Perfecting the Art of Longing
Kitra Cahana
2021
| 12 min 13 s
English with English subtitles
Awards and Festivals
Winner – Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short DocumentaryHot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto (2022)
Best DirectorFuture of Film Showcase, Toronto, Canada (2022)
Best Documentary Short AwardGala Quebec Cinema, Montreal, Canada (2022)
Nomination - Best Short DocumentaryCanadian Screen Awards, Toronto, Canada (2023)
National CompetitionFestival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montreal, Canada (2021)
Nomination - Mental HealthYorkton Film Festival, SK, Canada (2022)
Cut off from his loved ones due to the pandemic lockdown, a quadriplegic rabbi in a long-term-care facility is filmed remotely by his daughter. Offering powerful meditations on love and hope, Perfecting the Art of Longing shows us what it means to be alive in a state of profound isolation.
Watch the Film
Synopsis
“You perfect the art of longing by knowing where your soul is intended to be,” says Rabbi Cahana in Perfecting the Art of Longing, acclaimed filmmaker Kitra Cahana’s powerful collaboration with her father.
In 2011, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana suffered a devastating brainstem stroke that left him “locked in,” only able to communicate through the blinking of his eyes. In the years that followed, the beloved poet and community leader regained some power of speech but remained paralyzed, requiring round-the-clock assistance at a long-term-care facility in Montreal, Quebec. When the pandemic lockdown hit, he found himself completely isolated and cut off from his loved ones, connecting only through screens.
Using footage from security cameras, video calls and home-video archives, this experimental short film leads us on a journey through memory, family and faith, exploring the nature of connection and distance. A philosophical film unlike any other, it’s a tribute to the human spirit and a reflection on longing itself.
Long Synopsis
In 2011, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana suffered a devastating brainstem stroke that left him “locked in,” only able to communicate through the blinking of his eyes. In the years that followed, the beloved poet and community leader regained some power of speech but remained paralyzed, requiring round-the-clock assistance at a long-term-care facility in Montreal, Quebec.
When COVID-19 infects hundreds throughout the home in 2020, more than 70 of his fellow residents die. Completely isolated due to a total lockdown, Rabbi Cahana has a desire to live that transcends the constant threat of illness. His meditations on spirituality create a lifeline for himself and his family as they reach for each other through computer screens.
“You perfect the art of longing by knowing where your soul is intended to be,” says Rabbi Cahana, whose lyrical voice leads us on a journey through memory, family and faith. Eliciting grace and dignity, Cahana’s perspective on the world brings the audience to the core of what it means to be alive, though his love and humanity come from the periphery of human experience, in a state of profound isolation.
Using footage from security cameras, as well as video-call footage and home-video archives, Perfecting the Art of Longing is acclaimed filmmaker Kitra Cahana’s powerful collaboration with her father. Together, they explore the nature of connection and distance. A philosophical film unlike any other, it’s a tribute to the human spirit, a poem of memory and hope, and a reflection on longing itself.
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Team
Kitra Cahana
Director
Photo
Photo : Steph Martyniuk
Ariel Nasr
Producer
Photo
Photo : Kiana Hayeri
Kat Baulu
Producer
Photo
Photo : NFB
Annette Clarke
Executive Producer
Photo
Photo : Dave Howells
Credits
Featuring the words of Rabbi Ronnie Cahana
Written and Directed by
Kitra Cahana
Editor
Kara Blake
Music
Olivier Alary
Sound Design
Sacha Ratcliffe
Director of Photography
Kitra Cahana
Sound Recordist
Kitra Cahana
Technical Advisor/Support
Frank Nadeau
Production Supervisor
Roz Power
Technical Coordinators
Daniel Lord
Christopher MacIntosh
Online Editor
Serge Verreault
Title Design
Jacques Bertrand Simard
Re-Recording
Jean Paul Vialard
Digital Editing Technicians
Pierre Dupont
Marie-Josée Gourde
Patrick Trahan
Sound Technician
Bernard Belley
Researcher
Kitra Cahana
Visual Archives Courtesy of
Rabbi Ronnie Cahana
Karen Knie-Cahana
Kitra Cahana
Paul Knie
Additional Music
“TRULY FREE”
Courtesy of
William Ryan Fritch
Special Thanks
Rabbi Cahana’s Caregivers
Karen Knie-Cahana
Tamira Cahana
Briah Cahana
Dvir Cahana
Sapira Cahana
Production Coordinator
Christine Williams
Senior Production Coordinator
Cheryl Murgatroyd
Studio Administrator
Leslie Anne Poyntz
Marketing Managers
Jamie Hammond
Johanna Lessard
Publicist
Jennifer Mair
Legal Council
Christian Pitchen
Producers
Kat Baulu
Ariel Nasr
Executive Producer
Annette Clarke
A National Film Board of Canada production
Press Relations
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About the NFB
The NFB is Canada’s public producer and distributor of award-winning documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences, working with talented creators across the country. The NFB is taking action to combat systemic racism and become a more open and diverse organization, while working to strengthen Indigenous-led production and gender equity in film and digital media. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.