A NEW AWARD

FIPRESCI – the International Federation of Film Critics – will present the prestigious International Critics Prize to a first feature from any section screened. This award is intended to encourage young filmmakers in their art. The arrival of the prize is a testament to the FNC’s quality programming and boosts its well-earned status as an unmissable event for both industry and audiences.

Created by FIPRESCI for the first Cannes Festival in 1946, the International Critics Prize is now presented at major international festivals including Venice and Berlin as well as at Cannes. In Canada, the International Critics Prize for best feature is also presented at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

ANTICIPATED FIRST FILMS

True to its reputation for discovering new talent, the Festival will screen a number of anticipated first films that stood out on the international festival circuit throughout the year  :

• The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open, a canadian film by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers et Kathleen Hepburn  shown at the Berlin International Film Festival ;
• Quebec premiere Black Conflux, a psychological drama by  Nicole Dorsey ;
• The Twentieth Century, Matthew Rankin’s debut feature starring Dan Beirne, Catherine St-Laurent, Sarianne Cormier, Mikhail Ahooja & Brent Skagford ;
• Canción Sin Nombre (Peru) by Melina León, screened at the Directors Fortnight ;
• Mickey and the Bear (USA) by Annabelle Attanasio  presented at Cannes this year as well in the ACID programme ;
• Aren’t You Happy? (Germany) by Susanne Heinrich, screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.