The Film Fest of Hidden Gems

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma Brings Cinematic Excitement Into the Fall

Fringe ArtsNikola Grozdanovic — Published October 9, 2012

If Montreal’s heart is its cultural richness, the festivals throughout the year are the blood vessels that bring it to life. There’s something for everyone and when it comes to lovers of film, there’s only one festival in town that has it all.

The 41st edition of the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma runs from Oct. 10 to Oct. 21 and as always, it showcases some of the hidden gems of the cinematic year. These obscure, daring and artistic productions are begging to be explored and are very deserving of the spotlight that the FNC casts on them.

Four major categories make up the bulk of FNC’s rich tapestry. Selection Internationale has short and long features in the festival’s main competition. There’s no better section to explore if time is limited—it gives a taste of which films FNC has chosen to shine their brightest light on.

Next, there’s Presentation Speciale, with the 2012 festival darlings, which were overshadowed in conversations, blogs and theatres by the bigger boys on the playground. Here, there are established masters like Carlos Reygadas, François Ozon, Ang Lee and Alain Resnais.

The Focus section infuses the festival with a patriotic push for important Canadian and Québécois films. Toronto’s Sarah Polley brings her much-talked about documentary Stories We Tell and there’s a delightful vision of a futuristic Montreal in Martin Villeneuve’s Mars et Avril for just some of the work in this section.

Last but far from least, there’s the ingeniously titled Temps 0 section, which gives Fantasia a run for its genre money.

It has the most daring, wild and unhinged movies of the year, designed to make viewers squirm in their seats and enjoy a truly visceral experience. David Cronenberg would be proud, and not just because his son’s debut film, Antiviral, is featured.

For all the years the FNC has been running, it has always been a secret favorite for many visitors and locals.

It takes a few cues from Fantasia and the Montreal World Film Festival, picks specific movies from the world’s major festivals such as Cannes, Venice and the Toronto International Film Festival, and puts it all together in a wholly satisfying 10-day cinephile’s dream.

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma / Oct. 10 to Oct. 21 / Schedule Here / $12.00 regular, $8.00 student