Spring is finally here, and with it comes a new cultural project for Montreal. On April 1, Cinéma Public will launch a new film offering: a selection of films delivered online accompanied by discussions with special guests, and starting this Summer, screenings on the big screen in various locations.
Once the pandemic is behind us, Cinéma Public will welcome cinephiles to indoor screenings in a new space in Montreal. Starting from the conviction that the future of the big screen will lean more toward neighbourhood theatres than multiplexes, the team is driven by the desire to rally Montrealers around a new cultural project. The venue will be inclusive, multi-disciplinary and community-oriented. Until then, Cinéma Public will work to humanize the cinematic experience with appealing, stimulating and safe events for all audiences, whether in-person or online, and a film program carefully curated by people with a love for cinema.
Cinéma Public is led by a passionate group driven by the desire to create a new space where films, artists and audiences will meet. The team is led by co-directors Roxanne Sayegh and Aude Renaud-Lorrain, the outgoing co-directors of Cinéma Moderne. They will be joined by Anne-Julie Lalande, Béatrice Langlois and Amélie Saffré. The board of directors is composed of Nadine Medawar, Luc Déry, Tao Fei, Robert Yalden, Jean-Marc Krupa and Roxanne Sayegh.
On the program
The April program is a diverse line-up that will appeal to general audiences and avid cinephiles alike. The selection reflects Cinéma Public’s philosophy of building strong community ties, becoming an essential gathering place, and showcasing local works alongside the best of world cinema.
This first month will focus on dynamic new partnerships with Art Souterrain, Vues d’Afriques and Festival Stop Motion Montréal, all of which will offer free content and video on-demand. Cinéma Public will present several exclusives, including the unsettling Filipino documentary Aswang by Alyx Ayn Arumpac, winner of the Grand Prize at the RIDM in 2020.
Five films up-to-date with the recent nominations and festival selections will also be shown: The Sound of Metal, Minari and Collective, are all Oscar nominees, and two films by women, Saint Maud by Rose Glass and Shiva Baby by Emma Seligman (presented in collaboration with cELLEuloid). A retrospective of the works of Canadian filmmaker Kazik Radwanski, including his most recent film, Anne at 13,000 ft, crowned Best Canadian Film by the Toronto Film Critics Association, will round out the April line-up. Most of the films will be accompanied by online discussions with the filmmakers.
Cinéma Public thanks its institutional partners: Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine (Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation) via the Fonds d’initiative et de rayonnement de la métropole, Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), Conseil des arts de Montréal, Telefilm Canada and Canadian Heritage.
Because film is vital and the Public is ready!
CINÉMA PUBLIC
More information: www.cinemapublic.ca
