Bonjour Timothy

Bonjour Timothy
Directed byWayne Tourell
Written byDavid Parry
Produced byMicheline Charest
Murray Newey
Antony I. Ginnane
StarringDean O'Gorman
Stephen Papps
Sabine Karsenti
CinematographyMatt Bowkett
Edited byJean-Marie Dot
Music byDan Tierney
Production
companies
CINAR Films
Tucker Films Ltd.
Distributed byAlpha Media
Release date
  • 1995 (1995)
Running time
98 minutes
CountriesNew Zealand
Canada
LanguageEnglish

Bonjour Timothy is a 1995 Canadian-New Zealander romantic comedy film directed by Wayne Tourell and starring Dean O'Gorman, Stephen Papps and Sabine Karsenti.

Plot

Bonjour Timothy is a coming of age story of a young French-Canadian girl who goes on exchange to Auckland. The story follows Timothy, played by Dean O'Gorman, a young New Zealand boy who develops a crush on Michelle, played by Sabine Karsenti, the young French-Canadian girl from Montreal who is living with his family on her exchange. The story follows Timothy, a social underdog in his school, as he goes through a period of self-discovery, and tries to gain the attention of his crush, Michelle. This story depicts the trials and tribulations associated with being in high school, and the awkward stages that accompany being a young adult.

The New Zealand Film Commission describes Bonjour Timothy as, "In Bonjour Timothy (1995) the underdog wins the affection of the girl against all odds, in a film about coming-of-age anxieties over sex and love" (Aveyard, Moran & Veith 2018).[1][2]

Buzzfeed described Bonjour Timothy as, "The Best Teen Movie You've Never Heard Of."

Cast

Production

The film was shot largely at and around Avondale College in Auckland, New Zealand.[3]

Film Crew:

  • Director: Wayne Tourell
  • Producers: Murray Newey, Micheline Charest
  • Writer: David Preston
  • Editor: Jean-Marie Drot
  • Cinematography: Matt Bowkett
  • Production Design: Brett Schwieters
  • Composer: Daniel Scott
  • Costumes: Pauline Bowkett

[4]

Awards

  • 1996 Berlin Film Festival; Kinderfilmfest, Children's Jury - Honourable Mention
  • 1995 New Zealand Film and Television Awards; Nominated for Best Director, Best Male in a Dramatic Role (Dean O'Gorman), Best Female in a Dramatic Role (Sylvia Rands) and Best Male Performance in a Supporting Role (Milan Borich)
  • 1995 Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People (Northern Ireland); Best Feature Film
  • 1995 Griffoni Film Festival (Italy); Critics Prize, Nominated for Best Actor (Dean O'Gorman)

[5]

References

  1. ^ Aveyard, Karina; Moran, Albert; Vieth, Errol. Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield.
  2. ^ Bonjour Timothy at New Zealand Film Commission
  3. ^ "Bonjour Timothy". nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Bonjour Timothy (1995)". LETTERBOXD.
  5. ^ New Zealand Film Commission


Stub icon

This article related to a New Zealand film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This article related to a Canadian film of the 1990s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.