Welcome to film fest central: The Quartier des Spectacles

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This fall, the Quartier des Spectacles will host several great film festivals. In venues around the Quartier, the events – each very different from one another – will screen an incredible selection of the world’s most creative cinematic works. Come out and enjoy some fantastic movies on the big screen!

Festival Spasm

Club Soda
October 19 to 28

A night at the Spasm Festival’s is always incredibly fun. The event focuses on “strange, mysterious, funny, sexy, trashy, futuristic, paranormal, scary and, of course, unclassifiable” short films, as the organizers put it. An oddity on the calendar when it first appeared 16 years ago, the festival has matured into a beloved fall tradition. As well as the Grande Soirée Horreur at Club Soda on October 27, don’t miss the Kino Kabaret the next evening, where 15 filmmakers with present their genre shorts, each made in just two weeks. Come out and party, laugh – and shiver.

CINEMANIA

Cinéma Impérial
November 2 to 12

CINEMANIA presents some 50 French-language films, each one a North American, Canadian or Quebec premiere – all with English subtitles. It’s a great opportunity to explore the roots, range and creative palette of the world’s francophone movies. This year’s opening film is a treat: Le sens de la fête, the latest from the great duo of Nakache & Toledano (Intouchables). And we’ll finally get a chance to see Au revoir là-haut, directed by and starring Albert Dupontel, with a fantastic cast and tons of positive reviews.

RIDM

Cinémathèque québécoise et UQAM
November 9 to 19

The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) is one of North America’s largest events of its kind, presenting a wide variety of works and points of view. More than 50,000 spectators will have the chance to appreciate this year’s 100-plus films. Highlights include DPJ by Guillaume Sylvestre, which goes behind the scenes with the social workers at Quebec’s child-protection agency. Another intriguing film is The Reagan Show, about the emergence of a new form of political spectacle, while State of Exception is a compelling story of resistance. Last but not least, don’t miss the 20^th anniversary retrospective program – free screenings of some of the festival’s most memorable films. Seeing is understanding.

Les Sommets du cinéma d’animation

Cinémathèque québécoise
November 22 to 26

An animation festival that covers the breadth and depth of this century-old art, from the most traditional approaches to new-media works; from conventional stories to experimental narratives. This 16^th annual edition has a strong line-up and some captivating special events. Don’t miss the chance to meet Don Hahn, an American animator and producer from Disney Studios, whose name can be found in the credits of classics like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. It all opens with The Big Bad Fox and other tales by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert (Ernest et Célestine).

Festival Image+Nation

Cinéma Impérial & Cinémathèque québécoie
November 23 to December 3

Premier festival du genre au Canada, le festival Image+Nation projette les meilleurs films queer d’ici et d’ailleurs à un public curieux et attentif. Ce cinéma riche, humain, carbure toujours à la nouveauté et à l’originalité. Et pour célébrer son 30^e anniversaire, la programmation du festival nous permet de revisiter 30 ans d’expression LGBT à travers des documentaires et des films de fiction. Une invitation supplémentaire pour fêter la diversité montréalaise et découvrir un cinéma novateur, qui braque les projecteurs sur la variété de nos sociétés contemporaines.