Kina & Yuk (French: Kina et Yuk, renards de la banquise) is a 2023 French-Italian-Canadian documentary film that tells the adventure of two foxes, Kina and Yuk, who prepare to become parents for the first time where global warming is altering for everyone the rules.[2]

Kina & Yuk
Directed byGuillaume Maidatchevsky
Written by
  • Guillaume Lonergan
  • Guillaume Maidatchevsky
  • Michael Souhaité
Narrated by
  • Virginie Efira (French)
  • Benedetta Rossi (Italian)
Production
companies
  • Valdés
  • TF1 Studio
  • France 3 Cinéma
  • Les Productions Rivard
  • Christal Films Productions
  • Alder Entertainment
  • BNP Paribas Pictures
  • Canal+
  • France Télévisions
  • CNC
  • Téléfilm Canada
  • SODEC
  • Yukon Film Production Fund
  • Manitoba Film and Video Production Tax Credit
Release date
  • 27 December 2023 (2023-12-27) (France)
Countries
  • France
  • Italy
  • Canada
LanguageFrench
Budget$2,166,046
Box office$2,166,046[1]

The film, shot in Yukon,[3] is set in Dawson City in Canada (called in the movie "Jack City").[4] The film is narrated by Virginie Efira in French and by Benedetta Rossi in Italian. It was released in theaters in France on 27 December 2023,[5] and in Italy on 7 March 2024.[6]

Plot

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Kina and Yuk, two arctic foxes, are ready to found their family living in the Great North of Canada. The temperature is mild and food is more and more in short supply, forcing Yuk to venture himself every day more distant to provide food.

Suddenly, a terrible crunch accompanies the fracture of the arctic crust caused by the ice melting that twists the nature and separates the foxes, leaving them isolated on a different fragment of pack ice.

Kina and Yuk will have to challenge many dangers and explore new territories hoping to find themselves in time for their children's birth.

Characters

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The characters are mostly animals and do not "speak" in the film.

  • Kina - a white fox.
  • Yuk - a black fox.

Production

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About five years ago while in Canada, I was struck by a newspaper article showing a photo of a small Arctic fox stranded on a piece of drifting iceberg. Some fishermen said they had found and recovered the trembling animal. To warm her, they had placed her in a box before releasing her. Reading that account, I wondered where that fox came from, what her path was and what would become of her. I started from that news story to write my story. For me, that image contained a very strong dramaturgy and that is exactly what I look for when I make a film

Guillaume Maidatchevsky, director and writer of the film

Maidatchevsky wrote 300 pages with all the main sequences. The idea came when he read an article by a Canadian newspaper showing a polar fox on a drifting iceberg.[7] He also said:

On set, the camera crew forms a 'circle of trust' around the animals, as if a sort of ballet was created between us and the animals. Depending on their attitude we can enter or exit the circle to varying degrees. If an animal is a little stressed, we move away; if it's quiet, we get closer. [...] Empathy for me is primordial, we must be able to enter the animal's head. [...] Because we must respect the times of the animal as an individual.

Benedetta Rossi, the Italian narrant voice, said in an interview: "We need to understand what happens to nature from an eye different from our".[8]

Distribution

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The film was released in France on 27 December 2023, and then in Italy on 7 March 2024.

Reception

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The film received positive reviews;[9][10] an Italian review, however, found that the environmentalist message of the film was at times tiresome.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Kina & Yuk". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.
  2. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (2024-01-15). "'Kina & Yuk,' an Arctic Fox Adventure Movie From 'Ailo's Journey' Filmmaker, Sells to Key Territories (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  3. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2023-02-15). "Guillaume Maidatchevsky's Arctic Fox Adventure 'Kina & Yuk' Teases First Image & Yukon Shoot Details As Newen Connect Launches Sales – EFM". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  4. ^ ""Kina e Yuk alla scoperta del mondo", al cinema la storia di due volpi narrate da Benedetta Rossi". TGcom24 (in Italian). 7 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Live-action pic Kina & Yuk travels the globe". Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  6. ^ Kina e Yuk - Alla scoperta del mondo (in Italian), retrieved 2024-03-14
  7. ^ Vantaggi, Valeria (6 March 2024). "La storia di Kina e Yuk, le due volpi che hanno fatto di tutto per stare insieme". Vanity Fair (in Italian).
  8. ^ Misciagna, Domenico (7 March 2024). "Kina & Yuk, Benedetta Rossi: "Bisogna capire cosa succede alla natura da un occhio diverso dal nostro", la nostra intervista". Coming Soon (in Italian).
  9. ^ Larocque, Véronique (2024-02-23). "Kina & Yuk : renards de la banquise: La beauté du Grand Nord et de ses habitants". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  10. ^ Lévesque, François (2024-02-23). "«Kina & Yuk. Renards de la banquise»: l'amour au temps du réchauffement". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  11. ^ Lucchini, Giulia. "Kina e Yuk alla scoperta del mondo". www.cinematografo.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-03-14.
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