The 24th edition of
Cinemania film festival

67 films, including 50 North American, Canadian and Quebec premieres

October 27, 2018

Cinemania Film Festival is pleased to announce the screening of 67 feature films this year, 50 of which are North American, Canadian or Quebec premieres, selected from the year’s best of Francophone cinema, all subtitled in English. The program of 89 screenings represents a total of 13 different countries – 24 invited guest directors, actors and producers will present their films and dialogue with audiences during the 24th edition that takes place from November 1 to 11, 2018. Cinemania is expanding this year to a total of 5 venues – in addition to “Home Base” at the Imperial Cinema where the great majority of screenings take place, as well as at the new Cinéma du Musée of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, at the Outremont Theatre, Cinéma du Parc, and Cinémathèque Québécoise.

Cinemania is expanding this year to a total of 5 venues – in addition to “Home Base” at the Imperial Cinema…

OPENING NIGHT, CLOSING NIGHT and PRE-OPENING NIGHT:

The long-awaited latest work by Olivier Assayas, Doubles Vies (non-fiction), will open the Festival on Thursday evening Nov. 1st at the Imperial Cinema. Featured at Mostra Venice and at TIFF, the film stars Juliette Binoche, Guillaume Canet and Vincent Macaigne.

The Closing film, Sunday evening, November 11th, is the historical drama Edmond, by Alexis Michalik, tracing the challenging creation of the theatrical sensation Cyrano de Bergerac by playwright Edmond Rostand. New this year, the Festival inaugurates a special Pre-Opening evening at the Outremont Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 30th, with the North American premiere of Emma Peeters directed by Nicole Palo, a Quebec-Belgium-Canada coproduction starring Quebecoise Monia Chokri.

GUEST OF HONOUR

Belgian film-star Olivier Gourmet, guest of honour of the 24th edition, has been an outstanding contributor to Francophone cinema. He will be presenting four premieres in which he appears: L’échange des princesses by Marc Dugain, an 18th century saga wherein peace between France and Spain rests on the arranged marriage of two young royals (Lambert Wilson also stars); Ceux qui travaillent a powerful debut film by Antoine Russbach that premiered at the Locarno Film Festival; Un peuple et son roi, an historical drama on the French Revolution by director Pierre Schoeller, and finally Edmond, the closing film of Cinemania 2018. The Cinémathèque Québécoise has organized a tribute to Olivier Gourmet, presenting 2 films: Le fils by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, in a role that won Gourmet Best Actor at Cannes 2002 and Congorama by Philippe Falardeau in which he plays opposite Quebec actor Paul Ahmarani.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS and a GALA PRESENTATION

The programming team is pleased to highlight 3 North American premieres that have punctuated this season’s international film scene: Un amour impossible by director and co-screenwriter Catherine Corsini adapted from Christine Angot’s eponymous novel and starring Niels Schneider with Virginie Éfira as a modern heroine in a tragic tale of love; Lola et ses frères, a dramatic comedy by actor, director and screenwriter Jean-Paul Rouve with co-screenwriter and best-selling author David Foenkinos; and Le grand bain, a comedy by Gilles Lellouche in which he casts a group of France’s best-known film-stars as members of a male synchronized swimming-team.

Gilles Lellouche will also be in Montreal at a special gala screening – presenting the film Pupille together with Élodie Bouchez, a sensitive saga on adoption by Jeanne Herry. Another gala evening screening, Emmanuel Mouret’s Mademoiselle de Jonquieres introduced in person by co-star Edouard Baer (who plays opposite Cécile de France in an 18th century tale of love and vengeance between a widowed blue-blood and a licentious Marquis).

Quebec’s Yves Jacques will present a gala screening, that of Un homme pressé by Hervé Mimran, in which he plays alongside Fabrice Luchini and Leila Behkti. And lastly, another gala screening will feature director Guillaume Senez introducing his film Nos batailles in which Romain Duris plays a father of two, coping with his wife’s abandonment – the story of an ordinary life transforming into a sensitive and realistic drama.

CELEBRITY GUESTS OF THE 24th EDITION

This year, Cinemania will offer no less than 35 screenings presented in person by guests of the Festival: notably, the North American premiere of Sparring to be introduced by star Mathieu Kassovitz accompanied by director Samuel Jouy; Laurent Lafitte will present 3 films – the unusual thriller Les fauves by Vincent Mariette in which he plays opposite Lily-Rose Depp,  L’Heure de la sortie by Sébastien Marnier and Un peuple et son roi, the latest film by Pierre Schoeller.

Festival-goers will have the opportunity to screen Le monde est a toi introduced by Romain Gavras and starring Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Cassel, while director Eva Husson will present her Les filles du soleil (Girls of the Sun) starring Golshifteh Farahani and Emmanuelle Bercot. Vincent Macaigne will introduce both the opening film Doubles vies (non-fiction) and the anti-fascist allegory Chien in which he stars. The world premiere of the France-Quebec-Belgium coproduction Pauvre georges will be presented by a team composed of actress Monia Chokri and producers Dominique Besnehard and Richard Lalonde. And lastly, young director Nathan Ambrosioni (sometimes nicknamed “the Xavier Dolan” of France) will present Les drapeaux de papier which opened in competition at the Namur Film Festival.

PREMIERES

Every year, the Cinemania team makes a special effort to offer its audience noteworthy films from the most prestigious international film festivals. From Cannes Official Competition 2018, in addition to the afore-mentioned Filles du soleil, the Festival will screen Plaire, Aimer et courir vite by Christophe Honoré and Cold War by Oscar-winning Pawel Pawlikowski. From the Official Competition Berlinale, Cinemania serves-up Eva by Benoît Jacquot starring Isabelle Huppert and Gaspard Ulliel as well as La prière, a riveting story of redemption by Cédric Kahn.

Cinemania has programmed 33 North American premieres: Frères ennemis by David Oelhoffen starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Reda Kateb; the eagerly-anticipated Maya by Mia Hansen-Love; Ma fille by Roschdy Zem; Photo de famille with Vanessa Paradis, Camille Cottin and Pierre Deladonchamps; Ludovic Bernard’s Au bout des doigts filled with piano music, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Lambert Wilson and Jules Benchetrit; Amin, the latest film by Philippe Faucon, winner of the César award 2016 for Best Film (Fatima); the surrealistic comedy En liberté! by Pierre Salvadori, with Adèele Haenel, Pio Marmaï, Audrey Tautou and Vincent Elbaz.

Also premiered, Vincent Lacoste in Amanda by Michael Hers; Continuer by Joachim Lafosse; Les confins du monde by Guillaume Nicloux, starring Gaspard Ulliel with Gérard Depardieu, plunging us into the heart of wartime colonial Indochina; the satirical comedy L’amour est une fête starring Guillaume Canet and Gilles Lellouche. And La derniere folie de Claire Darling by Julie Bertuccelli will enjoy its international premiere at Cinemania – Catherine Deneuve plays the lead role of a woman who’s convinced that she’s living her last day on earth.

There are a further 12 film premieres including Sofia by Meryem Benm’Barek which received accolades at both Cannes and Angoulême, Tazzeka by Jean-Philippe Gaud, C’est ça l’amour, first solo feature by Claire Burger, Il se passe quelque chose, a road movie by Anne Alix, Luna by director Elsa Diringer, L’amour flou by Romane Bohringer and Philippe Rebbot, winner of the Valois Prix du Public at Angoulême, as well as L’ordre des médecins by David Roux, starring Jérémie Renier.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Dialogue with Mathieu Kassovitz
Tuesday, Nov. 6th at 5:30pm at the Cinémathèque Québécoise

The public is invited to dialogue with actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz during a master-class hosted by screenwriter Nicolas Krief. Kassovitz is an impressive figure in the history of French cinema, measured by his unique way of working and by the success and accolades that have marked his career as a director from the early 1990s onward, with films like La haine and L’ordre et la morale. His exceptional work and popularity as an actor are undeniable.

Public meetings with festival guests

Sunday, November 4, 2pm at the Centre Phi, Patrick Fabre, the spokesperson for the Red Carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and artistic director of the International Saint-Jean-du-Luz Film Festival, will host a discussion group together with Cinemania celebrity guests Olivier Gourmet, Emmanuel Mouret, Vincent Macaigne, Monia Chokri and Guillaume Senez.

Saturday November 10, 4pm at Sofitel Montreal The Golden Mile, Laurent Weil, journalist at the television group CANAL+, will host a discussion group with Laurent Lafitte, Dominique Besnehard, Eva Husson, Michel Côte, Sophie Desmarais and Nathan Ambrosioni.

The premiere of Le grand bain will take place at the MMA Sports Centre swimming pool on November 5 at 7pm. The public is invited to attend the screening of this popular comedy at the pool – director Gilles Lellouche will be present. Starring in the film are Mathieu Amalric, Guillaume Canet, Benoît Poelvoorde, Philippe Katerine, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Alban Ivanov, as well as actresses Marina Foïs, Virginie Éfira and Leïla Behkti.

GAUMONT RETROSPECTIVE AND EXHIBITION

The oldest name in the film industry is Gaumont, and in honour of their 120 years of creativity, success and immeasurable contribution in enriching French cinema, the Cinémathèque Québécoise is screening several of Gaumont’s great classics from November 2 to 7. It’s a great opportunity to re-visit some great cult films such as French cancan, Le silence de la mer, or For Ever Mozart by Jean-Luc Godard.

The retrospective at the Cinémathèque will be accompanied by an exhibition entitled Gaumont: Ever Since the Birth of Cinema, presented free of charge from October 27 to November 25 at the Cinémathèque and at the SAT (Société des Arts Technologiques). The exhibition consists of authentic costumes, posters and a variety of objects – those who attend will also have the opportunity to view extracts from many Gaumont films as well as listen to soundtrack music.

BOX OFFICE

Tickets for all screenings, as well as Passports, are now on sale on-line at festivalCinemania.com as well as on www.lavitrine.com. The on-site box office at the Imperial Cinema to purchase tickets for all screenings (except those at the satellite venues) will be open from November 2 to 11, and is the only location to pick-up the Passports. Satellite screens at the Outremont Theatre, the Cinéma du Musée, Cinéma du Parc and the Cinémathèque Québécoise will sell tickets for the Cinemania screenings that are scheduled at their venues, at their on-site box offices or on their websites. Passports are eligible for Cinemania-programmed screenings at all 5 venues except for Opening and Closing nights.

Images: Courtesy of Cinemania film festival

Other articles about Cinema
Other recent articles