Wednesday, August 22--------Filmmakers, film critics and lovers of international cinema are again assembling in the beautiful Quebec city of Montreal, as the Montreal World Film Festival celebrates its 31st anniversary. The Festival featurtes a top-flight selection of films in the World and First Film Competitions, as well as out of competition focuses on World Cinema and Documentaries of the World. Montreal has always been a place where the cinema greats, some quite senior in their careers, are lauded and where films with a political and social point of view are embraced. Less glamourous than its arch-rival the Toronto Film Festival, but also remarkably comfortable in its own skin, this is first and foremost a place to celebrate cinema auteurs and engage in a love of international filmmaking.

Serge LosiqueWhatever else you may say about the Festival's long time director Serge Losique (and much has been said, both to his face and behind his back), he is a survivor. Two years ago, when a local Quebec special events company tried to usurp the Festival by mounting a rival event under the leadership of former Berlinale head Moritz de Hadeln, it looked like Losique's long reign might come to an end. But the thorny Losique also has his supporters, among the international festival elite and also from loyal Montreal audiences, and it was de Hadeln's event that folded after a single, disasterous season. Love him or hate him, Losique is back with a program that is as strong, varied and international as any in recent Festival history.

One thing that is clear to this observer, who has attended this event many times, is that Montreal audiences are among the most adventurous and dynamic in the world, with a tremendous appetite for sometimes difficult and thought-provoking films. Film screenings are generally packed and the entire city participates in what is one of the biggest cultural events of the year. From the outdoor screenings in the Place des Arts (of more popular fare) to the chock-a-block marathon of films from around the world, this year's Montreal World Film Festival promises to be a cinematic valentine that this reporter is keen to sample, after a summer of Hollywood blockbusters and lightweight bon-bons. Viva Losique........

Sandy Mandelberger, Montreal World FF Editor