The FIL celebrates it's first 30 years of literary excellence

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Did you know that the Festival International de Littérature (FIL) is Montreal’s only festival dedicated to the written word and the promotion of reading and writing? For three decades, the FIL has been putting talented local and international authors in the spotlight.

We spoke with co-executive director and artistic director Michèle Corbeil, who talked about the festival’s history and its plans for this anniversary year. And there’s a bright future ahead – young people are reading as much as ever, and Quebec’s literary scene is thriving.

By Sébastien Tétrault

Let’s start with some festive moments: what kind of surprises do you have in store for the 30^th edition?

Michèle Corbeil : What’s really special about this year’s festival is that all of the shows include a nod to our history. In each case there’s an author, a performer or a producer who has made their mark on a previous edition of the FIL. It’s a way to celebrate the extended FIL family and welcome the newcomers who are joining the family.

For example, Trintignant / Mille / Piazzolla, (September 28 at the Cinémathèque québécoise), is a film about the final performance of Jean-Louis Trintignant, the legendary actor who, with accordionist David Mille, was a key part of the history of the FIL, most notably with his readings from the works of Aragon and Apollinaire.

Similarly, Le violon d’Adrien, Le violon d’Adrien, read by Sofia Blondin, was written by Gary Victor, the Haitian writer who is most read in Haiti. As well as paying tribute to Victor, this show highlights the strong and lasting bond between the FIL and Haitian literature. (September 24, Cinquième salle, Place des Arts.)

We’re also presenting an exhibition called Au FIL de nos 30 ans, until September 29 in the gallery of the Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme at Place des Arts. It features excerpts from memorable performances and other festival highlights from the last 30 years.

How did the FIL start and what is its significance today?

M.C : The FIL was founded in 1994 by the Union des écrivains québécois (l’UNEQ) – the writers’ union. At the time, every artistic discipline had at least one festival – except literature. So the FIL was founded to fill a void in the city’s cultural scene. The festival’s defining feature is that it presents the intersection of literature and other arts. So the FIL includes theatre, film and music, all in service to literature.

The FIL’s primary mission is to inspire people to read by introducing – or reintroducing – them to authors and their works. Another part of our mission is to bring the writer out of isolation. In the early years, our readings all took place on a single evening. Now they are extended over multiple evenings, and the production is much more elaborate. These are now true literary shows, but the author and their text remain central. Over time, the FIL has become a creative laboratory and theatre producers attend as scouts. Several works that now appear regularly on theatrical stages were originally FIL readings, for example La femme qui fuit, adapted from the novel by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, presented at TNM this fall with Catherine de Léan as narrator.

DO YOU THINK LITERATURE HAS A SOCIAL ROLE?

M.C : Contrary to what’s sometimes said, I think young people are reading as much as ever, you could even say voraciously. I also know that publishing is doing well in Quebec, and I’m aware of the importance and unique role that our festival plays in Quebec’s literary scene. Culture also has a role in the social integration of newcomers. This year, for the first time, the FIL will hold a noontime workshop series in francisation centres. We’re going to ask newcomers to Quebec to write about their experiences. Then we’ll read their texts at the end of the festival, on September 28, during the Salons littéraires. When we think about the things that newcomers need, we usually think about housing, work and healthcare. Too often, we forget that our new neighbour had a life in their home country, and culture was an important part of it. So when I talk about access, I’m talking about access to culture.