| Saved by the Belles | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Ziad Touma |
| Produced by | Ziad Touma Couzin Films |
| Written by | Ziad Touma Brian C. Warren |
| Starring | Brian Charbonneau (aka Brian C. Warren) Karen Simpson Steven Turpin Danny Gilmore, Done Diamond Tarah Schwartz |
| Music by | Mark Anthony Brian C. Warren |
| Cinematography | François Dutil |
| Distributed by | Cinema Libre |
| Release date(s) | 2003 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English, dubbed and subtitled in French |
Saved by the Belles also known by its French title Échappée belles is a 2003 feature film by Ziad Touma, his first long feature movie.[1] Touma is a Lebanese Canadian film director and producer residing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Touma is the founder of Couzin Films film, television and digital media production company and it was released through the company.
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The film's storyline has a young man rearing his head in Montreal's club milieu, claiming not to remember a thing about his past or who he is. Discovered by local drag diva Sheena Hershey (played by Brian Charbonneau, aka Brian C. Warren) and scenestress Scarlet VJ (played by Karen Simpson), this young amnesiac is soon dubbed "Sean" and taken under wing by the club-junkie duo. Hoping to jar his memory, they take him on a tour of Montreal's club scene, introducing him to various characters along the way; Touma's cast includes numerous authentic night life figures, among them drag fixtures Mado and Madame Simone.
The press kit describes it this way: "Saved by the Belles" stars fags and hags, blonde bimbos, label whores, sugar daddies, club kids, biceps builders, leathers and feathers, funky junkies, freaks and geeks, sex addicts, chupa chicks, lube monsters, pimply pimps, weight watchers, nympho virgins, mingle singles, glowstick ravers, cheap strippers, wannabe actors, guestlist leftovers, glittery debutantes, kinky grannies, impotent hustlers, baggy-eyed scenesters, size queen cupids, self-taught porn stars, air miles jetsetters, showgirls, smoking players, bendable bisexuals and mama's toys.[2]
A heatrically distributed feature film, Ziad Touma's Saved by the Belles won several awards in festivals around the world.
The film went on to win "Best Feature Film" award at Toronto's Inside Out Film Festival in 2003.
In 2004, it was nominated for three Genie Awards for "Best Achievement in Cinematography", "Best Achievement in Art Direction" and "Best Achievement in Music - Original Song".
"Belles" film led to the launching of the innovative website http://www.savedbythebelles.com by Ziad Touma, co-wrote and co-produced with Mouna Andraos and BlueSponge.[3] The website won the "Boomerang Awards" for "Best Arts & Culture Website" and was nominated as "Best Extreme Entertainment Site" at the South by Southwest SXSW Awards.