Brownstein: FNC is screening 105 movies, and Zoé Protat has seen all of them

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Zoé Protat has a number of calls for in deciding which movies to program for the Pageant du nouveau cinéma, however one actually stands out: “I don’t need to be bored.”

Few would take difficulty with that.

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“That’s what drives me and what drives my complete crew,” says Protat, the FNC’s programming director for the final 5 years. “We additionally like to be shocked and to see one thing new.

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“The movies don’t should be good, particularly for our competitions, that are dedicated to first- and second-time administrators and new voices. However we need to see one thing recent and we need to be challenged. And we need to be numerous.”

Protat is satisfied she has all these bases coated for the 52nd version of the FNC, kicking off Wednesday and working till Oct. 15 at varied cinemas round city.

The opening-night attraction on the Imperial Cinema is the Canadian première of the epicurean historic romance La ardour de Dodin Bouffant (The Pot-au-Feu) from Trân Anh Hùng, winner of best-director honours on the 2023 Cannes movie fest. The movie unites stars Juliette Binoche as a steadfast prepare dinner and Benoît Magimel as smitten chef Dodin.

This yr’s FNC showcases 105 options — all of which Protat has seen — from 57 international locations. There are choices from administrators Sofia Coppola (Priscilla, a biopic of Priscilla Presley), Wim Wenders (Excellent Days), Atom Egoyan (Seven Veils), Ken Loach (The Previous Oak) and Todd Haynes (Might December).

There are the standard worldwide and nationwide competitions and a collection of shorts. There are grasp lessons led by administrators Bertrand Bonello and Catherine Breillat, each of whom may also be introduced with a Louve d’honneur in tribute to their accomplishments. Bonello’s eleventh function, La bête (The Beast), and a retrospective of his different works shall be screened. Breillat’s 14th function, L’été dernier (Final Summer time), may also be introduced.

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Plus, this yr there’s the FNC’s kick-ass Bruceploitation program, together with homages to Bruce Lee with Robert Clouse’s Enter the Dragon (marking its fiftieth anniversary) and David Gregory’s revealing new doc Enter the Clones of Bruce.

And may’t overlook Mad Max Evening on Oct. 7, because the FNC goes deep into the post-apocalyptic ravings of director George Miller. 4 Mad Max flicks, together with the newest, Mad Max: Fury Street, shall be unleashed in a single evening and a slice of day. And what would such a soirée be with out a briefing on troglodyte make-up, plus breakfast the subsequent morning?

With film theatres struggling for survival within the wake of the pandemic, emphasis has been positioned on stocking cinemas with business fare to get bums again into seats. Not to remove from the deserves of Paw Patrol or the newest Indiana Jones escapade, however cinephiles could be left within the lurch with out the FNC, to not point out the town’s myriad different movie fests.

“I’m usually requested what’s the significance as we speak of movie festivals on this period of streaming platforms, and I say that they might present the one alternative for cinephiles to see these movies, as a result of they might not present up once more,” Protat says.

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“We’re very lucky in Montreal to have plenty of movie festivals, as a result of that’s not the case all over the place else on the earth. Now we have Fantasia and the RIDM documentary competition and all these area of interest festivals, to not point out some high quality artwork homes, however if you wish to see movies from all over the place on the earth and from all genres, the FNC might be your ticket.”

Protat is clearly a booster, however she does have a legitimate level.

The FNC particularly brings us gems from the Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Rotterdam and London fests, together with different acclaimed movies. However until they present up at artwork homes just like the Cinémas Moderne, Musée and Parc, we would in any other case solely hear about these choices and by no means get to see them. Let’s simply say the overwhelming majority of streaming providers aren’t precisely over-laden with this sort of fare.

It speaks volumes that the FNC has managed not simply to outlive in gentle of the whole lot from COVID-19 to administration adjustments, but in addition to maintain itself and fulfill its patrons for 52 years. It’s the oldest movie fest within the metropolis and, based on Protat, the oldest “generalist” movie fest within the nation.

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In contrast to different star-driven movie festivals, like Toronto’s TIFF, the FNC is extra director-driven and thus has been comparatively resistant to the continuing U.S. actors’ strike.

“Our competition is a bit sheltered from that storm, as a result of we’re on the lookout for motion pictures from all around the world,” Protat says. “We’re not so Hollywood-tied. We’re not a red-carpet competition. We’re an auteur competition. We invite extra filmmakers than actors. So we’re on this privileged place.”

Zoé Protat’s high seven FNC picks

Vlad Petri’s Between Revolutions (Romania/Croatia/Qatar/Iran; Friday, Oct. 6 at 6:45 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.; Quartier Latin): The Romanian and Iranian revolutions as seen via the lens of two medical college students.

Leila Kilani’s Indivision (France/Morocco; Saturday, Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 8 at 5:45 p.m.; Quartier Latin): An explosive household feud with a mute teenager on the epicentre.

Thien An Pham’s Contained in the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Vietnam/Singapore/France/Spain; Monday, Oct. 9 at midday and Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7:45 p.m.; Quartier Latin): A religious journey via rural Vietnam, rife with otherworldly views of nature.

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Chloé Robichaud’s Les jours heureux (Quebec/Canada; Friday, Oct. 6 at 8:30 p.m. at Cinéma du Musée; Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. at Cinéma Moderne): Sophie Desmarais turns in a pitch-perfect efficiency as a younger orchestra conductor attempting to perform in a high-stress, male-dominated world.

Radu Jude’s Do Not Anticipate Too A lot From the Finish of the World (Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia; Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6:15 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Cinéma du Parc; Monday, Oct. 9 at 7:45 p.m. at Quartier Latin): Not only a nice title, however a punchy satire a couple of malcontent attempting to take care of capitalism on this digital age.

Ariane Louis-Seize’s Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant (Quebec/Canada; Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at Imperial Cinema; Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Quartier Latin): Delicate vampire Sasha seeks to alleviate chronically depressed Paul from the rigours of life on this biting coming-of-age story.

Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera (Italy/Switzerland/France; Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Quartier Latin; Sunday, Oct. 15 at 6:15 p.m. at Imperial Cinema): A mystical odyssey about an archeologist’s never-ending seek for love. To not be confused with Indiana Jones.

AT A GLANCE

The 52nd Pageant du nouveau cinéma runs from Wednesday, Oct. 4 to Sunday, Oct. 15. For ticket, schedule and venue data, go to nouveaucinema.ca.

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