Those with an observant eye have probably noticed posters with a half-woman half-dog creature plastered all over the city. They look intriguing, but there's a good chance you have no idea what they are for. The werewolf-esque images have little to do with film or Montreal, yet they're advertising the dynamic event set to take the city by storm on October 8; Montreal's 37th annual Festival du Nouveau Cinema.
In an effort to bring the international independent film scene to Montreal, Claude Chamberlan and Dimitri Eipides founded the festival in 1971 and its reputation has grown extensively since. FNC is now Montreal's largest film event. Because there is little room in Hollywood for European, American, and Canadian independent filmmakers, Chamberlan and Eipides' efforts have given the nomads of the film industry a city to call home.
This year, the festival will present nearly 250 films from over 60 countries, ranging from feature-length films to shorts and documentaries. Many of the screenings in Montreal will also be the films' North American or world premieres.
The festival now receives over 1,000 submissions annually, and the programmers, in addition to reviewing these, attend other film festivals around the world as part of the rigorous selection process. The result is an intense line-up of the year's greatest independent films, each worthy of their selection and not to be missed. The programmers focus on diversity within the festival line-up; there are films from both high profile and unknown directors, and subject matter is never repeated.
In addition to films, the festival also features guest speakers, award presentations, and parties, as well as question and answer periods after certain screenings. There are also FNC Labs, where the latest camera equipment is on display and technicians and artists present new advances in film technology. All of these activities are free and easy to find in the festival catalogue.
One of the most anticipatead presentations is John Boorman's two-hour master class in which he will speak about his remarkable film career and how he manages to work successfully with both independent cinema and Hollywood productions. Boorman's new film The Tiger's Tail will also be screened in the festival. "This is actually the part I'm most excited about," says programmer Damien Detcheberry. Set in Dublin, Ireland, the latest from this acclaimed director tells the story of a man who watches as his life gets stolen by a nasty double. Other films that have been getting a buzz include Valse Avec Bachir (Ari Folman, Israel), Les Plages d'Agnès (Agnès Varda, France), Caos Calmo (Antonio Luigi Grimaldi, Italy), and Elle Veut le Chaos (Denis Côté, Canada).
The goal of the non-profit organization that runs FNC is to make independent cinema available to the general public. As Detcheberry explains, they want students in particular to get excited and involved. Compared to other film festivals around the globe, this one works especially hard to keep its ticket prices low.
"We'd rather have a packed theatre full of people who paid a little as opposed to an empty theatre with a few people who paid a lot," Detcheberry says. Student tickets cost $8. There are also festival passes available for $100.
Theatres all over Montreal are participating, and program and schedule catalogues are widely available. The booklet is hard to miss; it's got the same ubiquitous image on it's cover as the posters. Pick up a copy, find some films that interest you, and get involved in this exciting film festival.
Festival du Nouveau Cinema runs from October 8 to October 19.
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