Editor

THE MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL OFFERS THE WORLD ON SCREEN

The 2004 edition of the Montreal World Film Festival, its 28th, will take place August 26 to September 6. The programming includes the following sections: World Competition, Cinema of the Americas (Panorama Canada, United States, Latin America), Cinema of Europe, Cinema of Africa, Cinema of Asia, Cinema of Oceania, World Documentaries, Out of Competition, Tributes, the Student Film Festival, and Outdoor Screenings. This year, the festival is also presenting two new sections, “Variety Critics’ Choice: Americas Now”, a selection by Variety critics of films from the United States, Canada and Latin America and Cinema and Sports, a special section to commemorate the 2004 Olympics.

It is this eclectic aspect of the program that has been a hallmark of the MWFF and has made the Festival so interesting to both filmgoers and professionals from around the world. Each year, films from some 70 countries are shown; ranging from works by well-known directors to the first films of a new generation of filmmakers. The MWFF has long since lost count of the number of its “discoveries”.

As in the past, an international jury will see the films entered in the World Competition and they will attribute the following prizes:

Grand Prize of the Americas (Best Film)
Special Grand Prize of the Jury
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Screenplay
Best Artistic Contribution
Innovation Award
1st Prize and Jury Prize for short films in competition

The Jury for the First Films World Competition (first fiction features from all sections of the festival) will award gold, silver and bronze Zeniths.

Films in all the remaining categories will also be up for prizes, voted by the festival goers themselves. The Air Canada Prize will go the most popular film of the entire festival and Golden Zeniths will be attributed in each of the continental sections and sub-sections, as well as the World Documentaries (cinema and television) section. The Fedex Prize will be awarded to the best Canadian short film.