Perfecting the Art of Longing

Perfecting the Art of Longing
Directed byKitra Cahana
Written byKitra Cahana
Produced byKat Baulu
Ariel Nasr
StarringRabbi Ronnie Cahana
CinematographyKitra Cahana
Edited byKara Blake
Music byOlivier Alary
Production
company
Release date
  • October 8, 2021 (2021-10-08) (FNC)
Running time
12 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Perfecting the Art of Longing is a Canadian short documentary film, directed by Kitra Cahana and released in 2021. The film is a portrait of Cahana's father Ronnie, a former rabbi who has been living in long-term care since suffering a stroke which left him quadriplegic and unable to speak, and the family's efforts to stay connected to him remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[1]

The film premiered in October 2021 at the Festival du nouveau cinéma.

The film won the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary at the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,[2] and the Prix Iris for Best Short Documentary at the 24th Quebec Cinema Awards in 2022.[3] It was released as a New York Times Op-Doc.[4]

The film received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Short Documentary at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.[5]

  1. ^ Pat Mullen, "Now Streaming: Watch Hot Docs Winner Perfecting the Art of Longing". Point of View, May 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Sadaf Ahsan, "Jacquelyn Mills’ ‘Geographies of Solitude’ wins Hot Docs’ best Canadian film award". The Globe and Mail, May 7, 2022.
  3. ^ Naomie Gelper, "La 24e Gala Québec Cinéma se tient ce soir, voici les lauréats". Métro, June 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Kitra Cahana, "A Stroke Left Him Isolated. Love Is His Lifeline." New York Times Op-Docs
  5. ^ Pat Mullen, "2023 Canadian Screen Award Nominations for Documentary". Point of View, February 22, 2023.