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English Titles S

Shana – The Wolf's Music

Original title: Shana – The Wolf's Music
German title: Shana – The Wolf's Music
Switzerland, Canada, 2014

Director: Jacusso, Nino
Production company: Reck Filmproduktion
Age recommendation: 12 years and up
Length: 94 min.
Film genre: Feature film

Synopsis:
Shana is a very talented musician. She lives with her father in a First Nations village in Canada. In the past she was a happy girl who, together with her mother, played violins joyfully at celebrations. But two years ago, her mother went into the forest and never came back. Shana feels lonely and abandoned and the fact that her father tries to drown his sorrow in alcohol does not make it easier for her: Shana is retreating more and more into her own world. She stops going to school and hardly ever plays her violin any more. Hoping that she will somehow receive a sign from her mother, she writes heart-rending notes to her and hangs them in a special ancestor tree, which is decorated with amulets. A white wolf watches her from a distance whenever she comes to the tree. It seems to be magically drawn to her, appearing from the forest whenever she plays her violin.

After a long break, Shana's village get a new teacher, Lela Woodland. Lela is also of indigenous origins. She knows the particular situation of present-day First Nations from her own personal experience, knows how to inspire the students and tries with sensitivity and perseverance to draw Shana out of her state of withdrawal. When she hears Shana play the violin she is convinced that she has discovered great talent and registers her at the music school in Vancouver.

But a few days before the entrance exam, Shana's father sells the antique wolf's head violin, which had previously belonged to Shana's mother. Now Shana has only one alternative. She must retrieve this memento that is so important to her. During her adventurous search, Shana plunges deeper and deeper into the forest. For three days and nights she disappears into free Nature. There she encounters the white wolf and the spirits of her ancestors. Somewhere between trance and dream, Shana finds her way to a magic method of playing the violin that prepares her for encountering the wide world.

Comments:
Festival contact
Renate Zylla: rzylla@arcor.de

Festivals:
Solothurn 2014, Reel 2 Real Vancouver 2014 (awarded), Vittorio Veneto 2014 (awarded), Dreamspeakers Aboriginal Film Festival in Edmonton 2013 (awarded), Locarno 2014, Lucas Frankfurt 2014, CFF Münster 2014 (awarded), Filem'on Brussels 2014 (special mention), Mannheim-Heidelberg IFF, Milano IFF 2014, Castellinaria Bellinzona 2014 (awarded), Vienna 2014, Oulu 2014, Olympia Pyrgos 2014 (awarded), Seattle 2015, Hof CFF 2015, Bari 2015, FIFEM Montreal 2015, Freeze Frame Winnipeg 2015, BUFF Malmö 2015, Leeds YFF 2015, Golden Sparrow Erfurt & Gera 2015 (awarded), Seoul IYFF 2015, Nuevamirada ICFF Buenos Aires 2015, Listapadzik Minsk 2015, CFF Bangladesh Dhaka 2016 (awarded), Sehpferdchen Hannover 2016

Website: www.shanafilm.com

ECFA interview available

Study guide: German

World sales address/es:
Beta Film (DE)

Sold to:
Filmcoopi (CH)
One Filmverleih (DE)
Bundesverband Jugend und Film (DE)