Private Project

1999

When death haunts a high school in a small town in the late 1990s, everyone is forever transformed. In this gentle, prismatic film, Samara returns to the town she fled as a teen to re-immerse herself in the memories still lurking there, in its spaces and within the dusty boxes of diaries, photos and VHS tapes. 1999 is not a ghost story, but the ghosts are palpable at every turn. The snow-covered streets, the school’s hallways and lockers are preserved as in a dream. The absences left by the relentless teenage suicides still shimmer with questions, trauma and regret. Samara encounters people who are as breathtaking as they are heartbroken, and, finally, 16 years later, the community strengthens itself by sharing the long-silenced memories. Ultimately the film weaves together multiple voices in a collective essay on how grief is internalized—and how, as children, we so painfully learn to articulate our desire to stay alive.

  • Samara Grace Chadwick
    Director
  • Samara Grace Chadwick
    Writer
  • Selin Murat
    Producer
    Parabola Films
  • Sarah Spring
    Producer
    Parabola Films
  • Aline Schmid
    Producer
    Beauvoir Films (Sonita)
  • Kat Baulu
    Producer
    National Film Board
  • Jac Gautreau
    Producer
    National Film Board
  • Terra Jean Long
    Editor
  • Pablo Alvarez Mesa
    Cinematography
  • Samara Grace Chadwick
    Cinematography
  • Cyril Hahn
    Score
  • 'Jeremy' by Pearl Jam
    Soundtrack
    covered by Laura Sauvage
  • 'Behind the Garage' by Eric's Trip
    Soundtrack
    covered by Joseph Edgar Poirier and Vivianne Roy
  • 'The Longest Winter' by Julie Doiron circa 1999
    Soundtrack
    reinterpreted in Chiac by Julie Doiron in 2018
  • 'Moins 25' by Zéro Degrés Celcius
    Soundtrack
    covered by the Jeunes Chanteurs d'Acadie choir
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    1999
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 34 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 18, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada, Switzerland
  • Language:
    English, French
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Visions du réel
    Nyon
    Switzerland
    April 18, 2018
    World Premiere
    National Feature Competition
  • HotDocs
    Toronto
    Canada
    April 28, 2018
    North American Premiere
    Canadian Feature Competition
Distribution Information
  • National Film Board of Canada
    Country: Canada
  • Xenix
    Country: Switzerland
  • Cat&Docs
    Country: Worldwide
Director - Samara Grace Chadwick