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Akilla's Escape
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Akilla's Escape
| image = Akillas_escape_xlg.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = Charles Officer
| producer = Jake Yanowski
| writer =
| starring =
| music =
| cinematography = Maya Bankovic
| editing = Andres Landau
| studio = Canesugar Filmworks
| distributor =
| runtime = 90 minutes
| released =
| country =
| language = English
| budget =
}}
'Akilla's Escape' is a 2020 drama film, directed by Charles Officer.Radheyan Simonpillai, [https://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-and-features/planet-africa-25-years-tiff-2020 "Planet Africa returns for TIFF 2020"]. 'Now', August 25, 2020. The film stars Saul Williams as Akilla, a marijuana dealer retiring from the business following legalization, who tries to rescue a young boy (Thamela Mpumlwana) from being drawn into a life of crime.
The film, which Officer began writing in 2010, was inspired by the police crackdown on the Toronto chapter of the Shower Posse crime gang. Its cast also includes Vic Mensa, Olunik Adeliyi, Ronnie Rowe, Theresa Tova, Brandon Oakes, Sagine Smajuste and Colm Feore. The film's original score is produced by Saul Williams with Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack.
The film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival,Rachel West, [https://etcanada.com/news/683455/tiff-unveils-more-films-including-david-oyelowos-directorial-debut-in-conversation-with-halle-berry-saoirse-ronan-more/ "TIFF Unveils More Films, Including David Oyelowos Directorial Debut, In Conversation With Halle Berry, Saoirse Ronan, More"]. 'ET Canada', August 25, 2020. with further screenings at the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Atlanta International Film Festival, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, The Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, and Hof International Film Festival. The film was nominated for 8 Canadian Screen Awards and won 5 Canadian Screen Awards in total.
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "'Akilla's Escape' occasionally loses sight of its strongest assets, but solid acting and a smart story make this a neo-noir worth watching."
Writing for 'Now' and 'The Georgia Straight', Norman Wilner wrote that "Officer does something else with Akillas Escape that Im hesitant to discuss, but when you see it youll hopefully be as stunned and impressed as I was. Its not a plot twist, but rather a creative decision that pays off absolutely brilliantly over the course of the movie, giving flesh to its central metaphor and making the story play on at least two different levels above and beyond what happens in the narrative."Norman Wilner, [https://www.straight.com/movies/viff-review-akillas-escape-puts-a-grounded-spin-on-gangland-thriller "VIFF review: Akillas Escape puts a grounded spin on the gangland thriller"]. 'The Georgia Straight', September 14, 2020.
The 'Los Angeles Times' wrote "The film remains firmly rooted in Williams' quietly powerful and laser focused performance."
'The Film Stage' included it in their list of "The Best Films from Venice, TIFF, and NYFF 2020", and the 'Toronto Star' named it as one of the ten best films at the festival.
Awards and nominations
References
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