See This Local Filmmaker's Werner Herzog Prize-Winning Movie

For Harley Chamandy, a Montreal-born filmmaker who recently won the coveted Werner Herzog Film Prize, there's no city on earth like his newly adopted home of Miami.

"There's so much in Miami that's undiscovered," he says. "I feel like when I tell people Miami's my favorite city, they think of Miami as one specific place, which is, you know, partying and night clubs and stuff like that. But I think it's so rich in culture here. People just love to look at the surface of the Lamborghinis and the sunsets, but I think there's so much poetry here. And I really think there's a lot that hasn't been done."

The 25-year-old Canadian hasn't lived in Miami for very long, relocating from New York in December after a series of visits. Yet he's convinced the city can serve as a new epicenter of cinematic creativity — he cites Harmony Korine, another locally based director and South Florida transplant whose studio EDGLRD is based in Miami, as an inspiration. Chamandy believes stimulating film industries outside the main production hubs is crucial for the future of cinema.

"If young filmmakers keep going to New York and LA, how will there ever be growth?" he says.

While Chamandy plans to make his next film in Miami — he's exploring a feature set in the local rap scene — Allen Sunshine, the director's first feature screening at Coral Gables Art Cinema this month, was made in his native Canada. It's also about as far from the neon dreams of Harmony Korine as one can get.

A sedate drama set in the wilderness of Quebec, the film centers on the titular Allen (Vincent Leclerc), a music producer who is grieving the loss of his beloved wife, a pop star whose career he shepherded. Deeply in mourning, Allen sits in a cabin in the deep woods, surrounded by expensive synthesizers, making ambient music destined to be heard by no one but himself, only ever interacting with occasional visitors. One day, he meets a pair of slightly mischievous preteen boys on summer vacation, Dustin (Miles Phoenix Foley) and Kevin (Liam Quiring-Nkindi). Soon enough, the trio develop a friendship that begins to shake Allen out of his hermit-like existence and bring him back from the depths of grief.

Allen Sunshine is an artful character study about survivors' guilt, creativity, and the need to carry on after tragedy strikes, and such a film requires a lot of pluck to get made. A small indie drama with no major stars, Allen Sunshine was made for less than $500,000, according to the director, who shot in Canada to take advantage of tax credits and had his own mother step in as producer. A small crew of close friends assisted the shoot, with Chamandy's friend, cinematographer Kenny Suleimanagich, using his own Super 16mm camera rather than a rental, as is standard. While the music in the film itself was composed by musician Ethan Rose (Paranoid Park, Showing Up), the director says the hardest part of the production was outfitting Allen's studio with expensive synthesizers. He ultimately sourced them from a shop in Montreal called Synth Palace.

"That stuff is the rarest of the rarest equipment," he says. "That's like $250,000 of equipment."
The film played at a few festivals and eventually earned one particularly influential fan: Werner Herzog, the legendary director of Grizzly Man, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, and countless other films. Chamandy says the relationship began when he invited the auteur and his brother to see the film, which was premiering in their hometown at the Munich Film Festival.

"I didn't want to write to Werner personally. I figured I could reach out to his brother and see if he would be interested in coming to see the film. I was like, 'Hey, do you want to come see the film?'"

Soon after the screening, Werner himself got in touch with him.

"He sends me a long paragraph saying he watched my film twice. He told me what he thought about the film, and [that] he wants to give me the award. And it was gonna be in December."

December came around, and Chamandy flew back to Munich to accept the Werner Herzog Film Prize, an award previously given to talented international directors such as Asghar Farhadi and Chloé Zhao. Chamandy describes the experience as a whirlwind — meeting German film fans, being feted as a bold new cinematic voice, and finally meeting the man himself, his favorite director. He describes the experience as leaving him in disbelief.

"Herzog sees me, and he goes, 'Harley, my boy!' and he opens up and he gives me a hug. And I swear to God, for the first five minutes, when we're talking, I'm looking at him, but I'm like, I can't believe this is happening," he recalls.

"He compared me to [legendary Palme d'Or winning filmmaker] Abbas Kiarostami, which is insane."

Allen Sunshine will premiere at Coral Gables Art Cinema on Friday, March 21, with a wine reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the film at 7 p.m. Showings continue throughout the week until Thursday, March 27.

Allen Sunshine. Starring Vincent Leclerc, Miles Phoenix Foley, Liam Quiring-Nkindi, Catherine Souffront, Joseph Whitebird, and Stephanie Breton. Written and directed by Harley Chamandy. 80 minutes. Not rated. Opens 7 p.m. Friday, March 21 at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 786-472-2249; gablescinema.com. Tickets cost $10 to $11.75.