BlackBerry (film)

BlackBerry is a 2023 Canadian biographical comedy-drama film directed by Matt Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller.

BlackBerry is a 2023 Canadian biographical comedy-drama film directed by Matt Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller. It is loosely based on the book Losing the Signal by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff and dramatizes the rise and fall of the BlackBerry smartphone and its creators.

Premise

BlackBerry tells a dramatized version of the development, growth, and eventual decline of the BlackBerry smartphone business. The story centres on co-founders Douglas Fregin and Mike Lazaridis, along with investor Jim Balsillie.

Production and source material

The film is loosely adapted from Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff. Matt Johnson directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller.

Release

BlackBerry premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023 and was released in Canada in May 2023. It was distributed in the United States by IFC Films, according to release listings and review sources.

Reception

The film was generally well received by critics, with reviews describing it as an energetic rise-and-fall story. It later earned a record number of Canadian Screen Awards nominations, reflecting its strong domestic reception.