Montreal: The Festival du nouveau cinema kicked off its 33rd edition Oct. 14 under unusual conditions. Not only were festival organizers hoping to present their best edition ever, they were also vying for the $1-million Telefilm Canada and SODEC subsidy that was previously earmarked for the Montreal World Film Festival.

Industry onlookers are keenly watching the festival this year, many hoping it will prove to be the shot in the arm the city needs in terms of a potential new infrastructure for an international, world-class event. A week prior to the festival’s opening night, the Nouveau film fest submitted its plan to Telefilm and SODEC, which includes a road map for growth and a proposal for an industry market.

Sheila de La Varende, the newly appointed executive director of the festival, says that the Nouveau Festival sees itself as a leading contender for the funding that is now up in the air. ‘This is a fabulous film festival,’ says La Varende. ‘There’s a palpable energy that you can feel. The programming is striking, and you can really feel the programmers’ gut love for the movies and their festival.’

It is no secret that La Varende’s hiring is strategic in terms of the Nouveau film festival getting its hands on the Telefilm/SODEC money. She will be crucial in raising the international profile of the festival, and arrives after more than a decade of working in Europe for Telefilm helping to create international copros.

Groupe Rozon, the organization behind the Just for Laughs comedy festival, and an ad hoc group of film industry professionals including Guy Gagnon (Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm president) and Denise Robert (producer of The Barbarian Invasions) has also applied for the subsidy. A fourth applicant is known to exist but has not been named.

This year’s lineup of over 200 short and feature-length films is a reflection of the eclectic nature of the festival itself. Olivier Assayas’ Clean screened as the opener, and a number of Toronto International Film Festival entries are also showing, including Don McKellar’s Childstar, Catherine Breillat’s Anatomy of Hell and Pedro Almodavar’s Bad Education.

By day two of the 10-day fest, a highlight already stood out. Ryan Larkin, the former National Film Board animator who was nominated for an Oscar for his 1968 short Walking, was present at a tribute in his honor. There, several of his films were shown, as well as Chris Landreth’s animated short Ryan, which the NFB is aggressively pushing for an Oscar nomination. Even more intriguing is Alter Egos, Laurence Green’s documentary about Larkin and his fall from grace, his cocaine addiction, his homosexuality and his descent into a life on the street as a panhandler. The festival announced that it has established a fund to help get Larkin back on his feet again, and Larkin announced that he is no longer panhandling and is working on a new film titled Spare Change.

But even as people crowd into the cinemas screening the festival films, the buzz on the street is less about the films themselves than where the Telefilm/SODEC money is going to land. La Varende says she is very enthusiastic about this year’s event and its prospects for the future, but adds that her primary challenge is to envision ways for the Nouveau Fest to grow. ‘There has been a real disconnect with what the World [Film] Festival was doing and what has been happening in the industry here in Quebec. The region has really done well, and we need a festival that reflects that vitality.’ The situation with WFF, she says, was becoming ‘alarming.’

‘The challenge for us now is to work on sustainable growth for this festival. And it’s an entirely attainable challenge, something very inspired and reachable. I think we have what it takes to become Montreal’s international film festival.’

Some have charged that, due to its placement in the calendar year, the Nouveau Festival’s content often feels like TIFF Redux, with many of the entries rerun from that event. ‘There are many issues involved with the timing of the festival,’ La Varende confirms. ‘Timing and premieres are obviously part of that. But October is actually a very good platform, and we want to continue working with that placement. The film festival calendar is already very full. This timing works well for the public and the industry.’

And as for a new rivalry starting up between Nouveau and TIFF? ‘Our intention is to continue to cultivate a friendly and collegial relationship with TIFF, as well as the country’s other film festivals. We see this as an opportunity to develop synergies and celebrate cinema, while helping to foster the industry. This really shouldn’t be about one-upmanship.

‘Like all the great film festivals around the world, we’re looking for new ideas and new ways to make the festival exciting. It’s important to always keep an open mind and look for ways to keep a festival fresh and innovative.’

Telefilm and SODEC have maintained a no-comment stance on the issue of which of the four bidders for a new Montreal international film event will win out. They are expected to make the announcement by the end of the month. WFF remains defiant, announcing that it is going ahead with its scheduled film event (slated for Aug. 25 to Sept. 5, 2005), with or without Telefilm and SODEC’s blessing.

-www.fcmm.com