Allen Sunshine
{{Infobox film
| name = Allen Sunshine
| image =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Harley Chamandy
| producer = Chantal Chamandy
Laurent Allaire
| writer = Harley Chamandy
| starring = Vincent Leclerc
| music = Ethan Rose
| cinematography = Kenny Suleimanagich
| studio = Mother and Son Films
Chasseurs Films
| released = {{Film date|2024|11|12}}
| runtime =
| country = Canada
United States
| language = English
}}
Allen Sunshine is a 2024 Canadian-American drama film written and directed by Montreal-born filmmaker Harley Chamandy and produced through Mother and Son Films and Chasseurs Films by Chantal Chamandy and Laurent Allaire.{{cite web |last=Hoad |first=Phil |title=Allen Sunshine review – deft character study bathed in a sense of goodness |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/02/allen-sunshine-review-deft-character-study-bathed-in-a-sense-of-goodness |website=The Guardian |date=2 December 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}}{{cite web |title=The Werner Herzog Film Award 2024 |url=https://www.wernerherzog.org/en/werner-herzog-stiftung-filmpreis-2024.html |website=Werner Herzog Stiftung |access-date=16 May 2025}} Shot on Super 16 mm, the film earned the 2024 Werner Herzog Film Award after premiering internationally at the 41st Munich International Film Festival. The film was released on digital platforms worldwide on 12 November 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/werner-herzog-film-award-allen-sunshine-1236078107/ |title=‘Allen Sunshine,’ About Grieving Music Mogul, Wins Werner Herzog Film Award |first=Naman |last=Ramachandran |date=July 19, 2024 |website=Variety}}
Plot
Former music-industry mogul Allen Sunshine (Vincent Leclerc) retreats to a secluded lakeside cabin after the suicide of his wife and artistic protégé, the singer Eloise Hayes. Accompanied only by his dog and a stock of analogue synths, Allen records the sounds of wind and water to weave into tentative new compositions while wrestling with guilt and creativity. His isolation is gradually broken when two irreverent locals, Dustin (Miles Phoenix Foley) and Kevin (Liam Quiring-Nkindi), start dropping by, followed by the compassionate delivery man Bill (Joseph Whitebird) and old friend Jocelyn (Catherine Souffront).{{Cite web |url=https://www.elnuevoherald.com/entretenimiento/television/article302355444.html |title=Drama and horror film at Coral Gables Art Cinema and O Cinema Miami Beach |first=Hernán Vera |last=Álvarez |date=March 27, 2025 |website=El Nuevo Herald}}
Cast
Production
Chamandy drafted the script when he was nineteen and shot the feature at twenty-two.{{Cite web |url=https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article568102.html |title=Brownstein: Werner Herzog shines a light on young Montreal director |first=Bill |last=Brownstein |date=November 12, 2024 |website=Montreal Gazette}} Cinematographer Kenny Suleimanagich operated a single Arri 416 camera on location around Georgeville, while composer Ethan Rose built an ambient score from field recordings captured on set that mirrored the protagonist's creative process.{{cite web |last=Prince |first=C. J. |title=Harley Chamandy on Allen Sunshine, shooting on 16 mm, and finding inspiration outside cinema |url=https://thefilmstage.com/harley-chamandy-on-allen-sunshine-shooting-on-16mm-and-finding-inspiration-outside-of-cinema/ |website=The Film Stage |date=1 July 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}} Principal photography lasted 18 days in late summer 2022.{{cite web |last=Brownstein |first=Bill |title=Werner Herzog shines a light on young Montreal director |url=https://montreal.lokol.me/s/brownstein-werner-herzog-shines-a-light-on-young-montreal-director-64081-9993496 |website=Lokol Montreal |date=12 November 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}}{{cite web |title=Ethan Rose composes music for Quebec-made film |url=https://www.iheartradio.ca/en/music-news/ethan-rose-composes-music-for-quebec-made-film-1.17703501.html |website=iHeartRadio |date=5 May 2022 |access-date=16 May 2025}}
Release
Allen Sunshine had its world première at the Munich International Film Festival.{{cite web |last=Siddiqi |first=Taimur |title=Allen Sunshine to world premiere at Munich Fest |url=https://playbackonline.ca/2024/06/18/allen-sunshine-to-world-premiere-at-munich-fest/ |website=Playback |date=18 June 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}} U.S. distribution followed through self-booking and event screenings beginning 13 November 2024 at New York's Village East, while day-and-date digital release on Apple TV and other VOD outlets began in November 2024.{{cite web |title=Allen Sunshine |url=https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/allen-sunshine/umc.cmc.4dp1nr5w5mujk17yr3xmpey8k |website=Apple TV |access-date=16 May 2025}}{{cite web |last=Biondi |first=Dani |title=NYU alumnus Harley Chamandy wins Herzog Award |url=https://nyunews.com/arts/film/2024/11/11/harley-chamandy-qa/ |website=Washington Square News |date=11 November 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}}
Reception
Writing for The Guardian, Phil Hoad praised the film's "cleansing plainness" and an "aura of benevolence" rare in contemporary drama. Paper magazine hailed Allen Sunshine as "an ode to optimism in a time of anxiety," positioning Chamandy as "an auteur to watch",{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Taylor |title=Harley Chamandy’s Allen Sunshine is an ode to optimism in a time of anxiety |url=https://www.papermag.com/harley-chamandy-allen-sunshine |website=Paper |date=23 November 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}} while Document Journal highlighted its "meditative journey of transformation" and its fusion of electronic sound design with natural imagery.{{cite web |title=Harley Chamandy's Allen Sunshine is a meditation on the quiet beauty of nature |url=https://www.documentjournal.com/2024/11/harley-chamandys-allen-sunshine-is-a-meditation-on-the-quiet-beauty-of-nature/ |website=Document Journal |date=24 November 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}} Writing for Washington Square News, Chloe Haack hailed Allen Sunshine as "a beacon of optimism," praising its "warm, nostalgic aesthetic" on 16 mm and its "gentle art of healing" approach to grief.{{cite web |last=Haack |first=Chloe |title=Review: ‘Allen Sunshine’ hooks the heart with friendship, music and the gentle art of healing |url=https://nyunews.com/arts/film/2024/11/14/allen-sunshine-review/ |website=Washington Square News |date=14 November 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}} Jordan Raup of The Film Stage described the drama as "an affecting, understated look at picking up a life destroyed" and lauded Chamandy's "painterly" 16 mm imagery, calling the 75-minute debut "a full-bodied exploration of grief with a world of feeling".{{cite web |last=Raup |first=Jordan |title=Allen Sunshine Review: A Tranquil Debut Feature with a World of Feeling |url=https://thefilmstage.com/allen-sunshine-review-a-tranquil-debut-feature-with-a-world-of-feeling/ |website=The Film Stage |date=12 November 2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}}
Awards
The film received the Werner Herzog Film Award in 2024{{Cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/miami-filmmaker-harley-chamandy-wins-coveted-werner-herzog-prize-22631163 |title=See This Local Filmmaker's Werner Herzog Prize-Winning Movie |first=Douglas |last=Markowitz |date=March 12, 2025 |website=Miami New Times}}, along with the TRT First Cut+ Award for best work-in-progress at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2023,{{cite web |title=Harley Chamandy's Allen Sunshine wins the First Cut+ Award at Karlovy Vary |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/445978/ |website=Cineuropa |date=5 July 2023 |access-date=16 May 2025}} and the Young Jury Award and Best Sound Design at the 2024 Festival du Film Canadien de Dieppe in France.{{cite web |title=Harley Chamandy ’17 wins awards at film festival |url=https://www.walnuthillarts.org/about/news/post-detail/~board/alumni-news-home-page/post/harley-chamandy-17-wins-awards-at-film-festival |website=Walnut Hill School for the Arts |year=2024 |access-date=16 May 2025}}