1999 (film)
| 1999 | |
|---|---|
 1999 international poster | |
| Directed by | Lenin M. Sivam |
| Written by | Lenin M. Sivam |
| Produced by | Sabesan Jeyarajasingam Jeya Subramaniyam |
| Starring | K. S. Balachandran Ampalavanar Katheeswaran Suthan Mahalingam Thelepan Somasegaram Kaandee Kana Deva Gasparson Vince Jerad Sutha Shan Madona T. Alphonse Mannoge Rajanan Gobiraj Thiruchelvam |
| Cinematography | Sabesan Jeyarajasingam |
| Edited by | Arul Shankar |
| Music by | Raj Thillaiyampalam |
Production companies | Khatpanalaya Production Inc Bagavan Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | Tamil |
1999 is a 2009 Canadian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Lenin M. Sivam. It had its world premiere at the 2009 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).
The film explores a Toronto Sri Lankan gang scene in the late 1990s. With a time frame that spans less than 24 hours, it attempts to delve deep inside the Tamil gang community. It opens with a shooting that results in the end of a peace treaty between two rival gangs in Scarborough. With investigators closing in and rival gang members out for revenge, 1999 maps out the toll that gang participation takes not only on the individual, but the direct impacts it has on family and community.
The film received the CBC Audience Choice Award at the 2010 ReelWorld Film Festival,[1][2] was one of the top 10 Canadian films at Vancouver International Film Festival,[3] and received the Midnight Sun Award at the 2010 Oslo Tamil Film Festival.[4] The film addresses the topic of crime in Toronto[5] by "exploring the rivalry between two gangs" in the city.[6]
Awards and recognitions
[edit]- CBC Reel Audience Choice Award, ReelWorld Film Festival in April 2010
- Best Film Award (Midnight Sun), Oslo Tamil Film Festival in February 2010
- Top 10 Canadian Films, Vancouver International Film Festival in October 2009
- Official Selection, Toronto Tamil Studies Conference in May 2010
- Best Feature Film Award, Toronto Independent Art Film Society (IAFS) in June 2010
- Official Selection, University of Toronto Cinema Studies Student Union (CINSSU) in March 2010
- Official Selection, York University Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) in September 2010
- Part of the 'Best Features' Showcase, Toronto 2010 Moving Image Film Festival (MIFF) in October 2010
- Official Selection, Swiss South Indian Film Festival (SSIFF) in October 2010
- Official Selection, Illankai Tamil Sangam (ITS) in November 2010
- Official Selection, Canadian Tamil Film Festival (CTFF) in January 2011
- Official Selection, London Happy Soul Festival (HSF) in June 2011
- Best Feature Film Award, Chennai Ulagayutha International Tamil Film Festival (CUITFF) in July 2011
Cast
[edit]- Thussanth as Anpu
- Thelepan Somasegaram as Kumar
- Kaandee Kana as Ahilan
- Ampalavanar Ketheeswaran as Suntharam
- K. S. Balachandran as Ahilan's grandfather
- Madona T. Alphonse as Udumpan
- Vince Jerad as Mathan
- Deva Gasperson as Moddayan
- Gobiraj Thiruchelvam as Kannan
- Ajith Nagarajah as Nanthan
- Jeron Thanabalasingam as Jeevan
- Sutha Shan as Aavi
- Anojan Thavaraja as Sathi
- Mannoge Rajanan as Murali
- Satheeskumar Ehamparam as Soonan
- Visnumathan Vilvaraja as Maranai's brother
- Thavakumar Ketharanathan as Suganthan
- Latheepan Tharmanathan as Kiruban
- Pathmini Rajanan as Selvi Acca
- Sugunathan Mahendrarajah as taxi driver
Soundtrack
[edit]The soundtrack of 1999 was composed by Raj Thillaiyampalam except for tracks "Struggle" and "Angel Remix", which were composed by Hemo from Lyrically Strapped. It was produced by Lenin M. Sivam.
| Track # | Song | Singer(s) | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mozhi" | S P Balasubramaniam | Sutharshan |
| 2 | "Angel" | Karthik / Lyrically Strapped | Raj Thillaiyampalam |
| 3 | "Malare" | Tippu / Harini | Sutharshan |
| 4 | "Struggle" | Lyrically Strapped | Lyrically Strapped |
| 5 | "Nenjathai" | Tippu / Prashanthi | Raj Thillaiyampalam |
| 6 | Angel Remix | Lyrically Strapped | Lyrically Strapped |
| 7 | 1999 Theme | Instrumental | Instrumental |
Production
[edit]The film, "an exploration of Tamil youth gangs that once fought in the streets of Scarborough, was informed by the director’s interviews with ex-gang members and youth workers."[7]
Reception
[edit]The film was described by Variety as the director's "breakout first feature (...) set on Toronto’s late ‘90s Sri Lankan gang scene."[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Awards". reelworldfilmfestival. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "'1999' film selected for ReelWorld Film Festival | Lanka Reporter". Lankareporter. 2 April 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Award Winning Director Lenin M. Sivam". TamilCulture.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ Shankar, Settu (15 February 2010). "Canadian Tamil film 1999 won in Norway festival". OneIndia. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ Bookman, Sonia; Mackenzie, Katelyn; Bernier, Austin (2 January 2022). "Crime Film and the City: Imagining Toronto through Entanglements of Place, Culture, and Crime". American Review of Canadian Studies. 52 (1): 46–63. doi:10.1080/02722011.2022.2028248. ISSN 0272-2011. S2CID 247027101.
- ^ Das, Sonia N. (27 October 2016). Linguistic Rivalries: Tamil Migrants and Anglo-Franco Conflicts. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-067544-8.
- ^ "Scarborough filmmaker Lenin M. Sivam's movie at Montreal World Film Festival". Toronto.com. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ Hopewell, John (19 July 2022). "Alarm Pictures Closes North America on Lenin M. Sivam's 'The Protector' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2024.