gordon Michael Woolvett (born 1970) is a Canadian actor from Hamilton, Ontario. Career Woolvett's most enduring role was as Seamus Zelazny Harper on the television series '' Andromeda'' (2000–2005). Prior to ''Andromeda'' he starred in anothe ...

- Ricky *

Dayo Ade Dayo Ade (born 1972) is a Canadian actor who has appeared in several television shows and films. His most notable role was in the ''Degrassi'' teen drama franchise, playing Bryant Lester "BLT" Thomas in '' Degrassi Junior High'' (1987-89) and ' ...

- Mike *

Dean Marshall Dean Marshall is a Canadian film, television, and theater, actor, writer, and director. He is known for portraying Sgt. Bates on ''Syfy'' original series ''Stargate Atlantis'', and Carter on both ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', and ''Da Vinci's City Ha ...

- Joe *

Ashley Brown Ashley Brown (born February 3, 1982) is an American singer and actress who is best known for playing the titular character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of '' Mary Poppins''. Early life Brown was born February 3, 19 ...

- Johnny *

Andy Marshall Andrew John Marshall (born 14 April 1975) is an English former professional footballer who played for Norwich City, AFC Bournemouth, Gillingham, Ipswich Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Millwall, Coventry City and the England under-21 team. He ...

- Addict * Junior Williams - Curtis

Production

Produced with the assistance of the

Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1988. Originally launched as film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for pr ...

, ''Rude'' was the first Canadian dramatic feature to be written, produced, and directed by an all-black team. It was hailed, along with '' Soul Survivor'', as ushering in a new Black Canadian film aesthetic.

Awards

At TIFF, the film received an honorable mention from the jury for the Best Canadian Film award. The film received eight

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nominations at the 16th Genie Awards in 1996, for

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

(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 Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

, Toronto and Montreal, under the supervision of Virgo and producer

Damon D'Oliveira Damon D'Oliveira is a Canadian actor and film and television producer, best known as a partner with Clement Virgo in the production firm Conquering Lion Pictures. Originally from Guyana, D'Oliveira moved to Canada in 1976. He had acting roles in ...

. The restored version screened in the Cinematheque section of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

References

External links

* {{Clement Virgo 1995 films 1990s crime films 1995 LGBT-related films Canadian LGBT-related films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Clement Virgo LGBT-related drama films Canadian Film Centre films Canadian boxing films Hood films Regent Park 1990s English-language films 1990s American films 1990s Canadian films