Canada, Montreal / founded in 1977
Takes place in August – September
Although the most famous Canadian film festival is the most authoritative Toronto one, it is not Toronto that got the FIAPF’s “A” accreditation, but Montreal’s one, which comes to the end of summer. The Toronto show, we should remind, is held without a jury and competition as such, with an increased attention to Canadian and North American films proper, while Montreal is ready to accept films from all over the world.
Even in Montreal’s main competition, it’s not often that you see films by truly well-known masters, and the presence of additional sections for debut and student films clearly indicates that the organizers are aiming to discover new names. These films are juxtaposed with selections of recent international feature films and documentaries. Curiously, the festival, if you put aside the easy-to-explain love for French cinema, remains one of the most “hospitable”, since the native North American cinema has not won here for 20 years.
Montreal also organizes a film market, but there is almost no public information about it.