10th Montreal International

Black Film Festival

Canada’s biggest black film festival, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF), is returning with a rich and bold program featuring films from all over the world, a “Black Market”, exciting special events, a youth training program, tributes, international guests and much more! Moviegoers will get the chance to watch uncut, quality films. Feature-length, mid-length, shorts, documentaries and narrative films will all be presented, most making their Canadian debut!

This year, the MIBFF enters a new era as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. With new programming and concepts, this prestigious festival will redefine its movie festival template. Over the course of 6 days, festival-goers will have the chance to see actors and directors from all corners of the globe sharing their passions. And there’s something for everyone!

Some of the highlights include: Hope, Half of a Yellow Sun, Ninah’s Dowry, Aidependence, Under the starry Sky (Des Étoiles), Sewing Hope, Mother of Georges, Fire in the Blood, Mirage, Victorieux ou Morts mais jamais Prisonniers, We are the Ones, The Life and Crime of Doris Payne, The Abominable Crime, Bound: Africans vs African-Americans, Little White Lie, Crocodile du Bostwanga, Roger Mila la légende, Haleema, Aissa, Freedom Road, Narvalo, and many more! Productions are divided into several categories: drama; art, poetry, and music; comedy; accomplishment or portrait; Haitian films; identity, history, and traditions; immigration and segregation; bullying; and the human condition.

For tickets and information: www.montrealblackfilm.com

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TRIBUTES AND HONORARY AWARDS

SPIKE LEE: Academy Award nominated director and screenwriter Spike Lee will receive the Montreal International Black Film Festival’s inaugural PIONEER AWARD on Wednesday September 24, 2014, 7 PM at Imperial Theatre. The MIBFF is thrilled to grant him this prestigious award in recognition of his body of work which revolutionized the role of black talent in Hollywood, tearing away decades of stereotypes and marginalized portrayals to establish a new arena for African-American voices to be heard.

The award ceremony will precede the Canadian premiere of Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, Spike Lee’s latest film funded by Kickstarter. Following the film screening, audience members will get a chance to participate in a Q&A session with the famed director.

MIBFF’s presentation of the PIONEER AWARD coincides with the 25th anniversary of Spike Lee’s landmark film, Do the Right Thing. The movie portrayed the racial tensions that emerge in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day of the summer. Do the Right Thing garnered Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and sparked a debate on racial relations. Lee’s other films include She’s Gotta Have It (1986), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Clockers (1995), He Got Game (1998) and Inside Man (2006).

“It is a tremendous honour and privilege for all of us to welcome Spike Lee to Montreal and to honour him with the Montreal International Black Film Festival’s very first PIONEER AWARD. We hope to inspire the next generation of filmmakers to push the envelop and raise their voice for everything they believe in: dare to be yourself!” – Fabienne Colas, President and Founder of the MIBFF.

“Having Spike Lee at the 10th MIBFF not only to receive the festival’s inaugural PIONEER AWARD but also for the Canadian premiere of his latest film Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, 25 years after Do the Right Thing, is not only a privilege but an immense honour” – Emile Castonguay, Programming Director and Co-Founder of the festival.

RÉGINE CHASSAGNE & DOMINIQUE ANGLADE: Both of Haitian decent,they will receive the Social Impact Award on September 26 at Cinéplex Odeon du Quartier Latin, and will be the first women to ever be honoured in the history of the Festival. Anglade and Chassagne co-founded KANPE Foundation, a model for action in the fight against poverty through sustainability. Focusing on underprivileged rural areas, KANPE helps families meet their needs through support in a variety of areas, leading them to financial independence. The award ceremony will precede the screening of the documentary Victorieux ou Morts, mais jamais Prisonniers, followed by a Q&A with director Mario Delatour.
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“YOUTH & DIVERSITY” EVENING
Five young and promising filmmakers from black communities in Montreal were selected from a group of around 35 candidates to each direct a documentary short on the theme “Being Black in Montreal.” They attended short workshops at L’inis and were mentored by professionals such as the project’s artistic director Henri Pardo. With this first edition of the program “Youth & Diversity,” created in honour of MIBFF’s 10th anniversary, the Fabienne Colas Foundation has gone above and beyond its role as a promoter, investing in training the next generation of audiovisual professionals. The first project “Being Black in Montreal” was made possible by l’Inis, Pimiento and the NFB. Screening of the films and discussion with the filmmakers: September 25, 9 PM at Former NFB Cinema.

MIBFF BLACK MARKET
MIBFF introduces the 1st edition Black Market, an industry event featuring renowned figures within the Independent film world. This new annual event will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wednesday September 24, 8:30AM-5:00PM and features panelists from Los Angeles, New-York, Ontario, Québec…

Opening Film – Boris Lojkine’s HOPE
SACD Award – Semaine de la Critique, 2014 Cannes Festival
Tuesday September 23, 7 PM, Imperial Theater
North American Premiere: Deep in the Sahara desert, on his way to Europe, Léonard, a young man from Cameroon, rescues Hope, a Nigerian woman. In a fiercely hostile world where you have to stay with your own people to stay safe, these two try to find their way and love each other.

Closing Film – Biyi Bandele’s HALF OF A YELLOW SUN
Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronro International Film Festival (TIFF)
Sunday September 28, 7 PM, Grande Bibliothèque
Quebec Premiere: Sisters Olanna and Kainene return home to 1960s Nigeria, where they take different paths. As civil war breaks out, political events loom larger than their differences as they join the fight to establish an independent republic.

JOLLYWOOD : MOVIE DISCUSSION
On Friday September 26, 9 PM at Former NFB a discussion with David Belle, Founder of Cine Institute will follow JOLLYWOOD: Cinema Haiti Optimiste : a collection of recent work from Ciné Institute, Haiti’s only film school. The program features a range of works from students and graduates including award winning films like Amiral Gaspard’s supernatural Le bon, le méchant et l’apprenti (The Good, The Bad, The Apprentice), and cutting edge projects like Arcade Fire’s interactive Just a Reflektor music video directed by Vincent Morisset and produced with assistance from Ciné Institute graduates.

VENUES

  • Imperial Theater: 1432, Rue de Bleury
  • Cinéplex Odéon du Quartier Latin: 350, Rue Émery
  • Former NFB Cinema: 1564, Rue St-Denis
  • Hôtel HYATT Regency: 1255, Rue Jeanne-Mance
  • Grande Bibliothèque: 475, Boulevard De Maisonneuve Est

For tickets and information: www.montrealblackfilm.com     514-882-3334

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