FIPRESCI will present the prestigious

International Critics Prize

First titles unveiled

From October 9 to 20

The Montreal Festival du nouveau cin ma (FNC), the longest-running film
festival in Canada, is pleased to announce that FIPRESCI – the International Federation of Film Critics – will present the prestigious International Critics Prize to a first
feature from any section screened at the 48th edition of the FNC. The Festival
will run from October 9 to 20 in Montreal.

Awarded to a first feature from the lineup by a jury made up of three
members of FIPRESCI – one from Canada, one from the United States and one from
Europe – the FIPRESCI Prize 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.

Among the eligible works…

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: Cancion Sin Nombre (Peru) by Melina Leon, screened at the Directors Fortnight; Mickey and the Bear (U.S.) by Annabelle Attanasio, presented at Cannes this year as well in the ACID programme; and the postmodern comedy Aren’t You Happy? (Germany) by Susanne Heinrich, screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. From Canada, Elle-M ij Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn’s The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open, shown at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, is in the running, as is Nicole Dorsey’s psychological drama Black Conflux, a Quebec premiere. When it comes to Quebec, festivalgoers can be among the first to catch Matthew Rankin’s debut feature, The Twentieth Century, starring Dan Beirne, Catherine St-Laurent, Sarianne Cormier, Mikhail Ahooja and Brent Skagford.

The International Critics Prize

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).