THE FATWA – SALMAN’S STORY AND ROAD MOVIE, A PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS
Montréal – The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is proud to present its Opening Night and Awards Ceremony in one of Montreal’s finest cultural institutions: the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The film The Fatwa – Salman’s story by Jill Nicholls will open the FIFA’s 31st edition on Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. and on the eve of the closing of the Festival, the film Road movie, un portrait de John Adams / Road Movie, a Portrait of John Adams by director Mark Kidel will be presented on the Awards Ceremony, held on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m.
Please note that the Opening Night and Awards Ceremony are by invitation only.
www.artfifa.com/
PUBLIC SCREENINGS
The general public will be able to see the film The Fatwa – Salman’s story, on March 16 at 4 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Grande Bibilothèque in the Special Event Series presented by Loto-Québec, as well as on March 22 at 9 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Grande Bibilothèque. The film Road movie, un portrait de John Adams / Road Movie, a Portrait of John Adams will be screened on March 19 at 9 p.m. at the Cinquième Salle of the Place des Arts.
THE FATWA – SALMAN’S STORY
United Kingdom / 2012 / colour / 80 min / English, French subtitltes
Indian-born novelist Salman Rushdie (born in 1947), author of The Satanic Verses, tells for the first time the gripping inside story of how it felt to be sentenced to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989. For the next decade, his life was not his own, as he moved from safe house to safe house, fearing for his then-nine-year-old son’s life and hearing horrific news about his publishers and translators being threatened, attacked and killed. Coinciding with the publication of Joseph Anton, Rushdie’s memoir of his life under the fatwa, the BBC obtained unique access to the man and his family, friends and colleagues who gave him shelter, to the publisher who nearly died for him, and to the Cambridge don from whom he first heard the story of Mohammed and the satanic verses while still a student.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR JILL NICHOLLS
Jill Nicholls, a Cambridge University graduate in English literature, has been producing and directing documentaries for major British television networks since 1995.
Regarding this film, René Rozon, founder and president of FIFA, said "In art, freedom of expression is vital. By choosing this opening film, we wanted to highlight the audacity of Salman Rushdie, the risk he took, and the courage he showed when his life was at stake "
ROAD MOVIE, UN PORTRAIT DE JOHN ADAMS / ROAD MOVIE, A PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS
France / 2012 / colour, b. and w. / 59 min / English, French subtitles
John Adams (born in 1947) is widely acknowledged as America’s greatest contemporary composer and the most-played living composer in the world. His music reflects the cultural diversity and the rich, complex musical history of his country. This portrait sheds light on the ties between the man, his era, and his music, exploring his sources of inspiration and his influences. It attempts to reveal the unique nature of his musical discourse and the stylistic intermingling that has marked his work in recent decades. The film also draws on a rich collection of archives, consisting of live and recorded musical excerpts.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR MARK KIDEL
A director and screenwriter who specializes in films about the arts and music, Mark Kidel works in France and the United Kingdom. He cofounded the WOMAD world music festival with Peter Gabriel.
"John Adams, the composer of more communicative, modern music is understandable and accessible to all for our utmost happiness" said René Rozon about this work.
Special events of the 31st FIFA - Exchanges and reflections on art
Montreal – Over the course of 11 days, FIFA is offering a staggering selection of nearly 250 films on art. To follow up on some of the social and aesthetic questions they raise, the Festival is also offering, from March 5 to April 7, a series of 27 special events presented by Loto-Québec, featuring various Quebec and international personalities, including Naïm Kattan, Denis Gagnon, Johanne Corneau, Ed Pien, Isabelle Blais, Jan Peacock, Gerald Fox, Anne-Marie Tougas, Michel Dallaire and Geneviève Rioux.
Montreal is a city very much in the news, diverse and complex. Its social, human and artistic dimensions make it an atypical North American city, yet we have rarely had the chance to discuss this with its actors, artisans and personalities. The special events of the 31st FIFA allow us to do just this, to meet its surprising artists and to better understand the multiple facets of creation and its impact on our society.
Twenty-seven special events are on the program, exploring a variety of subjects: the musical identity of Montreal; the pillaging of art works; the commercialization of fashion; the recent upheavals in photojournalism; graffiti in the urban environment; sexuality in comic books; performance art… Events not be missed—and accessible to all!
Zon’Arts – Diane Obomsawin – Fleur and Machine (free admission)
March 5 to 24
Place des Arts, Exhibition room of the Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme
Media arts – audio-visual installation – animation – comic strip – image
Known for her animated films and comic books, Diane Obomsawin continues her explorations of the moving image, and of stories in which humans coexist with nature. The filmmaker will present two animated films, Fleur and Machine, inviting us to reflect upon the entirely relative importance of human inventions and machines.
Cinematic Tableaux – Gerald Fox (free admission)
March 14 to 24
Cinémathèque québécoise, Luce-Guilbeault Hall
Media arts – exhibition – multimedia – film – tribute
This exhibition by Gerald Fox will provide a brief survey of the multimedia projects of Gerald Fox. Inspired by a site or a work of art, each project explores its subject through digitally processed images presented in a multi-screen installation. Vernissage: March 17, 5 p.m. (free admission).
Wallpaper – Ed Pien (free admission)
March 15 to April 7
Cinémathèque québécoise, Norman-McLaren Theatre
Media arts – video installation – decoration – drawing
A reflection on both the aesthetics of chinoiserie and the themes of ornamental decoration, this video installation uses an animated language of floral motifs to plunge viewers into a totally immersive visual experience.
Vernissage (free admission)
March 15, 5 p.m.
Cinémathèque québécoise, Norman-McLaren Theatre
In the presence of both the artist Ed Pien and curator Karl-Gilbert Murray at the Salle Claude-Jutra, 6:30 p.m.
Followed by
Jouer / Play – Ed Pien (entry fees) (in French and English)
Presentation of videos and filmed performances. Discussion In the presence of both the artist and curator Karl-Gilbert Murray.
Tribute to Jan Peacock – Programs I and II (in English)
Media arts - visual arts - cinema
I. The First 10 Years: 1977-1987 | Jan PeacockFriday, 15 March, 6:30 p.m. – Phi Centre, Espace B
II. Works between 1995 and 2012 | Jan PeacockSaturday, March 16, 6:30 p.m. – Phi Centre, Espace B
This tribute to Jan Peacock, winner of the 2012 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, comprises two programs of videos discussed by both the artist and curator Nicole Gingras. The vulnerability of the body and sense of touch, the fragility of the contact points between language and memory: these are among the leitmotifs of this selection of works.
From Montréal (in French and English)
Friday, March 15, 6:30 p.m.
Place des Arts, 5e salle
Screening – discussion – documentary – music – society – Montreal
The documentary From Montréal raises questions about Montreal’s cultural and artistic identity. Is the coexistence of English- and French-speaking musicians a sign of things to come? Journalists Brendan Kelly, Lorraine Carpenter andAlexandre Vigneault will share their views on this musical interfusion. Hosted by Olivier Robillard-Laveaux.
Montage / Montage – Johannes Zits (in French and English)
Saturday, March 16, 9 p.m.
Phi Centre, Espace B
Media arts – performance – visual arts – photography – computer graphics
Creating a highly sensory visual world, Johannes Zits here establishes a parallel between the idealized image of the male body and the aesthetic injunctions of media and technology. Juxtaposing the fixed photographic image against the more dynamic video image, the work’s computer graphics serve to alter our visual perception. The Toronto artist will introduce us to his body of works and conclude with a live performance entitled Monticules de neige / Snow Mounds. In the presence of curator Karl-Gilbert Murray.
The Satanic Verses: Salman Rushdie (in French and English)
Saturday, March 16, 4 p.m.
Grande Bibliothèque, Auditorium
Screening – discussion – literature – censorship – society – artistic freedom
Following the publication of The Satanic Verses and the fatwa that resulted, Salman Rushdie was forced into hiding. The screening of The Fatwa – Salman's Storywill provide the springboard for an examination of literary censorship. Professors Yumna Siddiqi, Jill Didur, Christian Nadeau and Georges Leroux will discuss the works of this acclaimed author, along with the question of intellectual freedom.
Regard sur le photojournalisme : Dans un océan d’images (in French)
Sunday, March 17, 1:30 p.m. – Cinémathèque québécoise, Claude-Jutra Theatre
Screening – roundtable – sociology of art – photography – new technologies
The film Dans un océan d'imageswill be followed by a roundtable on the recent upheavals in the world of photojournalism. Photographers Michel Huneault, Caroline Hayeur, Roger Lemoyne and Normand Blouin will discuss the challenges posed by new information technologies, while sharing their perspectives on their profession.
Interactions –Jan Peacock presents The Red Tapes by Vito Acconci (in English)
Sunday, March 17, 6:30 p.m.
Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
Media arts – presentation – interactions – video performance
Jan Peacock will present excerpts from Vito Acconci’s The Red Tapes, which had a profound and long-lasting influence on her artistic practice. “I am still very much in a dialogue with this work, thirty-six years after discovering it as a work-in-progress.”
Naïm Kattan, une rencontre (in French)
Sunday, March 17, 6:30 p.m.
Grande Bibliothèque, Auditorium
Screening – discussion – sociology – mixing of cultures – literature – collective memory
The documentary La longueur de l'alphabet provides a unique glimpse into Montreal’s diverse neighbourhoods—sources of identity for multiple cultures. Naïm Kattan will describe his personal journey in both the city and literary world. Accompanying him is director Joe Balass, who captured the vision of this fascinating Quebec author of Jewish-Iraqi descent.
Fernand Leduc, parcours (in French)
Sunday, March 17, 4 p.m.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Maxwell-Cummings Auditorium
Screening – presentation - painting - plastic arts
In Fernand Leduc, la peinture et les mots, the famous signatory of the Refus Global manifesto looks back on his work, shedding light on his artistic vision, motivations and “inner necessity.” The painter’s daughter Isabelle Leduc and director Mario Côté assess his scope and influence. Hosted by art critic Gilles Daigneault.
Huguette Oligny (in French)
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30 p.m.
Place des Arts, 5e salle
Screening – discussion – film – theatre – Canada
Following the premiere of Huguette Oligny, le goût de vivre, director Pascal Gélinas will chat with actors Gilles Pelletier,Françoise Graton, Isabelle Blais, Évelyne Rompré and Françoise Faucher, who will describe their artistic trajectory, from apprenticeship to professional career.
Gerald Fox – Masterclass (in English)
Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 p.m. Cinémathèque québécoise, Claude-Jutra Theatre
The British artist, who is being honoured at this year’s FIFA, will also give a master class. Following the screening ofGerhard Richter, the award-winning British director will describe his artistic path and approach in depicting art and artists on film. Illustrated with clips from his works, and hosted by Robert McNab, documantary filmaker and writer.
Interactions – Autumn Colours after Zhao Mengfu with Hank Bull (in French and English)
Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 p.m. Phi Centre, Espace B
Media arts – lecture – painting – landscape – China
Much-discussed and often copied, Zhao Mengfu’s Autumn Colours on the Qiao and Hua Mountainsis a landmark in the history of Chinese painting. Vancouver artist Hank Bull will talk about landscape painting, both ancient and modern, and present his recent video Autumn Colours after Zhao Mengfu, which is rooted in this tradition.
Raymond Klibansky, un philosophe à l’écran (in French) (Free screening)
Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 p.m.
Grande Bibliothèque, Auditorium
Screening – discussion – philosophy – cultural history – Montreal
The screening of Raymond Klibansky, de la philosophie à la vie provides a unique opportunity to discover the man behind the thinker, a veritable witness to the 20th century. After the film, director Anne-Marie Tougas and Georges Leroux, a professor emeritus in the Philosophy Department of UQÀM, will describe their encounters with this Montreal-based philosopher who died in 2005. Hosted by Marie-Louise Arsenault.
Following the Portrait of Wally (in English)
Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 p.m.Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Maxwell Cummings Auditorium
Screening – presentation – painting – pillage – society
Originally a gesture of love towards his mistress, the portrait of Walburga (“Wally”) Neuzil painted by Egon Schiele in 1912 was looted by the Nazis. Portrait of Wally chronicles the 13-year legal battle for its possession. The film’s producer and screenwriter David D'Arcy will discuss the pillage of artworks during the Holocaust and the ethical questions surrounding their acquisition by cultural institutions. Dr. Clarence Epstein of Concordia University will discuss these issues in the context of the Max Stern Art Restitution Project.
Paul Smaczny – Master Class (in French)
Thursday, March 21, 6:30 p.m.
Cinémathèque québécoise, Claude-Jutra Theatre
Screening – master class – documentary film – music
A filmed performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, a monumental work involving over 500 musicians, conducted byRiccardo Chailly and performed by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. The founder of Accentus Music, producer Paul Smaczny will discuss the special techniques involved in filming live musical performances. Hosted by musicologist Guy Marchand.
Fashion ! (in French)
Thursday, March 21, 6:30 p.m. Place des Arts, 5e salle
Screening – debate – fashion – luxury – society – Quebec designers
In the context of the increasingly close relationship between creators and managers, what are the challenges and benefits of the progressive democratization of luxury? Following the screening of Go Global from the Fashion!documentary series, designers Denis Gagnon, Eve Gravel, José Manuel St-Jacques and Simon Bélanger, along withFrançois Bousquet, director of the École internationale de mode at Collège LaSalle, will discuss the latest developments in the commercialization of Quebec fashion. Hosted by Émilie Perreault. After the discussion, a cocktail party at ARTVstudio will be held, where you will be able to see the exhibition CHEFS DE FIL and meet its Quebec designers.
Bolchoï, une renaissance (in French)
Thursday, March 21, 7 p.m.Canadian Centre for Architecture, Paul Desmarais Theatre
Screening – discussion – architecture – heritage – society
Bolchoï, une renaissance chronicles the joint efforts of architects, engineers and construction workers, who for six years toiled in an immense construction site to resurrect the former glory of this iconic Russian theatre. After the screening, architect Claude Provencher, industrial designer Michel Dallaire, curator Jacques Des Rochers from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Dinu Bumbaru from Heritage Montreal will ponder the architectural and ethical implications of this restoration, citing in particular the example of the Erskine and American Church, now the Bourgie Pavilion of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Also participating will be director Denis Sneguirev.
Super 8 – The Cinema according to John Porter (in French and English)
Thursday, March 21, 9 p.m.
Cinémathèque québécoise, Claude-Jutra Theatre
Media Arts – screening – cinema – performance
John Porter will present a series of fifteen Super 8 films made since 1976. Some are screen-projected in the traditional manner, while others are “performed” by the filmmaker. Projector in hand, he scatters images onto all available surfaces: wall, floor, ceiling, architectural details of the room, etc. These “condensed rituals,” “camera dances” or “projector dances,” as he describes them, are unique and memorable sensory experiences.
Making a Name, un art urbain (in French and English)
Friday, March 22, 6:30 p.m.
Place des Arts, 5e salle
Screening – discussion – street art – graffiti – sociology – Montreal
Since 1995, director Patrick O'Connor has enjoyed special access to Montreal’s top graffiti artists, which resulted in a highly vivid portrait of this expressive genre. The screening of Making a Namewill provide an opportunity to analyze the creative mechanisms underlying this urban art form. The film’s director, along with Sterling Downey, Raphaelle Proulx,Kristopher Murray, Roadsworth and FLUKE from the A’Shop Studio will discuss the movement’s social dimension. Hosted by Melissa Proetti from the Under Pressure graffiti festival.
Les enjeux de la médiation culturelle (in French) (Free screening)
Saturday, March 23, 1:30 p.m. Cinémathèque québécoise, Claude-Jutra Theatre
Screening – discussion – cultural mediation – society – community
The television series La médiation culturelle: créer ensemble (Canal Savoir) deals with the sphere of activities related to building bridges between art, culture and society. With excerpts from the four shows, director Marie-Claude Fournier, photographer Caroline Hayeur, Michel Vallée, director of the Arts and Cultural Services of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, and Pierre-Paul Savoie, the artistic director of PPS Danse, will discuss the impact of outreach activities on the community. Hosted by Eva Quintas, the project director of Culture pour tous.
Modern Ruins, entre déclin et renouveau (in French)
Saturday, March 23, 1:30 p.m.
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Paul Desmarais Theatre
Screening – discussion – architecture – redevelopment – urban projects
Modern Ruins–Detroit: Hope for the Motor Citylooks at the reappropriation of abandoned sites in an industrial city in decline. The screening will be accompanied by a discussion of the role of citizens in developing urban projects. With the participation of those active in the Bâtiment 7 redevelopment project, including Caroline Andrieux from Quartier Éphémère and Mark Poddubiuk, a professor at UQÀM’s School of Design.
Corno, une rencontre (in French)
Saturday, March 23, 4 p.m.
Place des Arts, 5e salle
Screening – meeting – painting
Known for their flamboyant colours and spirited brushwork, the works of Corno have attracted worldwide attention. After the screening of Corno, you are invited to the ARTVstudio for a cocktail and meeting with artist Johanne Corneau, director Guy Édoin and producer Martin Bisaillon. Hosted by Émilie Perreault.
Sex in the ComiX (in French)
Saturday, March 23, 6:30 p.m.
Cinémathèque québécoise, Claude-Jutra Theatre
Screening – roundtable – comics – sexuality – Quebec
Sex in the ComiX explores its subject through the works of some of the genre’s most prominent artists. In a roundtable discussion, cartoonists Jacques Boivin, Nicolas Plamondon and Rick Trembles, as well as Hélène Brosseau, a comic book specialist at the Librairie Monet, will trace the history of the erotic comic in Quebec. Also taking part is director Joëlle Oosterlinck.
Crée-moi, crée-moi pas, la création au féminin (in French)
Saturday, March 23, 6:30 p.m.
Place des Arts, 5e salle
Screening – presentation – feminism – society – plastic arts
The film Crée-moi, crée-moi pas portrays diverse aspects of the artist-mother duality. After the screening, directorMarie-Pascale Laurencelle, actress Geneviève Rioux, filmmaker Marquise Lepage, artist Frédérique Ulman-Gagné and others will discuss the role of women in art and the challenges that motherhood presents in forging a successful career.
31st INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FILMS ON ART 248 REASONS TO EMBRACE ART! March 14 to 24, 2013
Montreal – FIFA’s founding director René Rozon is proud to announce the program of the 31st International Festival of Films on Art, to be held from March 14 to 24.
Presented in association with Astral, this edition has everything to please art-lovers. In addition to 248 films from 28 countries, a wide array of special events has been planned, including meetings with artists, exhibitions, performances, installations, roundtables, tributes and master classes. What’s more, the International Market of Films on Arts (MIFA) is back this year, as is our Children’s Screening for a second year in row. In other words, a diverse and dazzling program.
CANADIAN AND QUEBEC FILMS
STREET ART
In Making a Name, Patrick O’Connor penetrates the world of Montreal graffiti artists, showing the tensions that exist in this clandestine art form.
DANCE
A Morte in braccio, by Mario Côté, pays homage to Jeanne Renaud’s choreography Déformité and Handel’s aria Scherza Infida. Ce sont eux, by Yves St-Pierre and Sylvain Poirier, is a poetic portrait of 42 dancers from three generations, who have all contributed to the development of Quebec dance.
LITERATURE
In competition, Justin Simms’ film Hard Light / Lumière Crue draws a portrait of Newfoundland and its inhabitants through the writings of poet-novelist Michael Crummey.Also in competition, Joe Balass’s La Longueur de l’alphabetfocuses on the Quebec-based man of letters Naïm Kattan, who has a unique perspective on contemporary history.
FINE CRAFTS
With Azulejos. Une utopie céramique, Luís de Moura Sobral attempts to explain how this five-century-old technique has given rise to a major form of monumental decoration.
PAINTING
In Aakideh: The Art & Legacy of Carl Beam, Paul Eichhorn traces the artistic path of Ojibway artist Carl Beam, who influenced an entire generation of Aboriginal artists. In Corno, Guy Édoin enters the studio of Quebec artist Johanne Corneau, who achieved international acclaim in New York. Alan Collins’ Drowning in Colour, The Art of Wayne Boucherimmerses viewers into the world of this Abstract artist from Nova Scotia. Mario Côté’s latest production, Fernand Leduc, la peinture et les mots, provides a retrospective look at the career of this legendary Quebec painter, a signatory of the Refus Global manifesto. Land of the Chartreuse Moose: The Life and Legacy of Ted Harrison, byMonty Bassett, presents the Yukon’s best-known painter, a British artist who fell in love with the Canadian landscape. William Kurelek’s The Maze, by Robert M. Young, recounts this Canadian artist’s life through his paintings and on-camera revelations. In Yvon Goulet, peintre marginal?, Pierre Blackburn focuses on the first Montreal artist to depict openly gay themes, and a body of works that spans three decades.
PHOTOGRAPHY
In Helen Doyle’s Dans un océan d’images, the works of several photojournalists in Algeria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Cambodia help us to better understand the world’s upheavals and chaos.
THEATRE
A film in competition, Marie-Pascale Laurencelle’s Crée-moi, crée-moi pasponders the artist-mother duality;Geneviève Rioux interviews Nancy Huston, Agnès Jaoui, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Évelyne de la Chenelière, Mylène Roy, Valérie Blass and Béatrice Bonifassi. Gilles Pelletier, un cœur de marin, directed by Pascal Gélinas, looks back on the career of this eminent figure of Quebec theatre and television, who started out to become a sailor. In competition, Pascal Gélinas’ Huguette Oligny, le goût de vivre testifies to the wisdom of this great Quebec actress, who expounds on topics dear to her: her happiness at growing older, her past suffering, her children, her faith in God.
In Making a Name, Patrick O’Connor penetrates the world of Montreal graffiti artists, showing the tensions that exist in this clandestine art form.
DANCE
A Morte in braccio, by Mario Côté, pays homage to Jeanne Renaud’s choreography Déformité and Handel’s aria Scherza Infida. Ce sont eux, by Yves St-Pierre and Sylvain Poirier, is a poetic portrait of 42 dancers from three generations, who have all contributed to the development of Quebec dance.
LITERATURE
In competition, Justin Simms’ film Hard Light / Lumière Crue draws a portrait of Newfoundland and its inhabitants through the writings of poet-novelist Michael Crummey.Also in competition, Joe Balass’s La Longueur de l’alphabetfocuses on the Quebec-based man of letters Naïm Kattan, who has a unique perspective on contemporary history.
FINE CRAFTS
With Azulejos. Une utopie céramique, Luís de Moura Sobral attempts to explain how this five-century-old technique has given rise to a major form of monumental decoration.
PAINTING
In Aakideh: The Art & Legacy of Carl Beam, Paul Eichhorn traces the artistic path of Ojibway artist Carl Beam, who influenced an entire generation of Aboriginal artists. In Corno, Guy Édoin enters the studio of Quebec artist Johanne Corneau, who achieved international acclaim in New York. Alan Collins’ Drowning in Colour, The Art of Wayne Boucherimmerses viewers into the world of this Abstract artist from Nova Scotia. Mario Côté’s latest production, Fernand Leduc, la peinture et les mots, provides a retrospective look at the career of this legendary Quebec painter, a signatory of the Refus Global manifesto. Land of the Chartreuse Moose: The Life and Legacy of Ted Harrison, byMonty Bassett, presents the Yukon’s best-known painter, a British artist who fell in love with the Canadian landscape. William Kurelek’s The Maze, by Robert M. Young, recounts this Canadian artist’s life through his paintings and on-camera revelations. In Yvon Goulet, peintre marginal?, Pierre Blackburn focuses on the first Montreal artist to depict openly gay themes, and a body of works that spans three decades.
PHOTOGRAPHY
In Helen Doyle’s Dans un océan d’images, the works of several photojournalists in Algeria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Cambodia help us to better understand the world’s upheavals and chaos.
THEATRE
A film in competition, Marie-Pascale Laurencelle’s Crée-moi, crée-moi pasponders the artist-mother duality;Geneviève Rioux interviews Nancy Huston, Agnès Jaoui, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Évelyne de la Chenelière, Mylène Roy, Valérie Blass and Béatrice Bonifassi. Gilles Pelletier, un cœur de marin, directed by Pascal Gélinas, looks back on the career of this eminent figure of Quebec theatre and television, who started out to become a sailor. In competition, Pascal Gélinas’ Huguette Oligny, le goût de vivre testifies to the wisdom of this great Quebec actress, who expounds on topics dear to her: her happiness at growing older, her past suffering, her children, her faith in God.
INTERNATIONAL SELECTION
ANIMATION
As part of the Children’s Corner presented at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Les 4 saisons d’Antoine,by Philippe Béziat, relates the story of a 10-year-old boy whose grandfather gives him a magical book for his birthday, from which an orchestra emerges, playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons… With Le Songe chorégraphique de M. Malade,Frédéric St-Hilaire presents a unique stop-motion fantasy choreographed with Lego figures.
ARCHEOLOGY
Angkor : la civilisation engloutie,by Saléha Gherdane, attempts to penetrate the mysteries behind the disappearance of the capital of the Khmer Empire, the world’s largest city in the 13th century. Frédéric Wilner’s La Fin de l’âge des pyramides sheds light on the collapse of the Old Kingdom, the golden age of ancient Egypt, after a terrible revolution left the pharaonic monuments in ruins.
ARCHITECTURE
The Barrágan House—A Universal Value,by Tufic Makhlouf Akl, takes us inside the home of the celebrated Mexican artist Luis Barrágan, a unique architectural structure that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Denis Sneguirev’sBolchoï, une renaissance chronicles the titantic efforts of architects, engineers and workers to restore the former glory of this iconic Russian theatre. Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line,by Muffie Dunn and Tom Piper,underscores the New York agency’s creative efforts to renovate and revitalize the city’s architecture. Filmed in all four seasons, Kenneth Love’s Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterwork traces the genesis of this extraordinary vacation home built directly over a waterfall. In Matti Reinikka’s Helsinki Music Centre—Prelude, the four main protagonists describe the birth of this concert hall and the controversy sparked by its enormous cost. Alice Agneskirchner’s Modern Ruins—Detroit: Hope for the Motor City describes the various ways artists are trying to reappropriate and reinvigorate a city in steep decline. Director Giosuè Boetto Cohen, in Paolo Soleri: A Town to Save Mankind, elucidates the works of this Turin-born architect and urban planner, along with his concept of “arcology,” the basis for his self-sustainable city in the Arizona desert. Sagrada: Le mystère de la création,by Stephan Haupt, traces the origins of this cathedral designed by the visionary Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Under construction since 1882, it is still only half-finished.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Art 21—Art in the Twenty-First Century: History, directed by Susan Sollins, shows the extent to which the works of artists Glenn Ligon, Mary Reid Kelley and Marina Abramovic are tied to history, each artist challenging preconceived ideas about historical “truths” and forging links between past and present events. In Behind the Wall, Rolando Javier Almirante Castillo and Sebastián Cordero recall the stages of the “Behind the Wall” project, which involved 25 Cuban artists at the 11th International Biennale in Havana. In La Crucifixion, le scandale sacré, Olivier Besse demonstrates how the Church has used the image of the crucifixion to its own advantage for centuries, and how the icon has been reappropriated—often scandalously—by secular contemporary artists. In Mémoire des fluides — Giuseppe Penone sculpteur, Giampaolo Penco followed over the course of a year this leading exponent of “Arte Povera,” which attempted to return art to what is truly essential, to the core relationship between nature and culture. In Sol Lewitt,Chris Teerink presents a rare portrait of a discreet and private man who refused prizes, did not want his picture taken and hardly ever gave interviews. For him, what mattered was the work. Victoria Clay Mendoza’s Sophie Calle, sans titre looks back at the career of an artist who made her own life the focus of her art, incorporating her own writings, photos, videos and personal objects: veritable traces and symbols of her existence.
COMIC STRIP
Richard Hamon’s Patrice Pellerin, l’histoire par la banderecounts the genesis of L’Épervier, set in the 18th century, which leapt from bookstore bins to television screens around the world, selling nearly a million copies in the process. InSex in the ComiX,Joëlle Oosterlinck explores his subject through the works of some of the genre’s most prominent artists. In King of Comics,Rosa Von Praunheim profiles Ralf König, who has drawn the ire of numerous institutions for his mockery of Judeo-Christian myths, Islam, the police and stereotypes, using the imagery of the gay world with finesse and humour.
COLLECTIONS
Koert Davidse’s Asian Delight profiles Ferry Bertholet, who has collected Chinese erotic art for more than thirty years, most of which would have been banned and destroyed in China. In Dans les pas de Joseph Conrad, Paul Ouazan illustrates the young novelist’s voyage up the Congo River as a steamer captain, using photographs from the collection of Arnaud Delas. Andrew Shea’s documentary Portrait of Wally recounts the battle for control of this portrait of Walburga Neuzil created by Austrian artist Egon Schiele in 1912, which was pillaged by the Nazis.
DANCE
Sonia Herman Dolz’s The Ballet Masters shows how choreographic history is handed down, how crucial knowledge is transferred from one generation of dancers to the next, without which the heritage of classical ballet would be lost. InJoffrey: Mavericks of American Dance,Bob Hercules demonstrates how the Joffrey Ballet has renewed dance, shattering the aesthetic codes to create a modern dance based on ballet techniques and popular and rock music. Merce Cunningham, la danse en héritage,by Marie-Hélène Rebois, looks at the extraordinary career of this American choreographer who revolutionized contemporary dance, and the challenge of preserving his heritage. Rain,directed by Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes, follows the rehearsal process of the illustrious Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris, who performed Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Rain in 2011. The result of a close collaboration with Australian jazz musician Mick Nock, Sue Healey’s Virtuosi presents portraits of eight talented New Zealand dancers, who have left their homeland to make their mark on the international stage.
DESIGN
Claudio Zulian’s Fortuny and the Magic Lantern features the creations of Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, who revolutionized the fashion of his time with his textiles, photographs, prints, lamps and sculptures. La Poussette Maclaren,by Anna-Célia Kendall, recounts the story of the Maclaren B-01 stroller, designed by an aerospace engineer for a generation of discriminating and highly mobile parents. In Scandinavian Design,Lone Krüger sheds light on the long and rich tradition of design in Scandinavian countries, explaining how these traditions have been refined, reinterpreted or rejected by younger designers. The Successor of Kakiemon, by Suzanne Raes, describes how the secrets of this near-mythical Japanese porcelain have been passed on from father to son for fourteen generations, and how its survival is threatened in the modern era.
LITERATURE
In Amélie Nothomb, une vie entre deux eaux,Luca Chiari revisits the memories and emotions of the Belgian novelist, who spent the first five years of her life in Japan. The Dreams of William Golding, by Adam Low, looks back on the life and career of the author of The Lord of the Flies, revealing his obsessions, dreams and demons. The Fatwa—Salman’s Story, byJillNichols, examines literary censorship and the death sentence imposed on the author of The Satanic Verses. In Frankenstein: A Modern Myth, Adam Low examines this gothic masterpiece that continues to influence several generations of artists, including Danny Boyle at the National Theatre in London, where we get an exclusive look at rehearsals and interviews with the major players. Leila Férault-Levy’s Gao Xingjian, celui qui marche seul looks back on the career of the first Chinese recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2000), who has lived in exile since his works were banned in his homeland. With Harper Lee: Hey, Boo,Mary McDonagh examines the only novel ever published by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, which won the Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar for its screen adaptation. Blandine Armand’s Michel Butor, l’écrivain migrateur explores the world of this staggeringly prolific author, who has published over 2,000 books, in all narrative forms, over his fifty-year career. Water Marked,by Rax Rinnekangas, relates the story of a half-Jewish photographer who arrives in Venice in winter to contemplate the beauty of the “other Leningrad,” which inspired the exiled Nobel Prize-winning Russian poet Joseph Brodsky.
FASHION
Coeur de papier: Isabelle de Borchgrave, directed by Janick Cardiec, is a journey into the haute couture world of the Belgian designer and stylist who creates 18th century shoes, Coco Chanel knock-offs and Marie-Antoinette’s bathrobe—all life-sized and made of paper. In L’impressionnisme, éloge de la mode,Anne Andreu explains how the painting of this period depicted fashion, how it gave clothing a central role in everyday life, turning accessories into symbols of seduction. The series of three films by Olivier Nicklaus entitled Fashion! spans three decades, from 1980 to the present, showing the creations of the world’s greatest designers. In Golden Eighties, Antifashion and Go Global, we witness the end of the reign of Yves Saint-Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy and the emergence of Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaïa. Nicolas Ghesquière, Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld.
MUSEUMS
Louvre-Lens, la galerie du temps, by Michaël Gaumnitz, takes us to an astonishing museum, a veritable time machine that employs the very latest display technologies. La Main tendue, les arts de l’Islam au Louvre,by Richard Copans, chronicles the birth of this Islamic Arts department at the Louvre, taking viewers to Agra, Istanbul, Cairo and Cordoba. In Orsay,Bruno Ulmer traces the history of the Musée d’Orsay, which has become the world’s finest showcase of 19th century art, with masterpieces by Manet, Degas, Courbet, Monet and Renoir.
MUSIC
In Amy Winehouse—The Day She Came to Dingle, Maurice Linnane captures the famous singer’s appearance on Other Voices, an Irish television series filmed in Dingle every winter; after leaving the stage, a relaxed and happy Amy talks about her music and influences. In Andy Sommer’s Atom Heart Mother, British composer Ron Geesin analyzes this concept album by Pink Floyd, which was to become a landmark in music history. In Je suis venu vous dire… Gainsbourg by Ginzburg, Pierre-Henry Salfati portrays this consummate artist and provocateur through rare or never-seen-before interviews with the singer himself, who touched on all styles of music. Coinciding with the centenary of the birth of John Cage, Paul Smaczny’s John Cage—Journeys in Sound combines rare archival footage, concert excerpts and interviews to reveal the many facets of this revolutionary sound inventor, performance artist and Zen master. Le Mystère musical coréen,by Thierry Loreau, sheds light on the unprecedented success of South Korean musicians on the Western classical stage. Nicola Benedetti,by Christopher Walker, portrays this Italian-born Scottish violinist through concert footage and her volunteer work with underprivileged children. In No Ideas But in Things—The Composer Alvin Lucier, Viola Rusche looks back on the life and career of this composer of genius. Pinkfonik,by Sergio R. Zaurin, tells the story of two musicians in a car who watch helplessly as a confrontation between rioting students and police prevents them from getting to a rehearsal, just one day before the biggest event in their lives: a symphonic tribute to British rockers Pink Floyd. Punkt: A Revolution in Live Composing,by Guillaume Dero, examines the Punkt Festival in Norway, where concerts on the main stage are remixed immediately in a studio open to the public. With Road movie, un portrait de John Adams, Mark Kidel explores the works of a musician who is widely acknowledged as America’s greatest contemporary composer. Also directed by Mark Kidel, Set the Piano Stool on Fire captures a meeting between 14-year-old Kit Armstrong, a gifted young musician, mathematician and philosopher, and his mentor, renowned pianist Alfred Brendel.
OPERA
Susan Froemke’s James Levine: America’s Maestro reveals how the celebrated music director transformed the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra into one of the best in the world. Wagner’s Dream,also directed bySusan Froemke, follows Robert Lepage’s efforts to realize Wagner’s dream of staging a Ring using only one set for all four cycles of the work.
PAINTING
With Amos Ferguson, Match Me if You Can,Karen Arthur pays tribute to the Bahamas’ most prolific and significant artist. Cosmos Runge, the Dawn of Romanticism, by Nathalie David, is a poetic documentary about Philipp Otto Runge, the most important painter, with Caspar David Friedrich, of German Romanticism. Martin Fraudreau’s David et la mort de Marat — Un peintre en révolution describes French painter David’s assignment to depict the murder of the journalist Marat as a symbol of the French Revolution. In Degas, le corps mis à nu,Sandra Paugam shows how the French painter revolutionized the way in which the female body was represented. Edgar Howard, in Eric Fischl: The Process of Painting,looks back on the career of a figurative painter with a brutal pictorial language, who consistently went against the current of his time. In the documentary Joan Miro: The Ladder of Escape,Carroll Moore explores the influences on the Catalonian painter: Dada, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, as well as the tragic events of the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, and Franco’s dictatorship. Léger au front, by Philippe Lanfranchi, presents the horrors of the First World War through the eyes of painter Fernand Léger, who served as a stretcher-bearer for almost four years.Rolf Iseli, dialogue avec les traces du temps,by Claude Stadelamann, presents the work of a painter who derived inspiration from hundreds of dinosaur tracks dating back 150 million years. InSalvador Dali, génie tragi-comique,François Lévy-Kuentz describes the complex personality of the Surrealist and the myth he spent his entire life creating. La Toile blanche d’Edward Hopper / Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas, by Jean-Pierre Devillers, reveals the fierce independence of a painter who remained hostile to the limitations of modern American art, which tended toward abstraction. Without Gorky,by Cosima Spender, takes us through the family’s pain and tribulations in the aftermath of the Armenian painter’s suicide.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters,by Ben Shapiro, explores the influential artist’s haunting, surreal and highly elaborate portraits of suburban life. In The Man Who Invented Himself—Duane Michals,Camille Guichard provides a glimpse into the life of the octogenarian American photographer, visiting the places that influenced his work, including Pittsburgh, New York and the wilds of Vermont. La Nouvelle objectivité allemande,by Stan Neumann, sheds light on the Düsseldorf School, which included some of the 20th century’s most influential photographers. With Le Siècle de Cartier-Bresson,Pierre Assouline depicts the 20th century through the eyes and words of the famous French photographer, with the aid of archival documents, film clips, drawings and photographs. Voyage in Time,by Tung-Yen Chou, is a profile of acrobat-dancer Ming-Cheng Huang, who photographed himself performing handstands at various sites around the world.
SCULPTURE
Kenny Dalsheimer’s Bending Sticks: The Sculpture of Patrick Dougherty celebrates the 25-year career of the world-renowned environmental artist, as he creates site-specific sculptures out of nothing more than saplings. Alain Fleischer’s Brancusi was shot entirely at the Atelier Brancusi in Paris, which the artist left in his will to the French state, along with surprisingly rich amateur footage shot by the artist himself. In Reinhoud, mon sculpteur,Blaise D’Haese films his father, the Flemish sculptor and former member of the Cobra group, during the last two years of his life.
THEATRE
Krzysztof Rzaczynski’s In the Cause of the Spirit follows Polish theatre director Jerzy Jarocki (1929-2012) as he works on his final production: a play based on the epic poems of Juliusz Slowacki, a central figure in Polish romanticism. In the biography Jonathan Miller, David Thompson describes the multiple talents of this British theatre director, author, photographer, sculptor, filmmaker, television host—and trained physician. Suzannah Wander’s Nicholas Hytner portrays the artistic director of the National Theatre in London, who is responsible for such hits as War Horse, One Man, Two Guvnors, History Boys and Miss Saigon. Within a Tempest. The Island, by Laurentiu Damian, outlines the creative process of the acclaimed Romanian stage director, Silviu Purcarete, as he oversees a production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
TRIBUTE
Every year, FIFA pays tribute to a producer, director or distributor who has contributed to the development of films on art. For this 31st edition, the work of filmmaker Gerald Fox will be in the spotlight.
As part of the Children’s Corner presented at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Les 4 saisons d’Antoine,by Philippe Béziat, relates the story of a 10-year-old boy whose grandfather gives him a magical book for his birthday, from which an orchestra emerges, playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons… With Le Songe chorégraphique de M. Malade,Frédéric St-Hilaire presents a unique stop-motion fantasy choreographed with Lego figures.
ARCHEOLOGY
Angkor : la civilisation engloutie,by Saléha Gherdane, attempts to penetrate the mysteries behind the disappearance of the capital of the Khmer Empire, the world’s largest city in the 13th century. Frédéric Wilner’s La Fin de l’âge des pyramides sheds light on the collapse of the Old Kingdom, the golden age of ancient Egypt, after a terrible revolution left the pharaonic monuments in ruins.
ARCHITECTURE
The Barrágan House—A Universal Value,by Tufic Makhlouf Akl, takes us inside the home of the celebrated Mexican artist Luis Barrágan, a unique architectural structure that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Denis Sneguirev’sBolchoï, une renaissance chronicles the titantic efforts of architects, engineers and workers to restore the former glory of this iconic Russian theatre. Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line,by Muffie Dunn and Tom Piper,underscores the New York agency’s creative efforts to renovate and revitalize the city’s architecture. Filmed in all four seasons, Kenneth Love’s Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterwork traces the genesis of this extraordinary vacation home built directly over a waterfall. In Matti Reinikka’s Helsinki Music Centre—Prelude, the four main protagonists describe the birth of this concert hall and the controversy sparked by its enormous cost. Alice Agneskirchner’s Modern Ruins—Detroit: Hope for the Motor City describes the various ways artists are trying to reappropriate and reinvigorate a city in steep decline. Director Giosuè Boetto Cohen, in Paolo Soleri: A Town to Save Mankind, elucidates the works of this Turin-born architect and urban planner, along with his concept of “arcology,” the basis for his self-sustainable city in the Arizona desert. Sagrada: Le mystère de la création,by Stephan Haupt, traces the origins of this cathedral designed by the visionary Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Under construction since 1882, it is still only half-finished.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Art 21—Art in the Twenty-First Century: History, directed by Susan Sollins, shows the extent to which the works of artists Glenn Ligon, Mary Reid Kelley and Marina Abramovic are tied to history, each artist challenging preconceived ideas about historical “truths” and forging links between past and present events. In Behind the Wall, Rolando Javier Almirante Castillo and Sebastián Cordero recall the stages of the “Behind the Wall” project, which involved 25 Cuban artists at the 11th International Biennale in Havana. In La Crucifixion, le scandale sacré, Olivier Besse demonstrates how the Church has used the image of the crucifixion to its own advantage for centuries, and how the icon has been reappropriated—often scandalously—by secular contemporary artists. In Mémoire des fluides — Giuseppe Penone sculpteur, Giampaolo Penco followed over the course of a year this leading exponent of “Arte Povera,” which attempted to return art to what is truly essential, to the core relationship between nature and culture. In Sol Lewitt,Chris Teerink presents a rare portrait of a discreet and private man who refused prizes, did not want his picture taken and hardly ever gave interviews. For him, what mattered was the work. Victoria Clay Mendoza’s Sophie Calle, sans titre looks back at the career of an artist who made her own life the focus of her art, incorporating her own writings, photos, videos and personal objects: veritable traces and symbols of her existence.
COMIC STRIP
Richard Hamon’s Patrice Pellerin, l’histoire par la banderecounts the genesis of L’Épervier, set in the 18th century, which leapt from bookstore bins to television screens around the world, selling nearly a million copies in the process. InSex in the ComiX,Joëlle Oosterlinck explores his subject through the works of some of the genre’s most prominent artists. In King of Comics,Rosa Von Praunheim profiles Ralf König, who has drawn the ire of numerous institutions for his mockery of Judeo-Christian myths, Islam, the police and stereotypes, using the imagery of the gay world with finesse and humour.
COLLECTIONS
Koert Davidse’s Asian Delight profiles Ferry Bertholet, who has collected Chinese erotic art for more than thirty years, most of which would have been banned and destroyed in China. In Dans les pas de Joseph Conrad, Paul Ouazan illustrates the young novelist’s voyage up the Congo River as a steamer captain, using photographs from the collection of Arnaud Delas. Andrew Shea’s documentary Portrait of Wally recounts the battle for control of this portrait of Walburga Neuzil created by Austrian artist Egon Schiele in 1912, which was pillaged by the Nazis.
DANCE
Sonia Herman Dolz’s The Ballet Masters shows how choreographic history is handed down, how crucial knowledge is transferred from one generation of dancers to the next, without which the heritage of classical ballet would be lost. InJoffrey: Mavericks of American Dance,Bob Hercules demonstrates how the Joffrey Ballet has renewed dance, shattering the aesthetic codes to create a modern dance based on ballet techniques and popular and rock music. Merce Cunningham, la danse en héritage,by Marie-Hélène Rebois, looks at the extraordinary career of this American choreographer who revolutionized contemporary dance, and the challenge of preserving his heritage. Rain,directed by Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes, follows the rehearsal process of the illustrious Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris, who performed Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Rain in 2011. The result of a close collaboration with Australian jazz musician Mick Nock, Sue Healey’s Virtuosi presents portraits of eight talented New Zealand dancers, who have left their homeland to make their mark on the international stage.
DESIGN
Claudio Zulian’s Fortuny and the Magic Lantern features the creations of Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, who revolutionized the fashion of his time with his textiles, photographs, prints, lamps and sculptures. La Poussette Maclaren,by Anna-Célia Kendall, recounts the story of the Maclaren B-01 stroller, designed by an aerospace engineer for a generation of discriminating and highly mobile parents. In Scandinavian Design,Lone Krüger sheds light on the long and rich tradition of design in Scandinavian countries, explaining how these traditions have been refined, reinterpreted or rejected by younger designers. The Successor of Kakiemon, by Suzanne Raes, describes how the secrets of this near-mythical Japanese porcelain have been passed on from father to son for fourteen generations, and how its survival is threatened in the modern era.
LITERATURE
In Amélie Nothomb, une vie entre deux eaux,Luca Chiari revisits the memories and emotions of the Belgian novelist, who spent the first five years of her life in Japan. The Dreams of William Golding, by Adam Low, looks back on the life and career of the author of The Lord of the Flies, revealing his obsessions, dreams and demons. The Fatwa—Salman’s Story, byJillNichols, examines literary censorship and the death sentence imposed on the author of The Satanic Verses. In Frankenstein: A Modern Myth, Adam Low examines this gothic masterpiece that continues to influence several generations of artists, including Danny Boyle at the National Theatre in London, where we get an exclusive look at rehearsals and interviews with the major players. Leila Férault-Levy’s Gao Xingjian, celui qui marche seul looks back on the career of the first Chinese recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2000), who has lived in exile since his works were banned in his homeland. With Harper Lee: Hey, Boo,Mary McDonagh examines the only novel ever published by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, which won the Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar for its screen adaptation. Blandine Armand’s Michel Butor, l’écrivain migrateur explores the world of this staggeringly prolific author, who has published over 2,000 books, in all narrative forms, over his fifty-year career. Water Marked,by Rax Rinnekangas, relates the story of a half-Jewish photographer who arrives in Venice in winter to contemplate the beauty of the “other Leningrad,” which inspired the exiled Nobel Prize-winning Russian poet Joseph Brodsky.
FASHION
Coeur de papier: Isabelle de Borchgrave, directed by Janick Cardiec, is a journey into the haute couture world of the Belgian designer and stylist who creates 18th century shoes, Coco Chanel knock-offs and Marie-Antoinette’s bathrobe—all life-sized and made of paper. In L’impressionnisme, éloge de la mode,Anne Andreu explains how the painting of this period depicted fashion, how it gave clothing a central role in everyday life, turning accessories into symbols of seduction. The series of three films by Olivier Nicklaus entitled Fashion! spans three decades, from 1980 to the present, showing the creations of the world’s greatest designers. In Golden Eighties, Antifashion and Go Global, we witness the end of the reign of Yves Saint-Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy and the emergence of Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaïa. Nicolas Ghesquière, Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld.
MUSEUMS
Louvre-Lens, la galerie du temps, by Michaël Gaumnitz, takes us to an astonishing museum, a veritable time machine that employs the very latest display technologies. La Main tendue, les arts de l’Islam au Louvre,by Richard Copans, chronicles the birth of this Islamic Arts department at the Louvre, taking viewers to Agra, Istanbul, Cairo and Cordoba. In Orsay,Bruno Ulmer traces the history of the Musée d’Orsay, which has become the world’s finest showcase of 19th century art, with masterpieces by Manet, Degas, Courbet, Monet and Renoir.
MUSIC
In Amy Winehouse—The Day She Came to Dingle, Maurice Linnane captures the famous singer’s appearance on Other Voices, an Irish television series filmed in Dingle every winter; after leaving the stage, a relaxed and happy Amy talks about her music and influences. In Andy Sommer’s Atom Heart Mother, British composer Ron Geesin analyzes this concept album by Pink Floyd, which was to become a landmark in music history. In Je suis venu vous dire… Gainsbourg by Ginzburg, Pierre-Henry Salfati portrays this consummate artist and provocateur through rare or never-seen-before interviews with the singer himself, who touched on all styles of music. Coinciding with the centenary of the birth of John Cage, Paul Smaczny’s John Cage—Journeys in Sound combines rare archival footage, concert excerpts and interviews to reveal the many facets of this revolutionary sound inventor, performance artist and Zen master. Le Mystère musical coréen,by Thierry Loreau, sheds light on the unprecedented success of South Korean musicians on the Western classical stage. Nicola Benedetti,by Christopher Walker, portrays this Italian-born Scottish violinist through concert footage and her volunteer work with underprivileged children. In No Ideas But in Things—The Composer Alvin Lucier, Viola Rusche looks back on the life and career of this composer of genius. Pinkfonik,by Sergio R. Zaurin, tells the story of two musicians in a car who watch helplessly as a confrontation between rioting students and police prevents them from getting to a rehearsal, just one day before the biggest event in their lives: a symphonic tribute to British rockers Pink Floyd. Punkt: A Revolution in Live Composing,by Guillaume Dero, examines the Punkt Festival in Norway, where concerts on the main stage are remixed immediately in a studio open to the public. With Road movie, un portrait de John Adams, Mark Kidel explores the works of a musician who is widely acknowledged as America’s greatest contemporary composer. Also directed by Mark Kidel, Set the Piano Stool on Fire captures a meeting between 14-year-old Kit Armstrong, a gifted young musician, mathematician and philosopher, and his mentor, renowned pianist Alfred Brendel.
OPERA
Susan Froemke’s James Levine: America’s Maestro reveals how the celebrated music director transformed the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra into one of the best in the world. Wagner’s Dream,also directed bySusan Froemke, follows Robert Lepage’s efforts to realize Wagner’s dream of staging a Ring using only one set for all four cycles of the work.
PAINTING
With Amos Ferguson, Match Me if You Can,Karen Arthur pays tribute to the Bahamas’ most prolific and significant artist. Cosmos Runge, the Dawn of Romanticism, by Nathalie David, is a poetic documentary about Philipp Otto Runge, the most important painter, with Caspar David Friedrich, of German Romanticism. Martin Fraudreau’s David et la mort de Marat — Un peintre en révolution describes French painter David’s assignment to depict the murder of the journalist Marat as a symbol of the French Revolution. In Degas, le corps mis à nu,Sandra Paugam shows how the French painter revolutionized the way in which the female body was represented. Edgar Howard, in Eric Fischl: The Process of Painting,looks back on the career of a figurative painter with a brutal pictorial language, who consistently went against the current of his time. In the documentary Joan Miro: The Ladder of Escape,Carroll Moore explores the influences on the Catalonian painter: Dada, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, as well as the tragic events of the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, and Franco’s dictatorship. Léger au front, by Philippe Lanfranchi, presents the horrors of the First World War through the eyes of painter Fernand Léger, who served as a stretcher-bearer for almost four years.Rolf Iseli, dialogue avec les traces du temps,by Claude Stadelamann, presents the work of a painter who derived inspiration from hundreds of dinosaur tracks dating back 150 million years. InSalvador Dali, génie tragi-comique,François Lévy-Kuentz describes the complex personality of the Surrealist and the myth he spent his entire life creating. La Toile blanche d’Edward Hopper / Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas, by Jean-Pierre Devillers, reveals the fierce independence of a painter who remained hostile to the limitations of modern American art, which tended toward abstraction. Without Gorky,by Cosima Spender, takes us through the family’s pain and tribulations in the aftermath of the Armenian painter’s suicide.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters,by Ben Shapiro, explores the influential artist’s haunting, surreal and highly elaborate portraits of suburban life. In The Man Who Invented Himself—Duane Michals,Camille Guichard provides a glimpse into the life of the octogenarian American photographer, visiting the places that influenced his work, including Pittsburgh, New York and the wilds of Vermont. La Nouvelle objectivité allemande,by Stan Neumann, sheds light on the Düsseldorf School, which included some of the 20th century’s most influential photographers. With Le Siècle de Cartier-Bresson,Pierre Assouline depicts the 20th century through the eyes and words of the famous French photographer, with the aid of archival documents, film clips, drawings and photographs. Voyage in Time,by Tung-Yen Chou, is a profile of acrobat-dancer Ming-Cheng Huang, who photographed himself performing handstands at various sites around the world.
SCULPTURE
Kenny Dalsheimer’s Bending Sticks: The Sculpture of Patrick Dougherty celebrates the 25-year career of the world-renowned environmental artist, as he creates site-specific sculptures out of nothing more than saplings. Alain Fleischer’s Brancusi was shot entirely at the Atelier Brancusi in Paris, which the artist left in his will to the French state, along with surprisingly rich amateur footage shot by the artist himself. In Reinhoud, mon sculpteur,Blaise D’Haese films his father, the Flemish sculptor and former member of the Cobra group, during the last two years of his life.
THEATRE
Krzysztof Rzaczynski’s In the Cause of the Spirit follows Polish theatre director Jerzy Jarocki (1929-2012) as he works on his final production: a play based on the epic poems of Juliusz Slowacki, a central figure in Polish romanticism. In the biography Jonathan Miller, David Thompson describes the multiple talents of this British theatre director, author, photographer, sculptor, filmmaker, television host—and trained physician. Suzannah Wander’s Nicholas Hytner portrays the artistic director of the National Theatre in London, who is responsible for such hits as War Horse, One Man, Two Guvnors, History Boys and Miss Saigon. Within a Tempest. The Island, by Laurentiu Damian, outlines the creative process of the acclaimed Romanian stage director, Silviu Purcarete, as he oversees a production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
TRIBUTE
Every year, FIFA pays tribute to a producer, director or distributor who has contributed to the development of films on art. For this 31st edition, the work of filmmaker Gerald Fox will be in the spotlight.
Twelve of his films will be screened, including Brazil With Caetano Veloso, whichlooks at the impact of Brazilian music through the eyes of one of its most illustrious practitioners. In Christian Boltanski, Foxconveys the complexity of the relationship between the individual experience of the French artist and the pivotal moments of history. Claes Oldenburg is a journey into the heart of the world of one of the most famous representatives of American Pop Art of the 1960s. Winner of the Grand Prize at the 16th FIFA, The Fundamental Gilbert and George tells the story of the most eccentric and controversial artists on the contemporary British scene. For Gerhard Richter, Fox met the celebrated German artist at his home in Cologne, as he was preparing to create a new series of paintings. The Grand Prize winner at the 23rd FIFA, Leaving Home Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank provides a window on the life of this legendary photographer and fillmmmaker, known in particular for his films Pull My Daisy, Me and My Brother and the notorious Cocksucker Blues about the Rolling Stones.Life Support—Marc Quinn depicts the enormous frozen garden created in Milan by the contemporary British artist, who accidentally falls into the tank. Marianne Faithfull—A Life in Song follows a concert tour by this notorious, and immensely talented, British singer who first achieved fame at age 17 with the song “As Tears Go By,” written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
MEDIA ART
In this year’s Experimental FIFA, curator Nicole Gingras has brought together works by Canadian and foreign artists created between 1977 and 2013.
MEDIA ART
In this year’s Experimental FIFA, curator Nicole Gingras has brought together works by Canadian and foreign artists created between 1977 and 2013.
Two programs are devoted to Canadian artist Jan Peacock, winner of the 2012 Governor’s General Prize in Visual and Media Arts.The first program comprises four works from 1977 to 1987, including Sirensong, and the second features six films from 1995 to 2012, including Midnight Reader.
A selection of fifteen films by John Porter, a champion of Super 8 film, will be screened on the four walls of a festival theatre. Incorporating performances by the filmmaker, the event will leave audiences spellbound.
In the Interactions section, Hank Bull will give a talk on the celebrated Chinese landscape Autumn Colours on the Que and Hua Mountains by Zhao Mengfu, while Jan Peacock will discuss Vito Acconci’s The Red Tapes.
Seven films are featured in the Short Films Program, including Stephen Andrews’ Dramatis Personae, which uses cult photos and film sequences to create an experimental art form. In Souffles, Diane Morin animates objects by subjecting them to tiny explosions, which generate light and movement.
WallPaper, The video installation presented by Ed Pien explores the notion of ornamental decoration as a meeting point between East and West, the work’s fanciful floral motif serving to underscore this cultural crossbreeding. Twelve of his videos and filmed performances will also be presented in a work entitled Jouer / Play.
Toronto artist Johannes Zits is presenting Montage, a video program, as well a live performance entitled Monticules de neige/Snow Mounds. Questioning the interaction of the body with its environment, he unhesitatingly uses his own body as an experimental support.
In the Diagonals section, 18 films will be screened. In Giuseppe Bucci’s Aller et retour, a pair of dancers, Giuseppe Bucci and Ambre Pini, enact their last meal together, laden with sighs, confessions and reminiscences. In Monique Moumblow’s Charles a man delivers a monologue in Danish, with simultaneous translation in English typed on an old typewriter, recounting the peculiar behaviour of his teenaged brother. Faire tapisserie, by Benoit Thomassin and Francis Pinard, captures a performance by Roxanne Chamberland; at a ball, an uninvited woman sits by the wall, waiting and waiting… until she gradually fades into the background. In Painted, Duncan McDowall illustrates a man’s tug-of-war with wilderness, while dancer Dorotea Saykaly performs a choreography inside an abandoned building that is gradually being invaded by nature.
FOCUS ON THE 7th ART
In Cinq pattes et trois sabots,Audrey Pernis examines the Soviet-influenced Kazakh film industry, conducting interviews at the Eurasia Film Festival in Almaty, the cultural capital of Kazakhstan. Christian Delage’s De Hollywood à Nuremberg. John Ford, Samuel Fuller, George Stevens examines the anti-war films of these celebrated directors.Dickens on Film, by Anthony Wall,attempts to answer the following question: why have Dickens’ novels inspired so many screen adaptations?
Pierre-Paul Puljiz’s Jonas Mekas: I Am Not a Filmmaker is the first documentary dedicated to this champion of independent film, who moved to New York after internment in a Nazi labour camp. Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel,by Kathy White, focuses on the only novel ever written by Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind,a runaway success as both a book and a film. In Sandrine Bonnaire, actrice de sa vie, Juliette Cazanave provides an intimate glimpse of the extraordinary career of a woman who became an actress by chance and a director by choice. Le Sommeil d’or,by Davy Chou, attempts to revive the spirit of Cambodian cinema, which was brutally halted when the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975. In The Teen Movie Boom,Clara and Julia Kuperberg examine this quintessentially American film genre, from Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to The Social Network (2010). The Witch Hunt Is On, bythe same directors, sheds light on a dark period in American history, the Cold War years, when several Hollywood stars were accused of being Communists and forced into exile.
As part of the Il était une foisseries, FIFA is presenting 8 films from the collection Un film et son époque: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Last Tango in Paris, Notorious, Lawrence of Arabia, The Marriage of Maria Braun, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Rome: Open City andSailor & Lula.
TIME RECAPTUREDIn the Anniversaries section, Philippe Baylaucq pays tribute to Liliane Stewart, the great patroness of the arts and champion of design and the decorative arts, in L’art de donner – Hommage à Liliane Stewart. With The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour Revisited, Francis Hanly recounts the story of the controversial film broadcast by the BBC in 1967, whose disjointed script and chaotic psychedelia outraged many viewers. Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World, assembled from over 600 hours of video, is the definitive film portrait of the former Beatle. Sonny Rollins—Beyond the Notes, directed by Dick Fontaine, celebrates the 80th birthday of this legendary tenor saxophonist, attended by the likes of Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and Ornette Coleman.
In the Memory section, FIFA is presenting films on three artistic luminaries who died in 2012: jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and writer Gore Vidal. The 50th anniversary of the death of Marilyn Monroewill also be honoured.
The Themasection is presenting several exceptional films from the Leipzig-based production company Accentus. Die Thomaner – Une année avec les choristes de Saint-Thomas, by Paul Smaczny and Günter Atteln, chronicles a year in the life of this legendary boy’s choir. Michael Beyer’s St. Matthew Passion—St. Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig presents the St. Thomas boys choir in concert, on their 800th anniversary, performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Michael Beyer’s Bruckner 5—Claudia Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra captures a performance in the summer of 2011 of Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.
Also featured in the Thema section are four symphonies by Gustav Mahler. The Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig under the baton of Riccardo Chailly performs Symphony No. 2, as well as Symphony No. 8 in E Flat Major. The Lucerne Festival Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado, performs Symphony No. 9. Finally, Montreal conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Bavarian Symphony Radio Orchestra in a performance of Symphony No. 7 in E Minor.
SPECIAL EVENTSNot to be missed is the Special Events series presented by Loto-Québec, beginning on March 5. For complete details on these fascinating encounters, consult the Special Events press release, the Festival schedule, or the FIFA website (www.artfifa.com).
OPENING FILMA screening of The Fatwa—Salman’s Story by Jill Nicholls on Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. at theMaxwell-Cummings Auditorium of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will be followed by a cocktail party in the Bronzes Gallery. By invitation only.
AWARDS CEREMONYMark Kidel’s Road Movie: A portrait of John Adams, presented on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m. at the Maxwell-Cummings Auditorium of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, will be followed by the Awards Ceremonies and a cocktail party in the Bronzes Gallery. By invitation only.
BENEFIT GALAThe Benefit Gala of the 31st FIFA, to be held on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, will be presided over by two prominent figures from the National Bank of Canada:Caroline Rheault, Associate Vice President, Corporate Banking, Film and Television Groups, and Sylvain Corbeil, Vice President, Corporate Banking and Specialized Groups. Attended by the who’s who of Montreal’s art and business communities, the event will begin with a screening of Jean-Pierre Devillers’ Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas at the Maxwell-Cummings Auditorium, and will be followed by a cocktail-buffet and silent auction in the Glass Court. Tickets: $250.
3RD INTERNATIONAL MARKET OF FILMS ON ARTThe International Market of Films on Art (MIFA), the only one of its kind in the world, is back this year from March 20 to 23, this time at the Cinémathèque québécoise. Presentations, roundtables, pitch sessions, a video library and a much-appreciated appointment service. For further details, consult the Market press release or the FIFA website.
POSTERImage from Constantin Brancusi’s La muse endormie,from the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
TRAILERFrom Jean-Pierre Devillers’ film Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas.
invaluable partnersThe International Festival of Films on Art would not exist without the collaboration and financial support of its select group of partners. The Festival would like to thank Astral, Loto-Québec, Digital Cut and InterContinental Montréal, as well as Heritage Canada, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, SODEC, the Secrétariat de la région métropolitaine, the Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire, the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité Sociale, the Festival and Cultural Event Office of the City of Montréal, the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and Tourism Montreal. It would also like to acknowledge its media partners: ARTV, Télé-Québec, TFO, Société Radio-Canada, Journal Métro, Voir and Le Devoir.
VENUES AND BOX OFFICE FIFA will begin on March 14 at nine sites in downtown Montreal, such as the Grande Bibliothèque de la BANQ, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Centre Phi, Cinémathèque québécoise, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts and Concordia University. FIFA will be back this year at the McCord Museum, and will present be for the first time at the Phi Centre.
Pierre-Paul Puljiz’s Jonas Mekas: I Am Not a Filmmaker is the first documentary dedicated to this champion of independent film, who moved to New York after internment in a Nazi labour camp. Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel,by Kathy White, focuses on the only novel ever written by Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind,a runaway success as both a book and a film. In Sandrine Bonnaire, actrice de sa vie, Juliette Cazanave provides an intimate glimpse of the extraordinary career of a woman who became an actress by chance and a director by choice. Le Sommeil d’or,by Davy Chou, attempts to revive the spirit of Cambodian cinema, which was brutally halted when the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975. In The Teen Movie Boom,Clara and Julia Kuperberg examine this quintessentially American film genre, from Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to The Social Network (2010). The Witch Hunt Is On, bythe same directors, sheds light on a dark period in American history, the Cold War years, when several Hollywood stars were accused of being Communists and forced into exile.
As part of the Il était une foisseries, FIFA is presenting 8 films from the collection Un film et son époque: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Last Tango in Paris, Notorious, Lawrence of Arabia, The Marriage of Maria Braun, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Rome: Open City andSailor & Lula.
TIME RECAPTUREDIn the Anniversaries section, Philippe Baylaucq pays tribute to Liliane Stewart, the great patroness of the arts and champion of design and the decorative arts, in L’art de donner – Hommage à Liliane Stewart. With The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour Revisited, Francis Hanly recounts the story of the controversial film broadcast by the BBC in 1967, whose disjointed script and chaotic psychedelia outraged many viewers. Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World, assembled from over 600 hours of video, is the definitive film portrait of the former Beatle. Sonny Rollins—Beyond the Notes, directed by Dick Fontaine, celebrates the 80th birthday of this legendary tenor saxophonist, attended by the likes of Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and Ornette Coleman.
In the Memory section, FIFA is presenting films on three artistic luminaries who died in 2012: jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and writer Gore Vidal. The 50th anniversary of the death of Marilyn Monroewill also be honoured.
The Themasection is presenting several exceptional films from the Leipzig-based production company Accentus. Die Thomaner – Une année avec les choristes de Saint-Thomas, by Paul Smaczny and Günter Atteln, chronicles a year in the life of this legendary boy’s choir. Michael Beyer’s St. Matthew Passion—St. Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig presents the St. Thomas boys choir in concert, on their 800th anniversary, performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Michael Beyer’s Bruckner 5—Claudia Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra captures a performance in the summer of 2011 of Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.
Also featured in the Thema section are four symphonies by Gustav Mahler. The Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig under the baton of Riccardo Chailly performs Symphony No. 2, as well as Symphony No. 8 in E Flat Major. The Lucerne Festival Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado, performs Symphony No. 9. Finally, Montreal conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Bavarian Symphony Radio Orchestra in a performance of Symphony No. 7 in E Minor.
SPECIAL EVENTSNot to be missed is the Special Events series presented by Loto-Québec, beginning on March 5. For complete details on these fascinating encounters, consult the Special Events press release, the Festival schedule, or the FIFA website (www.artfifa.com).
OPENING FILMA screening of The Fatwa—Salman’s Story by Jill Nicholls on Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. at theMaxwell-Cummings Auditorium of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will be followed by a cocktail party in the Bronzes Gallery. By invitation only.
AWARDS CEREMONYMark Kidel’s Road Movie: A portrait of John Adams, presented on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m. at the Maxwell-Cummings Auditorium of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, will be followed by the Awards Ceremonies and a cocktail party in the Bronzes Gallery. By invitation only.
BENEFIT GALAThe Benefit Gala of the 31st FIFA, to be held on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, will be presided over by two prominent figures from the National Bank of Canada:Caroline Rheault, Associate Vice President, Corporate Banking, Film and Television Groups, and Sylvain Corbeil, Vice President, Corporate Banking and Specialized Groups. Attended by the who’s who of Montreal’s art and business communities, the event will begin with a screening of Jean-Pierre Devillers’ Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas at the Maxwell-Cummings Auditorium, and will be followed by a cocktail-buffet and silent auction in the Glass Court. Tickets: $250.
3RD INTERNATIONAL MARKET OF FILMS ON ARTThe International Market of Films on Art (MIFA), the only one of its kind in the world, is back this year from March 20 to 23, this time at the Cinémathèque québécoise. Presentations, roundtables, pitch sessions, a video library and a much-appreciated appointment service. For further details, consult the Market press release or the FIFA website.
POSTERImage from Constantin Brancusi’s La muse endormie,from the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
TRAILERFrom Jean-Pierre Devillers’ film Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas.
invaluable partnersThe International Festival of Films on Art would not exist without the collaboration and financial support of its select group of partners. The Festival would like to thank Astral, Loto-Québec, Digital Cut and InterContinental Montréal, as well as Heritage Canada, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, SODEC, the Secrétariat de la région métropolitaine, the Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire, the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité Sociale, the Festival and Cultural Event Office of the City of Montréal, the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and Tourism Montreal. It would also like to acknowledge its media partners: ARTV, Télé-Québec, TFO, Société Radio-Canada, Journal Métro, Voir and Le Devoir.
VENUES AND BOX OFFICE FIFA will begin on March 14 at nine sites in downtown Montreal, such as the Grande Bibliothèque de la BANQ, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Centre Phi, Cinémathèque québécoise, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts and Concordia University. FIFA will be back this year at the McCord Museum, and will present be for the first time at the Phi Centre.
Tickets are available beginning at noon, February 26, by telephone or in person at the Place des Arts box office: 514-842-2112 / 1-866-842-2112, 175 St. Catherine St. W., as well as on-line at www.artfifa.com. Tickets can also be obtained at the nine sites mentioned above, one hour before screenings.
Regular admission tickets cost $12 or $85 for a book of 8 tickets. A Media Arts Passport for five screenings, indicated in yellow in the program, is available at a cost of $25. Special rates for youth and senior citizens are also available. The entry fee for the Children’s screening is $5 for adults or children.
Regular admission tickets cost $12 or $85 for a book of 8 tickets. A Media Arts Passport for five screenings, indicated in yellow in the program, is available at a cost of $25. Special rates for youth and senior citizens are also available. The entry fee for the Children’s screening is $5 for adults or children.
In addition, VIP tickets are available for $20. These no-reservation festival passes allow direct access to all public screenings, subject to availability. The Ambassador Passport, on sale until March 12 at a cost of $250, includes no-reservation admission to all public screenings, admission to the Opening Ceremonies and Awards Ceremonies, subject to availability, as well as a Festival catalogue and poster. It should be noted that the Art Film Matinées, indicated in beige in the program, are free for VIP members of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. For the first time, FIFA will offer to holders of the Accès Montréal card , a $2 rebate with the purchase of an Adult ticket for the Festival Matinées screenings.
Further information can be obtained on-line at www.artfifa.com; by phone at (514) 874-9972; at the FIFA kiosks beginning February 26 at the Espace culturel George-Émile-Lapalme of Place des Arts; from March 11 to 15 at the EV Building of Concordia University.
THIRD EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL MARKET OF FILMS ON ART A MUST FOR FILM PROFESSIONALS
Montreal — Following the success of its first two editions, this year’s International Market of Film on Art (MIFA) is open to art professionals and specialists in the fields of art film and media arts from around the world, from Wednesday, March 20, to Saturday, March 23, 2013.
A unique, major event of international scope, MIFA is an annual gathering of professionals working in the field of films on art and the media arts industry. Presented in Montreal, a bilingual cultural capital, MIFA brings together participants from the four corners of the earth: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, Spain, United States, Finland, France, United Kingdom and Venezuela, etc.
MIFA will take place during the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), a world-renowned event now in its 31st year.
Further information can be obtained on-line at www.artfifa.com; by phone at (514) 874-9972; at the FIFA kiosks beginning February 26 at the Espace culturel George-Émile-Lapalme of Place des Arts; from March 11 to 15 at the EV Building of Concordia University.
THIRD EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL MARKET OF FILMS ON ART A MUST FOR FILM PROFESSIONALS
Montreal — Following the success of its first two editions, this year’s International Market of Film on Art (MIFA) is open to art professionals and specialists in the fields of art film and media arts from around the world, from Wednesday, March 20, to Saturday, March 23, 2013.
A unique, major event of international scope, MIFA is an annual gathering of professionals working in the field of films on art and the media arts industry. Presented in Montreal, a bilingual cultural capital, MIFA brings together participants from the four corners of the earth: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, Spain, United States, Finland, France, United Kingdom and Venezuela, etc.
MIFA will take place during the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), a world-renowned event now in its 31st year.
The Market’s goals
MIFA is a unique opportunity for producers, directors, broadcasters and distributors from around the world to meet in a convivial setting that fosters interaction. Its aim is to create partnership and funding opportunities, such as the development of national and international coproductions.
It strives to provide a unique showcase for Canadian and international professionals, with a high level of expertise in the field of films on art, encouraging the sharing of knowledge specific to this sector, and contributing to the training and development of professionals. The Market also serves to promote and support the development of networks for the broadcasting and distribution of films on art worldwide.
It strives to provide a unique showcase for Canadian and international professionals, with a high level of expertise in the field of films on art, encouraging the sharing of knowledge specific to this sector, and contributing to the training and development of professionals. The Market also serves to promote and support the development of networks for the broadcasting and distribution of films on art worldwide.
Services offered
Professionals Lounge and Video LibraryMarch 20 to 23, 2013, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Hôtel InterContinental Montréal, suite 2611
Providing information in a convivial atmosphere, the Professionals Lounge offers an informal setting for professionals to get together and share ideas.
A first-rate service for viewing the films selected for each new edition of FIFA, the film library gives accredited professionals an opportunity to view them at individual stations.
Staff is on hand to take reservations (minimum 24 hours in advance). Each accredited professional may use a station for two hours a day (non-transferable). Additional time may be available if the stations are not reserved.
Meeting ServiceMarch 20 to 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise – Foyer Luce-Guilbault
Accredited professionals can use the personalized appointment service to schedule individual meetings with other specialists attending the event. Staff will be on hand to help them plan their schedule, based on their respective availabilities.
Evening events
Market CocktailFriday, March 22, 6 to 8 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Foyer Luce-Guilbeault
A time for interaction and networking in a friendly, relaxed setting, the Market is a unique opportunity for up-and-coming and established professionals to meet, share their experiences and build an invaluable network of contacts.
Awards CeremonySaturday, March 23, 8 to 11 p.m.Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Maxwell Cummings Auditorium
Come and discover the winners of the 31st International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) and see Road Movie: A Portrait of Johns Adams by Mark Kidel. It will be followed by a cocktail reception attended by personalities from the film, art and business communities.
Providing information in a convivial atmosphere, the Professionals Lounge offers an informal setting for professionals to get together and share ideas.
A first-rate service for viewing the films selected for each new edition of FIFA, the film library gives accredited professionals an opportunity to view them at individual stations.
Staff is on hand to take reservations (minimum 24 hours in advance). Each accredited professional may use a station for two hours a day (non-transferable). Additional time may be available if the stations are not reserved.
Meeting ServiceMarch 20 to 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise – Foyer Luce-Guilbault
Accredited professionals can use the personalized appointment service to schedule individual meetings with other specialists attending the event. Staff will be on hand to help them plan their schedule, based on their respective availabilities.
Evening events
Market CocktailFriday, March 22, 6 to 8 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Foyer Luce-Guilbeault
A time for interaction and networking in a friendly, relaxed setting, the Market is a unique opportunity for up-and-coming and established professionals to meet, share their experiences and build an invaluable network of contacts.
Awards CeremonySaturday, March 23, 8 to 11 p.m.Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Maxwell Cummings Auditorium
Come and discover the winners of the 31st International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) and see Road Movie: A Portrait of Johns Adams by Mark Kidel. It will be followed by a cocktail reception attended by personalities from the film, art and business communities.
Presentations
“Presentations – Services and development” sessionsWednesday, March 20, 2 to 5 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
This activity provides an outstanding showcase where government, paragovernmental and private institutions, broadcasters, distributors and producers can present their organization and its activities to professionals attending the event, encouraging the dissemination of information and networking. A unique opportunity for filmmakers and producers and distributors to take the pulse of the global industry of films about art and book appointments to meet with other professionals.
Pitch sessions for professionalsThursday, March 21, 2:30 to 5 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
Saturday, March 23 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
Intended for all filmmakers and/or producers with projects for an art film, this activity will allow for direct contact with key players in distribution, broadcasting, production and distribution, providing opportunities for support for the completion of projects.
Activities by topicRoundtables
This activity provides an outstanding showcase where government, paragovernmental and private institutions, broadcasters, distributors and producers can present their organization and its activities to professionals attending the event, encouraging the dissemination of information and networking. A unique opportunity for filmmakers and producers and distributors to take the pulse of the global industry of films about art and book appointments to meet with other professionals.
Pitch sessions for professionalsThursday, March 21, 2:30 to 5 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
Saturday, March 23 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
Intended for all filmmakers and/or producers with projects for an art film, this activity will allow for direct contact with key players in distribution, broadcasting, production and distribution, providing opportunities for support for the completion of projects.
Activities by topicRoundtables
“Selling your project: marketing techniques”Wednesday, March 20, 10 a.m. to noonCinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
This round table is aimed at helping professionals manage their projects strategically by attracting the attention of investors and potential partners. Selling your project can prove to be a real challenge when it comes to championing your film and making it stand out. At this session hosted by professionals, you’ll learn how to develop the potential of your project and emphasize its major strengths.
“The art film as a tool of cultural mediation”Thursday, March 21, 10 a.m. to noonCinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
“The art film as a tool of cultural mediation”Thursday, March 21, 10 a.m. to noonCinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
At this round table, you’ll learn how art films can be a powerful tool for sharing culture. Developing audience interest for films on art is also a question of raising collective awareness of the importance of art in general. It’s about sparking a desire to discover or rediscover museums and international art projects and better understand the issues in contemporary art. Promoting your film and its subject depends on reaching wider audiences and how emotion is conveyed.
“Underfunding”Friday, March 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
“Underfunding”Friday, March 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Cinémathèque québécoise, Fernand-Seguin Theatre
In this discussion, participants will discuss the topic of underfunding. Increasingly, this problem affects the cultural and artistic communities, which have to cope with continually shrinking resources. Films on art are unfortunately not immune to budget problems. Underfunding has a direct impact on a film’s production and distribution, setting off a chain reaction that leads to declining support from investors, audiovisual companies and the media, and a significant decrease in the number of projects reaching completion.
Accreditation
Market accreditationThis accreditation, which costs $250 and is valid from March 20 to 23, 2013, gives access to all MIFA activities and services.
Festival + Market accreditationProfessionals can also purchase Festival + Market accreditation, at a cost of $350 and valid from March 14 to 24, 2013. In addition to providing access to MIFA’s activities and services, it can be used to attend all public screenings, the private opening gala, the filmmakers’ reception on March 16 as well as using the film library, starting March 12.
Accredited participants will also receive preferential rates for hotel accommodation.
À la carte accessMost of the activities are available à la carte at a regular cost of $45 and $30 for participants under the age of 35. (ID required)
Anne Lagacé Dowson and Patrick Masbourian Spokespersons of the 31st International Festival of Films on Arts (FIFA)
Montreal – René Rozon, the founding director of the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is pleased to announce the appointments of Anne Lagacé Dowson and Patrick Masbourian as spokespersons of the 31st edition, to be held from March 14 to 24, 2013.
Anne Lagacé Dowson is a Montreal film-lover who is passionate about art and literature. She is one of Tommy Schnurmacher’s Gang of 4 on CJAD radio and appears on Radio-Canada’s Téléjournal. Given that her husband is documentary filmmaker Brian McKenna, the issues raised by films are part and parcel of her life. Socially active, she is the director of the Tolerance Foundation, which fights against discrimination and bullying in schools.
Back for a third consecutive year as spokesperson, Anne Lagacé Dowson is delighted to be associated with the festival. “FIFA arrives with the freshness of spring, when the days get longer and light returns little by little. This unique cinematic event is truly a window on the world.”
The name of Patrick Masbourian is inextricably linked with the 1990-1991 edition of La course autour du mondetelecast by Radio-Canada. There we discovered a creative yet rebellious young man, intelligent but sometimes too sure of himself, tenacious yet nonchalant. Today, after a successful television career that has taken him from Le Grand Journal and La Revanche des nerdZ to MusiquePlus, Flash and La fin du monde est à 7 heures, he is now more inclined to listen to others as host of PM on the Première Chaîne of Radio-Canada.
“I am thrilled to be associated with FIFA as a spokesman,” Patrick Masbourian enthuses. “Some of my best memories as a filmgoer are associated with this festival, which has always managed to be both pleasurable and thought-provoking.”
René Rozon couldn’t be happier with these two appointments: “The spokesperson creates an essential bridge between FIFA and the general public. We are fortunate to have two strong media personalities working in this role—Anne Lagacé Dowson and Patrick Masbourian—whose expertise will help to enhance the visibility and resonance of FIFA.”
31st FIFA / Jury Presided by Olivier Kaeppelin
Montreal – For the 31st edition of the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), held from March 14 to 24, 2013, founding director René Rozon is pleased to appoint Olivier Kaeppelin (France), the director of the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence as president of the jury. He will be joined by the director and composerMichael House (USA), by Monique LeBlanc (Canada), producer, director and screenwriter, by the producer Michel Ouellette (Canada), and the producer and director Françoise Wolff (Belgium).
“Due to their cultural background and multiple talents, I am confident that the members of the jury will fulfill their role by focusing their expertise on films on art,” declares René Rozon, FIFA’s founding director.
Director of the Palais de Tokyo project since May 2009, Olivier Kaeppelin has created numerous exhibitions and events focusing on artistic creation in France. He is the mastermind behind such large-scale events as the triennial La Force de l’art, whose first edition was presented at the Grand Palais in 2006.He has launched literary and art journals, and contributed to the following periodicals: Quinzaine Littéraire, Beaux-Arts Magazine, Art Press, and L’Autre journal. He has written collections of poetry and numerous works and texts about art and artists, for Flammarion, Actes Sud and La Différence. From 1999 to 2005, at Radio France, he was successively assistant director of France Culture, program coordinator and advisor to the president of Radio France on cultural programs and development of the group’s cultural policy. At the Ministère de la Culture, he held various positions before being appointed delegate for visual arts in 2004. He is currently the director of the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence.
Michael House is an American filmmaker and composer who lives in Paris. He worked as a composer of film and television music before turning to directing in 2008. His first feature-length documentary, Eugène and Berenice—Pioneers of Urban Photography, about the groundbreaking work of the photographer Eugène Atget and his American disciple, Berenice Abbott, was broadcast in a dozen countries, and travelled the museum circuit from Estonia to Canada, besides the 27th FIFA. His films The Magnificent Tati, about French film icon Jacques Tati, and Revealing Mr. Maugham, about the life and work of British author W. Somerset Maugham, were presented at FIFA. In addition to films for television and cinema, House has made films and music for commercial, advertising and educational purposes. He also heads Cinema SWiM, an online resource for art films.
A leading figure in Atlantic Canada’s film industry, Monique LeBlanc has worked for 20 years on short, medium- and feature-length films, both documentary and fiction, as a producer, director and screenwriter. From 1983 to 1995, she was a columnist, producer, and radio and television host on Radio-Canada-Acadie. In 1995, she returned to film, writing and producing her first documentary, The Acadian Connection/Le Lien Acadien (ONF), which garnered several awards. This was followed in 1997 by the philosophical road-trip movie Cigarette (NFB), selected for numerous festivals and honoured at the Atlantic Film Festival. In 1999, she founded CinImages Productions and has since made documentaries, television series and features. In 2011, sheproduced and directed the documentary Roméo Savoie – la peinture au corps, about the contemporary Acadian artist, honourable mention at FICFA (2011), selected for the 29th FIFA and nominated for a Gémeaux in 2011. In 2011-2012,LeBlanc developed, scripted and produced the series Les Acadiens du Québec, directed by Phil Comeau.
Festival + Market accreditationProfessionals can also purchase Festival + Market accreditation, at a cost of $350 and valid from March 14 to 24, 2013. In addition to providing access to MIFA’s activities and services, it can be used to attend all public screenings, the private opening gala, the filmmakers’ reception on March 16 as well as using the film library, starting March 12.
Accredited participants will also receive preferential rates for hotel accommodation.
À la carte accessMost of the activities are available à la carte at a regular cost of $45 and $30 for participants under the age of 35. (ID required)
Anne Lagacé Dowson and Patrick Masbourian Spokespersons of the 31st International Festival of Films on Arts (FIFA)
Montreal – René Rozon, the founding director of the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is pleased to announce the appointments of Anne Lagacé Dowson and Patrick Masbourian as spokespersons of the 31st edition, to be held from March 14 to 24, 2013.
Anne Lagacé Dowson is a Montreal film-lover who is passionate about art and literature. She is one of Tommy Schnurmacher’s Gang of 4 on CJAD radio and appears on Radio-Canada’s Téléjournal. Given that her husband is documentary filmmaker Brian McKenna, the issues raised by films are part and parcel of her life. Socially active, she is the director of the Tolerance Foundation, which fights against discrimination and bullying in schools.
Back for a third consecutive year as spokesperson, Anne Lagacé Dowson is delighted to be associated with the festival. “FIFA arrives with the freshness of spring, when the days get longer and light returns little by little. This unique cinematic event is truly a window on the world.”
The name of Patrick Masbourian is inextricably linked with the 1990-1991 edition of La course autour du mondetelecast by Radio-Canada. There we discovered a creative yet rebellious young man, intelligent but sometimes too sure of himself, tenacious yet nonchalant. Today, after a successful television career that has taken him from Le Grand Journal and La Revanche des nerdZ to MusiquePlus, Flash and La fin du monde est à 7 heures, he is now more inclined to listen to others as host of PM on the Première Chaîne of Radio-Canada.
“I am thrilled to be associated with FIFA as a spokesman,” Patrick Masbourian enthuses. “Some of my best memories as a filmgoer are associated with this festival, which has always managed to be both pleasurable and thought-provoking.”
René Rozon couldn’t be happier with these two appointments: “The spokesperson creates an essential bridge between FIFA and the general public. We are fortunate to have two strong media personalities working in this role—Anne Lagacé Dowson and Patrick Masbourian—whose expertise will help to enhance the visibility and resonance of FIFA.”
31st FIFA / Jury Presided by Olivier Kaeppelin
Montreal – For the 31st edition of the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), held from March 14 to 24, 2013, founding director René Rozon is pleased to appoint Olivier Kaeppelin (France), the director of the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence as president of the jury. He will be joined by the director and composerMichael House (USA), by Monique LeBlanc (Canada), producer, director and screenwriter, by the producer Michel Ouellette (Canada), and the producer and director Françoise Wolff (Belgium).
“Due to their cultural background and multiple talents, I am confident that the members of the jury will fulfill their role by focusing their expertise on films on art,” declares René Rozon, FIFA’s founding director.
Director of the Palais de Tokyo project since May 2009, Olivier Kaeppelin has created numerous exhibitions and events focusing on artistic creation in France. He is the mastermind behind such large-scale events as the triennial La Force de l’art, whose first edition was presented at the Grand Palais in 2006.He has launched literary and art journals, and contributed to the following periodicals: Quinzaine Littéraire, Beaux-Arts Magazine, Art Press, and L’Autre journal. He has written collections of poetry and numerous works and texts about art and artists, for Flammarion, Actes Sud and La Différence. From 1999 to 2005, at Radio France, he was successively assistant director of France Culture, program coordinator and advisor to the president of Radio France on cultural programs and development of the group’s cultural policy. At the Ministère de la Culture, he held various positions before being appointed delegate for visual arts in 2004. He is currently the director of the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence.
Michael House is an American filmmaker and composer who lives in Paris. He worked as a composer of film and television music before turning to directing in 2008. His first feature-length documentary, Eugène and Berenice—Pioneers of Urban Photography, about the groundbreaking work of the photographer Eugène Atget and his American disciple, Berenice Abbott, was broadcast in a dozen countries, and travelled the museum circuit from Estonia to Canada, besides the 27th FIFA. His films The Magnificent Tati, about French film icon Jacques Tati, and Revealing Mr. Maugham, about the life and work of British author W. Somerset Maugham, were presented at FIFA. In addition to films for television and cinema, House has made films and music for commercial, advertising and educational purposes. He also heads Cinema SWiM, an online resource for art films.
A leading figure in Atlantic Canada’s film industry, Monique LeBlanc has worked for 20 years on short, medium- and feature-length films, both documentary and fiction, as a producer, director and screenwriter. From 1983 to 1995, she was a columnist, producer, and radio and television host on Radio-Canada-Acadie. In 1995, she returned to film, writing and producing her first documentary, The Acadian Connection/Le Lien Acadien (ONF), which garnered several awards. This was followed in 1997 by the philosophical road-trip movie Cigarette (NFB), selected for numerous festivals and honoured at the Atlantic Film Festival. In 1999, she founded CinImages Productions and has since made documentaries, television series and features. In 2011, sheproduced and directed the documentary Roméo Savoie – la peinture au corps, about the contemporary Acadian artist, honourable mention at FICFA (2011), selected for the 29th FIFA and nominated for a Gémeaux in 2011. In 2011-2012,LeBlanc developed, scripted and produced the series Les Acadiens du Québec, directed by Phil Comeau.
Since 1982, Michel Ouellette has headed the production company Ciné Qua Non Média that makes cultural documentaries, often adapted from the performing arts, as well as feature films. He has made more than 30 shorts and medium-length films, 40 documentaries and cultural films for television and five features for theatrical release. Documentaries include Mary Shelley, a film about the author of Frankenstein, winner of the Lanterna Magica award (best documentary) inTours, France, Entre les mains de Michel Tremblay,winner of a Gémeaux for direction, and the feature film The Favourite Game, an adaptation of Leonard Cohen’s novel. Ouellette has worked on several film coproductions with France, Spain, England, Indonesia, Germany and Finland, as well as partnerships with the United States, Mexico and Japan. He recently coproduced, in association with the 3sat, Mezzo, ARTV and Société Radio-Canada television networks, Bettina Ehrhardt’s documentary feature Montréal Symphonie, starring maestro Kent Nagano and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, presented and a prize-winner at the 28th FIFA.
Françoise Wolff joined the science unit at RTBF in 1972, where she developed and presented programs in science and humanities in various forms:magazinesabout issues in science and society. She has worked on international documentary coproductions with Antenne 2, the BBC, TSR and Radio Canada. In 1990, she headed the programEurovision against Cancer, an initiative of the European Commission, which involved 11 European networks. After leaving the RTBF in 1995, she founded the productioncompanyGemsel, and has produced and directed documentaries including Jacques Lacan parle, Des grilles dans la tête, Carl-Gustav Jung, La violence ordinaire, La soumission à l’autorité, La recherche du père and Georges Simenon, vies privées; Einstein, un mythe, un homme and Aux frontières du cosmos (Thema, Arte); Alexandre Soljénitsyne (the series Un siècle d’écrivains); Le neuvième jour de Pascal Duquenne (RTBF and Arte Metropolis).
The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is a non-profit organization devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. An eleven-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, as well as for art and cinema enthusiasts.
Françoise Wolff joined the science unit at RTBF in 1972, where she developed and presented programs in science and humanities in various forms:magazinesabout issues in science and society. She has worked on international documentary coproductions with Antenne 2, the BBC, TSR and Radio Canada. In 1990, she headed the programEurovision against Cancer, an initiative of the European Commission, which involved 11 European networks. After leaving the RTBF in 1995, she founded the productioncompanyGemsel, and has produced and directed documentaries including Jacques Lacan parle, Des grilles dans la tête, Carl-Gustav Jung, La violence ordinaire, La soumission à l’autorité, La recherche du père and Georges Simenon, vies privées; Einstein, un mythe, un homme and Aux frontières du cosmos (Thema, Arte); Alexandre Soljénitsyne (the series Un siècle d’écrivains); Le neuvième jour de Pascal Duquenne (RTBF and Arte Metropolis).
The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is a non-profit organization devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. An eleven-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, as well as for art and cinema enthusiasts.
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