One hundred and twenty films, features and short films, from 44 countries, including 54 from Quebec and Canada, will be presented on the occasion of the 24e edition of the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) which will take place from November 10 to 21 with a parallel edition online from November 14 to 25.
In order to properly highlight the return of cinema in theaters, each documentary will be presented for the first time on the big screen. The online version will include almost all of the films and will be accessible across Canada. More than half of the films are signed by women.
It has already been announced that the feature film Gabor by Joannie Lafrenière, portrait of Montreal photographer Gabor Szilasi, will be presented in closing. Among the other Quebec filmmakers registered in the program, we note the presence of Sylvain L’Espérance, Kristina Wagenbauer, Laurence Turcotte-Fraser, Emanuel Licha and many others.
Long-term documentary filmmaker and friend of RIDM, Sylvain L’Espérance (A human river) this time offers the film Animal Macula. By digging through the archives of world cinema, he lifts the veil on the often violent relationships between humans and animals.
Kristina Wagenbauer, whose first fiction feature film, Sashinka, had charmed us, comes back with a documentary, Babushka, portrait of her grandmother whom she visited in her native Russia.
Laurence Turcotte-Fraser will propose The end of Wonderland, film in which she portrays Tara Emory, transsexual artist and pioneer of burlesque, fetish and erotic scenes in the 1990s.
With zo reken, a convincing film that we saw this spring at Hot Docs, Emanuel Licha puts back to back the chaotic situation of the Haitian people and the international aid being intended for them.
The National Film Board is present with two works. First of all, Dear Audrey by Jeremiah Hayes is a portrait of Quebec filmmaker Martin Duckworth and his love for his family. From Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, we can see Kimmapiiyipitssini: the path of empathy, an intimate portrait of the Kainai First Nation and substance abuse in this community.
In addition, the RIDM will give a big tip of the hat to Russian documentary maker Vitaly Mansky, to whom a retrospective is devoted. The latter, say the leaders of the RIDM, is considered “a leading figure in contemporary Russian documentary and has a critical eye on the political class of his country. The retrospective will include seven films, the most recent of which, Gorbachev. Heaven, portrait with interview of the former Soviet leader now shrouded in memory.
Finally, among the international titles, we note the presence of A Night of Knowing Nothing by Payal Kapadia, crowned L’Oeil d’or (Documentary Prize) at the Cannes Film Festival this year. This film is concerned with the correspondence between two lovers subjected to the archaism of the caste system in India.
The festival screenings will take place at the Cinémathèque québécoise, the Cinemas du Parc and the Musée, the Cinéma Quartier Latin and the Pierre-Péladeau Center for professional activities.
Visit the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal website