Jasmine Road

A widowed conservative cowboy takes in a Syrian refugee family of Arabic ice cream makers.

  • Warren Sulatycky
    Director
    April in Autumn, Surrender
  • Warren Sulatycky
    Writer
    April in Autumn, Surrender
  • Warren Sulatycky
    Producer
    April in Autumn, Surrender
  • Caitlyn Sponheimer
    Producer
    April in Autumn, I Want To Be Like You, Kitty's Naughty Knickers
  • Greg Ellwand
    Key Cast
    "Mac Bagley"
    Lonesome Dove
  • Toni Ellwand
    Key Cast
    "Belle Bagley"
    Mafia
  • Aixa Kay
    Key Cast
    "Layla"
  • Ahmed Muslimani
    Key Cast
    "Salem"
  • Melody Mokhtari
    Key Cast
    "Heba"
  • Caitlyn Sponheimer
    Key Cast
    "Loretta Bagley"
    April in Autumn
  • Ryan Northcott
    Key Cast
    "Seth"
  • Brian Martell
    Key Cast
    "Charlie"
  • Jason Long
    Key Cast
    "Bryon"
  • Ivan Cermak
    Key Cast
    "Barry"
  • Jaslyn Collis
    Key Cast
    "Jaslyn"
  • Nimet Janji
    Key Cast
    "Nimet"
  • Paul Zinno
    Key Cast
    "Ben"
  • David LeReaney
    Key Cast
    "Merlin"
  • Peter Strand Rumpel
    Key Cast
    "Chuck"
  • Wes Legge
    Director of Photography
    April in Autumn
  • Suad Bushnaq
    Composer
    The Curve
  • Geoff Ashenhurst
    Editor
    April in Autumn, Altered Carbon, Penny Dreadful
  • Megan Koshka
    Production Designer
  • Warren Sulatycky
    Executive Producer
    April in Autumn
  • Allen Sulatycky
    Executive Producer
    April in Autumn
  • Don Sulatycky
    Art Director
  • Kaleigh Richards
    First Assistant Director
  • David Draper
    Sound Recordist
    April in Autumn
  • John Scott
    Stunt / Animal Wrangler
  • Jesse Griffiths
    Casting
  • Megan Koshka
    Wardrobe
  • Charles May
    Location Manager
  • Lianne Smith
    Continuity
  • Rabah Swaidek
    Cultural Advisors
  • Bernard Starlight
    Cultural Advisors
  • Centre for Newcomers
    Cultural Advisors
  • CCIS - Calgary Catholic Immigration Services
    Cultural Advisors
  • Immigration Services Calgary
    Cultural Advisors
  • Propeller Audio Studios
    Post Audio Services
    Fargo, Hell on Wheels
  • Deluxe Toronto
    Post Picture Services
    The Shape of Water, Remember, Maps to the Stars
  • Bill Ferwerda, Colorist
    Post Picture Services
    The Handmaid's Tale, Altered Carbon, Alias Grace
  • SuperGroup Music
    Music Supervision
    Once Were Brothers, Schitts Creek, Letterkenny
  • Scotty Taylor, David Hayman, Cody Partridge
    Music Supervision
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    2 hours
  • Completion Date:
    September 27, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    800,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    Arabic, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Calgary International Film Festival
    Calgary, Alberta
    Canada
    September 24, 2020
    World/Canadian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Edmonton International Film Festival
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Canada
    October 1, 2020
    Opening Night Festival Film
    Best Canadian Feature Film Award - Opening Night Festival Film, Official Selection
  • Calgary Arabic Film Nights Festival
    Calgary
    Canada
    October 23, 2020
    Opening Night Festival Film - Official Selection
  • Reel Canadian Film Festival
    Fernie
    Canada
    January 25, 2021
    British Columbia, Canada Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Milton Film Festival
    Milton
    Canada
    January 30, 2021
    Ontario, Canada Premiere
    Best Canadian Feature Film Award, Allegra Audience Choice Award, Official Selection
  • Berlin EFM - Telefilm Perspective Canada at Berlin EFM Showcase
    Berlin
    Germany
    March 1, 2021
    World Market Premiere
    Telefilm Perspective Canada at Berlin EFM Showcase - Selection
  • Invermere Film Festival
    Invermere
    Canada
    February 22, 2021
    Audience Choice Award, Official Selection
  • Collingwood Film Society Festival
    Collingwood
    Canada
    March 1, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Ancaster Film Festival
    Ancaster
    Canada
    April 10, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Film.ca Festival
    Okaville
    Canada
    April 23, 2021
    Opening Festival Film, Official Selection
  • International Filmmaker Festival of New York
    New York
    United States
    May 21, 2021
    US Premiere
    Winner Best Lead Actor, Nominations Best Screenplay and Best Lead Actress, Official Selection
  • Okotoks Film Festival
    Okotoks
    Canada
    June 3, 2021
    Opening Night Festival Film, Official Selection, Nominee Best Feature/Best Lead Actor
  • Fine Arts Film Festival
    Venice
    United States
    June 8, 2021
    Western US/California Premiere
    Official Selection, Winner: Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Original Score
  • Sedona International Film Festival
    Sedona
    United States
    June 12, 2021
    Southwest US/Arizona Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Love is Folly Varna Film Festival
    Varna
    Bulgaria
    August 27, 2021
    Eastern European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Southern Cone International Film Festival
    Valparaiso
    Chile
    May 20, 2021
    South American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Jack Lake Film Festival
    Apsley
    Canada
    August 20, 2021
    Official Selection; AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
  • Port Townsend Film Festival
    Port Townsend
    United States
    September 23, 2021
    Pacific Northwest US Premiere
    Official Selection, AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD, BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
  • Home Is Distant Shores Film Festival
    Raleigh, North Carolina
    United States
    October 15, 2021
    North Carolina Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lebanese Film Festival in Canada
    Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal
    Canada
    September 30, 2021
    Official Selection, AWARD OF RECOGNITION
  • Immigration Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    October 14, 2021
    Washington DC Premiere
    Official Selection, BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM AWARD
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
    Newport Beach, California
    United States
    October 21, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Ojai Film Festival
    Ojai
    United States
    November 6, 2021
    Official Selection - Inaugural “Diversity and Inclusion for Social Impact and Vision” program; WINNER - SOCIAL IMPACT AND VISION AWARD - Sponsored by Panavision with a $60,000US film equipment package
  • Central Alberta Film Festival
    Red Deer
    Canada
    October 13, 2021
    Official Selection, AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD/BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE, BEST LEAD ACTOR AWARD. Nomination: Best Lead Actress
  • 47TH ANNUAL ALBERTA SCREEN AWARDS - ROSIES, Calgary International Film Festival
    Calgary
    Canada
    September 25, 2021
    WINNER- BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD; Nominations - BEST FEATURE FILM, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST COSTUME DESIGN, BEST OVERALL SOUND
  • East Lansing Film Festival
    East Lansing, Michigan
    United States
    November 14, 2021
    Michigan Premiere
    Official Selection
  • MENA FILM FESTIVAL (Middle Eastern and North Africa Film Festival)
    Vancouver
    Canada
    November 21, 2021
    West Coast Canada
    Official Selection - OPENING FESTIVAL FILM
  • UBCP ACTRA AWARDS
    Vancouver
    Canada
    November 20, 2021
    Best Lead Actress Award nomination (Aixa Kay), winners announced Nov 20,2021
Distribution Information
  • Raging River Distribution
    Distributor
    Country: Canada
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Warren Sulatycky

Warren Sulatycky is a Gemini-nominated (Canada’s Emmy) and Dora (Toronto, Canada) Theatre Award winning interdisciplinary artist and writer working in the visual arts, film/video/television, theatre, photography, and performance. Most recently, Warren wrote, directed, and produced his second feature film “Jasmine Road". Previously, he wrote, produced, directed, edited and acted in his feature film debut, “April in Autumn”, a selection in Telefilm Canada’s Perspective Canada showcase at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival/Marche. Other creative career highlights include on-going gallery exhibitions of his visual artwork; professionally directing, writing and producing theatre in Canada and internationally since 1985; writer-in-residence at the Factory Theatre and Blyth Theatre Festival; a company member of Robert Lepage’s Theatre Ex Machina for productions in Glasgow, Scotland and the National Theatre, London, England; starred and produced in the off-Broadway US premiere hit of Claudia Dey’s “Trout Stanley”; an alumni of the Directors Lab at Lincoln Centre, New York, and Directors Lab West at the Pasadena Playhouse, Calif. He was Artistic Associate and General Manager of the Theatre Centre in Toronto from 1990-93 and from 2004 to 2008 was Artistic Director of Renaissant Workshop, an interdisciplinary theatre and visual arts space in Soho, Manhattan. He has received awards and grants for his writing and creative projects from many cultural agencies. Warren studied visual art and photography at The School for Visual Arts and the Arts Student League, both in New York and the Toronto School for Arts; theatre at the National Theatre School of Canada; filmmaking at SAIT in Calgary, Alberta; and English literature (BA Honours) from University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary work can be seen at www.warrensulatycky.com

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Director Statement

Jasmine Road is my plea, as a filmmaker, for empathy, for compassion and for all that is beautiful in diversity in this culturally fractured world. Jasmine Road is a portrait of racially diverse characters coming to terms with universal themes of familial love, loss, identity, recent migration/immigration, and compassionate acceptance of others. The current political climate worldwide has countries (and political leaders) closing their borders or reducing access to them from refugees. This is a time of growing animosity towards “the other/strangers”. Jasmine Road is an olive branch of universal acceptance towards others. The film is a small detailed story which celebrates inclusiveness. Although Jasmine Road is set in a tiny rural corner against the vast Canadian Rockies, the challenges faced by the film’s characters (both Canadian and refugee) is a world-wide story, happening in real time in many countries. Immigration and nationalist populism are the primary issues facing our collective socio-political futures. These immigration challenges are sadly tied to fanaticism, racial intolerance/hatred, and employment/survival. These are as very real dilemmas in Canada as they are in Europe, South America, the middle east, Asia, indeed worldwide. Within this current contextual darkness, Jasmine Road explores the possibility for life’s lightness balanced against small human struggles, pitting political realities against the poignancy of a family story touched by an element of magic realism. Jasmine Road represents my deepening quest for an empathetic humanism in my filmmaking, where subtlety, understatement, family, love and society intersect.