Prestigious films
Some of the best films of the year are expected at FNC. This is the case ofAnatomy of a fall by Justine Triet, the fascinating trial of a mother accused of murder, which won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the last Cannes Film Festival. Equally memorable is The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer, Grand Prix at Cannes, who manages to revolutionize the film on the Holocaust by using all the resources of his art. Sofia Coppola offers with Priscilla a biographical film about Elvis Presley’s wife, Todd Haynes invites Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore into the chilling Bergmanian story May December. Without forgetting Trân Anh Hùng, who opens the festival this Wednesday evening with the succulent The passion of Dodin Bouffant.
Quebec in the spotlight
Quebec has the wind in its sails with the unveiling of new creations by Louise Archambault (Irena’s Vow), Richard Desjardins (Chip Chip), Chloé Leriche (Atikamekw Suns) and Robert Morin (The boreal feast). We definitely won’t want to miss Happy Days by Chloé Robichaud, where Sophie Desmarais shines as a conductor, and Humanist vampire seeks suicidal consenting, the biting first feature film by Ariane Louis-Seize which received the Best Director Award in the Venice Days section of the Mostra and which has fun playing with genres. Viewers who choose a film based on their title will not be able to resist The hurricane fuck you tabarnak! by Ara Ball, who adapts his cult punk UFO into a long format.
Events to not miss
It’s a dream come true to spend the night with the four films of Mad Max – of which Fury Road in black and white – in the magnificent Cinéma Impérial (October 7). The FNC marks the 50the anniversary of the death of Bruce Lee with the Bruceploitation section which includes numerous films, including the legendary Enter the Dragon. Throughout the month of October, actress Larissa Corriveau is offering the installation at the Cinémathèque québécoise human voices which allows you to enter the memory of actress Monique Miller. Without forgetting the free concert on October 5 by the group Flore Laurentienne as part of the evening Atikamekw Suns.
The great filmmakers
It will be possible to discover the latest opuses of the great masters of the seventh art, including those of Nanni Moretti (Towards a bright future), Hirokazu Kore-eda (Monster), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Dried herbs), Hong Sang-soo (In Our Day), Marco Bellocchio (Kidnapped), Amat Escalante (Lost at night) or Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Evil Does Not Exist). And you shouldn’t miss two priceless gems. With Dead leaves, Aki Kaurismäki comes out of retirement offering a bittersweet tale that is as enveloping as it is comforting. Then Wim Wenders signed with Perfect Days his first satisfying fiction in ages, wandering through a poetic Tokyo that rocks the heart and soul.
Discoveries
There’s nothing better at a festival than making discoveries by choosing a film at random. We can thus come across pearls like The chimera, by Alice Rohrwacher, the incredible odyssey of a grave-robbing Orpheus, or Music, by Angela Schanelec, an extraordinary rereading of the Oedipus myth in which we find Alyosha Schneider. Kleber Mendonca Filo signs a love letter to cinemas with his vibrant documentary Retratos FantasmasShin’ya Tsukamoto films the consequences of World War II on his painful Shadow of Fire, the atmospheric Here, by Bas Devos, recalls the need to create links and Cristi Puiu questions the human condition with his colossal MMXX.
Meetings
There are always many prestigious guests at the FNC. On October 8, we will be able to attend a cross discussion between Atom Egoyan (Seven Veils) and Chloé Robichaud (Happy Days), who will talk in particular about classical music. Master classes with filmmakers Bertrand Bonello (The beast) and Catherine Breillat (Last summer) are also organized on October 12 and 14 to delve into their creative process. A special evening will be held on October 12 around the film The Old Oak. The presentation of Ken Loach’s most recent feature film, which addresses the arrival of Syrian refugees in England, will be followed by testimonies from Montrealers who have experienced exile.
The New Cinema Festival takes place from October 4 to 15.