The CINEMANIA festival turns 30

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CINEMANIA is the biggest French-language film festival in the Americas, and its 30^th edition runs until November 17. In keeping with tradition, the festival will present an extensive selection of works from all over La Francophonie, including a strong lineup from this year’s featured country, France. We spoke with Guilhem Caillard, the festival’s director, to learn more about 2024’s special anniversary edition.

By Sébastien Tétrault

What can you tell us about this anniversary edition?

For us, the 30^th anniversary is a chance to look back and admire the beauty of our history. At its inception, CINEMANIA’s main mission was to highlight French films for Quebec audiences. In recent years it has grown to become the biggest French-language film festival in the Americas, and it truly reflects the francophone world in all its diversity. For the 30^th edition, CINEMANIA will welcome more than 150 guests and screen 120 films from francophone countries around world. Each year, the festival has two honorary co-chairs from Quebec; this year they are the actresses Julie Le Breton and Julie Gayet.

Are there any films you particularly recommend?

I want to recommend Foyers, the excellent directorial debut by our own Zachary Ayotte, on November 8 at the Cinémathèque québécoise. La Pampa by Antoine Chevrollier, who will be in attendance, is a film from France that made waves at Cannes. It will screen on November 10, with the film Zanaar, and on November 12 at Cineplex Quartier Latin. I’d also recommend Andorran filmmaker Jorge Cebrian’s documentary, Boris Skossyreff, l’escroc qui fut roi, on November 7 and 9 at the Cinémathèque Québécoise. It tells the story of a usurper who proclaimed himself king of the Principality of Andorra in 1934. From Luxembourg, we have Eric Lamhène’s film Hors d’Haleine, on November 7 at the Monument National. This is a powerful film about violence against women. Finally, Vil & Misérable, a comedy by Jean-François Leblanc inspired by Samuel Cantin’s graphic novel, is sure to delight the audience when it screens at the Monument National on November 13.

Why did you choose to honour France this year?

First and foremost, it’s a nod to our festival’s beginnings. We also wanted to celebrate the country where cinema was invented. That doesn’t simply mean that our program has lots of films from France. We’re also presenting, on Emery Street, a photography exhibition paying tribute to some iconic French movie locations. It’s called Patrimoine en scène, presented in collaboration with the Centre des Monuments Nationaux français. The exhibition, which runs from November 6 to 13, features historic sites that have been used as locations for major film productions, and it gives the Quartier Latin a bit of a “movie set” feel. It’s a chance to admire the Château de Champs-sur-Marne, an architectural gem that was a location for The Three Musketeers; Hôtel Béthune, which often stands in for France’s presidential palace, the Élysée; and Château Maisons-Laffitte, which was seen in La Reine Margot. I also want to invite the public to the free immersive exhibition CINEMANIA VR : Immersion dans l’inédit, running from November 7 to 10 at the Cinémathèque. It highlights five works from France and Luxembourg that push the boundaries of conventional narrative forms.

What is the impact of Cinemania on local and international cinema?

CINEMANIA has a considerable impact, particularly because we regularly host meetings for major French-language co-productions, and because each year we welcome more than 100 producers. This year, for example, we are hosting a delegation of female directors from Senegal, who will share their experiences in the film industry. This will give us an opportunity to take a closer look at Senegal, which is emerging as a force in francophone African film production. Finally, I’d like to think that we help energize the cinema community and make a significant contribution to the discoverability of Québécois cinema – this year, we have 26 films from Quebec, representing 20% of our program. We also have the Grande soirée du Court Québécois, highlighting our short films. Above all, we’re raising new generations of viewers.

How has the festival evolved over the last 30 years?

There are a few differences between the early CINEMANIA and today’s, but the most obvious one is its size. When I became the festival’s director ten years ago, this was very important to me. I wanted to turn a rather discreet cinephiles’ festival into an event for the general public. To grow, CINEMANIA opened itself to the entirety of La Francophonie and increased its focus on Québécois films. By putting the audience at the heart of our mission and initiatives, we’ve seen our annual attendance grow from 20,000 to 100,000!