Blue Heron (film)
| Blue Heron | |
|---|---|
Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Sophy Romvari |
| Written by | Sophy Romvari |
| Produced by | Ryan Bobkin Sara Wylie Sophy Romvari Gábor Osváth |
| Starring | Eylul Guven Amy Zimmer Ádám Tompa Iringó Réti |
| Cinematography | Maya Bankovic |
| Edited by | Kurt Walker |
| Music by | Blitz//Berlin |
Production companies | Nine Behind Productions Boddah |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries | Canada Hungary |
| Languages | English Hungarian |
Blue Heron is a 2025 Canadian-Hungarian drama film, directed by Sophy Romvari and released in 2025.[1] Based in part on Romvari's own childhood, the film stars Eylul Guven as Sasha, the eight-year-old daughter of a Hungarian immigrant family who relocate to Vancouver Island in the late 1990s while their oldest son Jeremy (Edik Beddoes) displays increasingly dangerous behavioural issues in their new environment.[1]
The cast also includes Ádám Tompa and Iringó Réti as Sasha's parents, Liam Serg and Preston Drabble as Sasha’s brothers, and Amy Zimmer as Adult Sasha.
The film, Romvari's full-length directorial debut, received production funding from both Telefilm Canada[2] and the National Film Institute Hungary,[1] and entered production in 2024.[1]
Cast
- Eylul Guven as Sasha
- Iringó Réti as Mother
- Ádám Tompa as Father
- Edik Beddoes as Jeremy
- Amy Zimmer as Adult Sasha
- Liam Serg as Henry
- Preston Drabble as Felix
Release
Blue Heron had its world premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 8, 2025, as part of the Concorso Cineasti del Presente competition.[3]
It had its Canadian premiere in the Centrepiece program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.[4] It will be presented in 'Rising Stars - 2025' section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.[5]
The film has been acquired for commercial distribution in the United States by Janus Films, with a projected theatrical release in 2026.[6]
Reception
The film currently holds a 100% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 20 critic reviews.[7] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 95 of 100 based on nine critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]
In a review for The Film Stage, Leonardo Gol wrote: "For a director whose projects have always tested the medium’s capacity to conjure and make peace with the specters of one’s past, it feels like the kind of moment Romvari’s been working towards from the start. For a brief, miraculous instant, Sasha’s catharsis is ours too."[9]
For Screen Daily, Nikki Baughan wrote that "Blue Heron blurs the line between fact and fiction in a woozy, laconic way; this is a drama in which perspectives shift, timelines merge and soft-focus sequences are layered with a documentary-style aesthetic. It’s all part of the journey of recollection and discovery for protagonist Sasha – who we see as both a young girl and an adult – and for Romvari, who is using the narrative to unpick her own memories, to get to better grips with her own formative experiences."[10]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locarno Film Festival | August 16, 2025 | Golden Leopard – Filmmakers of the Present | Blue Heron | Nominated | [11] |
| Swatch First Feature Award | Won | [12] | |||
| Toronto International Film Festival | September 14, 2025 | Best Canadian Discovery | Won | [13] | |
| Director's Guild of Canada | 2025 | Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award | Shortlisted | [14] | |
| Vancouver International Film Festival | 8 October 2025 | Horizon Award for Emerging Canadian Director | Won | [15] | |
| Arbutus Award for Best British Columbia Director | Won | ||||
| Festival du nouveau cinéma | 2025 | National Competition, Grand Prix for Best Feature Film | Won | [16] | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 2025 | Rogers Best Canadian Film | Pending | [17] | |
| Best First Feature | Won |
References
- ^ a b c d Anna Fekete, "PRODUCTION: Canadian/Hungarian Blue Heron Starts Filming". Film New Europe, July 31, 2024.
- ^ Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Telefilm selects 18 projects for 2023-24 Talent to Watch". Playback, September 29, 2023.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (July 8, 2025). "'Dracula' by Radu Jude, David Lynch-Exec Produced 'Happy Worker' Set for Locarno Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Centrepiece Section Counts 55 Titles Including Pics Starring Shailene Woodley, Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Samara Weaving, Stephen Graham & More". Deadline Hollywood, August 5, 2025.
- ^ "Rising Stars - 2025". International Film Festival of India. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Jamie Casemore, "Janus Films acquires Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron for the U.S.". Playback, October 24, 2025.
- ^ "Blue Heron". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "Blue Heron Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Gol, Leonardo (August 8, 2025). "Locarno Review: A Seance of Self and Film, Blue Heron is an Astonishing Debut". thefilmstage.com. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ Nikki Baughan, "‘Blue Heron’ review: Contemplative Canadian debut sees a filmmaker confront her difficult past". Screen Daily, September 11, 2025.
- ^ Marta Balaga (July 8, 2025). "Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup, An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition'". Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ Mona Tabbara, "Sho Miyake’s ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ wins Golden Leopard at Locarno 2025". Screen Daily, August 16, 2025.
- ^ Pete Hammond, "‘Hamnet’ Wins Oscar-Predictive Toronto Film Festival People’s Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood, September 14, 2025.
- ^ Connie Thiessen, "DGC unveils film, doc nominees; Discovery Award short list". Broadcast Dialogue, September 22, 2025.
- ^ Andrew Tracy, "The Things You Kill, Blue Heron take trophies at VIFF awards". Playback, October 10, 2025.
- ^ "Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinéma unveils its award winners". Cineuropa, October 21, 2025.
- ^ Alex Nino Gheciu, "‘One Battle After Another’ dominates Toronto Film Critics Association Awards with 4 wins". CFJC-TV, December 8, 2025.