Charles-Olivier Michaud’s Ru has surpassed the $1 million mark at the box office, according to distributor Immina Films.

The film, directed by Michaud and written by Jacques Davidts, is based on the Kim Thúy novel of the same name, about a Vietnamese family adjusting to life in Quebec while coping with the trauma of the Vietnam War. It is produced by Marie-Alexandra Forget and André Dupuy of Amalga Créations Médias.

Ru was released theatrically in Canada on Nov. 24, and is still showing in more than 60 theatres, according to a news release. Immina Films president Patrick Roy said in a statement that the film is seeing “good momentum” for continued box office success into the holiday period.

Canadian films selected for New Dawn Fund

Canada is well-represented among the four projects selected for the latest round of the New Dawn Fund, an international initiative from public film funds to support diverse perspectives in filmmaking.

The Canadian projects include the documentary Composées (Pimiento Médias) by writer-director Nadia Louis-Desmarchais, which explores the inner conflict that comes with a mixed-race identity; and the narrative film Jude & the Jinn (Qareen Inc., Fugitive Works Studios, Magic Carpet Productions) by writer-director Rolla Tahir, about a woman who befriends a jinn following her father’s deportation.

Also selected is the Netherlands-Canada-Germany narrative film Tahmina (Silk Road Films) from Aboozar Amini, about a goddess in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Rounding out the selections is the Irish doc Lesbian Lines (Keeper Pictures) from Cara Holmes, about a network of underground phone helplines set up by a community of Irish lesbians.

The fund provides up to €200,000 (roughly C$342,463) for a feature film, or €100,000 (roughly C$171,231) for a feature-length documentary. It is supported by Telefilm Canada, along with Communauté Française de Belgique Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel, Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Film Fund Luxembourg, Finnish Film Foundation, Norwegian Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Screen Ireland, Instituto Português do Cinema e do Audiovisual, and Netherlands Film Fund.

500 Days in the Wild wins Whistler audience prize

Paramount+ original documentary 500 Days in the Wild was named the 2023 Audience Award at the Whistler Film Festival (WFF)

The Canadian doc made its world debut at WFF on Dec. 1. It is directed by Dianne Whelan and follows her six-year, 24,000 kilometre journey along the Trans Canada Trail. The doc is produced by Betsy Carson, with Whelan and Christine Haebler serving as executive producers.

500 Days in the Wild is distributed by Elevation Pictures in Canada, supported by Telefilm Canada, and will debut on Paramount+ following a theatrical run in early 2024.

Photo by Drowster/Immina Films