What does the arts/specialty film audience have in common with twentysomething disenfranchised youth? Probably not a whole lot. But Cineplex Odeon and the producers of Rude are hoping a mixture of provocative marketing and critical acclaim can grab the attention of both.

The press material calls it ‘a surreal, vivid triptych of three characters struggling for redemption.’ Producer Karen A. King calls it ‘an art-house film with crossover potential.’ Working within the boundaries of the Canadian film audience, and the content and style of Rude, that ‘crossover’ part is the challenge.

The primary audiences for Rude, according to the producers and the studio, are twofold, the most natural of the two being the arts/specialty audience.

Bryan Gliserman, senior vp, Cineplex Odeon Films, says a good word from critics and peers is the ‘must have’ when promoting a film of this genre. ‘The audiences tend to be quite fickle and are motivated mostly by positive word of mouth. We were looking for, and received, critical acclaim which I think is what creates a want-to-see for that audience.’

The second, and perhaps more challenging to reach audience is the ‘Lollapolooza crowd.’

‘The film has an anti-establishment side,’ says King. ‘We felt that twentysomethings would appreciate that. The hip, urban, mtv style is definitely attractive to a youth sector.’

In its efforts to plant the film’s name and primary character into the minds of that audience, Cineplex launched an extensive campaign at this summer’s Lollapolooza concert in Toronto and has paid specific attention to Queen Street West and the downtown core.

Rude’s third perceived target is specific to Toronto, the only city where the film has opened to date. Having the distinction of being the first 35mm dramatic feature to be written, directed and produced by a black team in Canada, it seemed a natural extension to market towards Toronto’s black/Jamaican community.

‘The filmmakers were very candid and proud of the status of the film,’ says Gliserman. ‘It seemed natural for us to build on that.’

Says King: ‘We expected support from the black community in this city. We envisioned that it would generate some heat around the film and support it until the fire caught.’

In hopes of luring that sophisticated youth sector, Cineplex and the producers bet on a provocative media campaign. Says King: ‘Rude is a very difficult film to represent. There are so many elements we could discuss. We ended up picking one aspect – the provocative nature of the film – and running with that. We were looking for name recognition, basically.’

Despite drawing far less than the expected audience in Toronto, Rude will open in Montreal and Vancouver with a similar campaign. ‘To a certain degree, we’ll be targeting the same markets,’ says Gliserman, ‘but obviously the black community across the country isn’t as extensive as in Toronto. We’ve already made some inroads into Vancouver because of the recognition at the Vancouver International Film Festival.’

King believes markets which are less saturated with films will have an appetite for Rude. ‘I think people will be curious to see what kind of film represented Canada in Cannes. They’ll want to see if it lives up to the critical acclaim.’

King is also optimistic that a national audience will be interested in seeing a ‘black story’ that’s Canadian versus the onslaught of ‘hood movies from the u.s. ‘It is an art film. And while it has an ability to please more than an art film audience, it’s not Dead Presidents. It’s not an urban shoot ’em up.’

In addition to best picture, Rude received seven other nominations: Clement Virgo for best director and best screenplay writer, best achievement in cinematography for Barry Stone, best performance by an actor in a supporting role for Clark Johnson, best performance by an actress in a supporting role for Rachael Crawford, best editor for Susan Maggi, best music for Aaron Davis and John Lang. Virgo is also a nominee for the Claude Jutra Award.