| No Ordinary Man | |
|---|---|
| Directed by |
Aisling Chin-Yee Chase Joynt |
| Written by | Aisling Chin-Yee Amos Mac |
| Produced by | Sarah Spring |
| Cinematography | Léna Mill-Reuillard |
| Edited by | Aisling Chin-Yee |
| Music by | Rich Aucoin Billy Tipton |
Production company | Parabola Films |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope, Radiant Films International, Les Films du 3 mars |
Release date | |
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $15,508 [2] [3] |
No Ordinary Man is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, and written by Aisling Chin-Yee and Amos Mac. [4] It is a portrait of Billy Tipton, the jazz musician who was revealed after his death to have been transgender. [5] [6]
The film's production was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. However, as principal photography was already completed, it mainly affected tasks such as editing and post-production work that could be done remotely. [5]
The film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. [7] It was subsequently screened at the 2020 Inside Out Film and Video Festival, where it won the award for Best Canadian Film. [8]
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to No Ordinary Man.
Critical response
For Now and The Georgia Straight, Kevin Ritchie praised the film, writing that its "overlapping realizations create a complex portrait while making No Ordinary Man as much about the present as it is about the past. [It] ultimately builds to a moving and surprising climax in which the empathetic trans views of Tipton are finally able to eclipse the parochial tabloid tale." [9]
The film was named to TIFF's year-end Canada's Top Ten list for feature films. [10]
In The New Yorker, Richard Brody writes: "In No Ordinary Man, the directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt go fascinatingly, probingly further, to question the very prospect of making a biographical film about their subject, the trans jazz musician Billy Tipton. No Ordinary Man, in that sense, is a genre unto itself, a meta-biographical film about a musician who earned his place in history posthumously, for reasons that he carefully avoided revealing throughout his life." [11]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Directors Guild of Canada | Allan King Award for Best Documentary Film | Chase Joynt, Aisling-Chin Yee | Nominated | [12] |
| 2022 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Documentary | No Ordinary Man | Nominated | [13] |
References
- ^ "No Ordinary Man". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "No Ordinary Man (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "No Ordinary Man (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ Pat Mullen, "‘Inconvenient Indian’, ‘New Corporation’, ‘No Ordinary Man’ Rep Canadian Docs in TIFF Line-up". Point of View, July 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Pat Mullen, "Canada at Cannes: Documentary in the Time of COVID". Point of View, June 25, 2020.
- ^ Knegt, Peter (31 March 2021). "The media tainted the story of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton. This film wants to tell his truth". CBC Arts. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Victoria Ahearn, "TIFF announces all 50 titles for pandemic-tailored 2020 event" Archived 2020-10-31 at the Wayback Machine. Toronto Star, July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Inside Out LGBT film fest reveals prize winners early". Toronto Star, October 5, 2020.
- ^ Kevin Ritchie, "VIFF review: No Ordinary Man, about jazz musician and trans icon Billy Tipton, packs an emotional wallop". The Georgia Straight, September 19, 2020.
- ^ Victoria Ahearn, "Toronto International Film Festival releases Top Ten lists for 2020" Archived 2021-01-04 at the Wayback Machine. Squamish Chief, December 9, 2020.
- ^ No Ordinary Man, Reviewed: Portrait of an Artist Enduring Transphobia After His Death The New Yorker, July 16, 2021.
- ^ Kelly Townsend, "All My Puny Sorrows leads film nominees for 2021 DGC Awards". Playback, September 24, 2021.
- ^ "The Nominees for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
