Preview: 36th Festival du nouveau cinéma

The Festival du Nouveau Cinema is a staple event for the hardcore Montreal cinephile – it’s an event that quality-wise collects the edgier, controversial fair from the international film circuit and in recent years has started to promote not only new media film forms but the local (Quebecois) auteur cinema. Now in its 36th edition, the fest has snared some of the top must see, prize-winning flicks that will usually not spend one day in a megaplex theater. Starting today and running until the 21^st of the month, the globe trotting Claude Chamberlan and the youthful programming team have once again insured the quality control of the event – nabbing some controversial films that aren’t even shown in their country of origin and some Cannes prize winners that I personally hope get a release in the U.S.

The film fest opener is Durs à cuire –  a docu debut from Guillaume Sylvestre that looks at chiefs who pride themselves and take pleasure in killing and making animals suffer for the sake of concocting different looking and tasting plates for patrons (a doc that I will easily pass on) and the closer is one of my personal favs of the year in 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days. Actor Vlad Ivanov will be on hand to present the film – look for more coverage on that event.

The guests are limited to mostly franco-speaking filmmakers from France and locally Quebec – but Todd Haynes who filmed I'm Not there in Montreal and the burbs around the city might actually drop by for the fest – a logical pit stop to thank the crew. Filmmaker Claire Denis is coming over to do a masterclass and the festival is offering her complete filmography as part of the official program.    

For a complete list of all the festival activities (trust me there is a ton of free stuff and events) visit the website ….. and for a listing of the film sections and selections just scroll below.

International Selection: Louve d’Or

Andalucia, Alain Gomis (France),
Autumn’s Ball, Velko Ounpuu (Estonia),
Berliner Reigen, Dieter Berner (Germany),
Boxing Day, Kriv Stenders (Australia),
Buddha Collapsed out of Shame, Hana Makhmalbaf (Iran),
Caramel, Nadine Labaki (Lebanon/France),
Ce que je sais de Lola, Javier Rebollo (Spain),
Continental, un film sans fusil, Stéphane Lafleur (Québec/Canada),
Control, Anton Corbjin (United States),
La France, Serge Bozon (France),
Iska’s Journey, Csaba Bollók (Hungary),
Japan Japan, Lior Shamriz (Israel),
La Maison jaune, Amor Hakkar (France/Algeria),
The Mugger, Pablo Fendrik (Argentina),
Tout est pardonné, Mia Hansen-Löve (France),
La visite de la fanfare, Eran Kolirin (Israel),
Voleurs de chevaux, Micha Wald (Belgium/France/Canada),
Xxy, Lucia Puenzo (Argentina/France/Spain)
La Zona, Rodrigo Pià (Mexico)

Special Presentation
Days of Darkness, Denys Arcand (Québec/Canada),
Anna M, Michel Spinoza (France),
L’Avocat de la Terreur, Barbet Schroeder (France),
Les Chansons d’amour, Christophe Honoré (France),
Christopher Columbus, the Enigma, Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal),
Fados, Carlos Saura (Portugal/Spain),
La fille coupée en deux, Claude Chabrol (France),
Fugitive Pieces, Jeremy Podeswa (Canada),
I’m not there, Todd Haynes (United States),
Import/Export, Ulrich Seidl (Austria),
Lumière silencieuse, Carlos Reygadas (Mexico/France),
The Man from London, Bela Tarr (HongKong/France/Germany/U.K),
My Winnipeg, Guy Maddin (Canada),
Nightwatching, Peter Greenaway (U.K/Canada/France/Germany/Poland/Netherlands),
Nous les vivants, Roy Andersson (Sweden),
La Question humaine, Nicolas Klotz (France),
Redacted, Brian de Palma (United States),
Retour en Normandie, Nicolas Philibert (France),
Les Témoins, André Téchiné (France),
The Tracey Fragments, Bruce McDonald (Canada),
Ulzhan, Volker Schlöndorff (France, Russia, Kazakhstan)
Yella, Christian Petzold (Germany).

International Panorama
La Antena, Esteban Sapir (Argentina),
Bakushi, Ryuichi Hiroki (Japan),
Les Ballets de ci de là, Alain Platel (Belgium),
California Dreamin’, Christian Nemescu (Romania),
Counterparts, Jan Bonny (Germany),
Cowboy Angels, Kim Massee (France),
Deficit, Gael Garcia Bernal (Mexico),
Elle s’appelle Sabine, Sandrine Bonnaire (France),
Et toi t’es sur qui?, Lola Doillon (France),
Foreigner, Inés de Oliveira Cézar (Argentina),
Hold the Door, Mark Johnson (United States),
I love Hip Hop in Morocco, Joshua Asen (United States),
In the Shadow of Light, Sarah Payton (Netherlands),
Incha Allah, Ben Vandoorne (Belgium),
Itcheri Kenti, Florent Marcie (Russia),
Le Jour où j’ai eu 100 ans, Gene Barbe (France),
Le lait sur le feu, Raphaël Girardot and Vincent Gaullier (France),
Maurice Pialat, l’amour existe, Anne-Marie Faux and Jean-Pierre Devillers (France),
Les méduses, Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret (France/Israel),
Morceaux de conversation avec Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Fleischer (France),
Nothing else matters, Julia Von Heinz (Germany),
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parronaud (France),
Pretty in the Face, Nate Meyer (United States),
Samba!, Adam Stephan (Brazil),
Surya, Florence Aigner and Laurent Van Lacker (Belgium).

Focus Québec/Canada
A Promise to the Dead, Peter Raymont (Canada),
American Venus, Bruce Sweeny (Canada),
Second Sight, Alison McAlpine (Quebec/Canada),
The Bodybuilder and I, Bryan Friedman (Canada),
La Capture, Carole Laure (Quebec/Canada),
Damage Done, Connie Littlefield (Canada),
Le Dernier Envol, Yves Langlois (Quebec/Canada),
Ice Cream, Jean (Leloup) Leclerc (Quebec/Canada),
Les plus beaux yeux du monde, Charlotte Laurier and Pascal Courchesne (Quebec/Canada),
Poor Boy’s Game, Clément Virgo (Canada),
Le Ring, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette (Quebec/Canada),
Unbuckling my Bible Belt, Patricia Tassinari (Quebec/Canada),
Suivre Catherine, Jeanne Crépeau (Quebec/Canada)
Up the Yangtzi, Yung Chang (Quebec/Canada)
Young People Fucking, Martin Gero (Canada).

Temps Ø
Dainipponjin, Hitoshi Matsumoto (Japan),
Bog of Beasts, Claudio Assis (Brazil),
Daisy Diamond, Simon Staho (Denmark),
Eye in the Sky, Nai-Hoi Yau (Hong Kong),
I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK, Park Chan-Wook (South Korea),
Lynch, Blackland White (United States),
Ploy, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand),
Smiley Face, Gregg Araki (United States),
Sperm, Taweewat Wantha (Thailand)
VHS Kaloucha, Nejib Belkadhi (Tunisia)