''Sweetland'' is a 2023 Canadian drama film, directed by
Christian Sparkes
Christian Sparkes is a Canadians, Canadian film director and screenwriter from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is most noted for his film ''Cast No Shadow (film), Cast No Shadow'', which was a Cana ...
. Adapted from the novel of the same name by
Michael Crummey
Michael Crummey (born November 18, 1965) is a Canadian poet and a writer of historical fiction. His writing often draws on the history and landscape of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Early life and education
Crummey was born in Buchans, Newfoundl ...
, the film stars
Mark Lewis Jones
Mark Lewis Jones (born 31 August, 1964) is a Welsh actor, whose roles include that of a First Order Captain Moden Canady in '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', a police inspector in BBC drama series '' 55 Degrees North'', a whaler in the film '' Ma ...
as Moses, a retired fisherman who refuses to leave the isolated
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
outport town of Sweetland when the provincial government launches a resettlement initiative.
The cast also includes
Sara Canning
Sara Canning (born July 14, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She co-starred on The CW television series ''The Vampire Diaries'' as Jenna Sommers, and appeared in the 2009 feature film, '' Black Field''. She starred as Dylan Weir in the Canadian telev ...
Lawrence Barry
Lawrence Barry is a Canadian actor. He is most noted for his performance in the 2016 film '' Riverhead'', for which he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actor at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards.Andy Jones, Cail Turner, Darryl Hopkins and Frank Holden.
Production on the film was first announced in 2020.
The film premiered on September 15 at the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival, and received a gala screening at the
2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival
The 2023 edition of the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the 35th edition in the event's history, took place from September 16 to 24, 2023 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten province ...
Sparkes won the awards for Best Atlantic Canadian Director and Best Atlantic Screenwriting at AIFF. He was also the winner of the award for Best Atlantic Canadian Feature, albeit for his concurrent film '' The King Tide'' rather than ''Sweetland''.