Jazz Infernal

Jazz Infernal (2025)

Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montréal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his voice.

Date of release
2025-09-04
TMDB
8.0 / 10 (1)
Runtime
16m
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Director
Will Niava

Casting

Interesting facts

Jazz Infernal is a Canadian short drama film, directed by Will Niava and released in 2025. A semi-autobiographical story set in Montreal, the film explores themes of immigration, grief, and family legacy through the lens of the city's jazz scene.

Production

The film was directed by Will Niava, a Ghanaian-Ivorian filmmaker based in Montreal. It was produced by Zion Lipstein-Saffer and Samuel Caron (best known for the Academy Award-nominated short Invincible) through Telescope Films, in collaboration with Productions Disamare and Scarabee Films. Executive Produced by McCray Sutherlin and Muddy Water.

The project was originally conceived as a comedy focused on the "hilarious" confusion of the immigrant experience, inspired by Niava's own arrival in Canada. However, the creative direction shifted significantly during pre-production. Niava, who was processing the earlier loss of his father (a prominent interpreter who worked with figures such as Nelson Mandela), felt compelled to reframe the narrative.

The film features original music by Montreal jazz trumpeter Hichem Khalfa. The score plays a central narrative role, described by critics as an "emotional language" that replaces dialogue in key moments. Niava, who does not play an instrument, worked closely with Khalfa to ensure the jazz felt "structured, but alive with improvisation."

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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