Montreal: Aside from the Gomery Inquiry, this city’s greatest soap opera and blood sport is undoubtedly the ongoing film festival war. But if watching the three events duke it out may seem alternately odd and funny, it is no laughing matter for filmmakers who, as the deadlines for submission approach, are left wondering where they should submit their projects.

The three fests – the World Film Festival, the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and the newly formed Montreal International Film Festival – have been fighting over schedules, naming rights, alleged insults and government funding since last year. The confusion is taking a toll on filmmakers.

‘This is really hard for us,’ says one Toronto filmmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘We have spent three years of blood, sweat and tears on this film. It means everything to us. We want exposure in Montreal, obviously. No one seems to be able to fully answer the question, Which festival is our best shot?’

The quandary is troubling and terrifically ironic, given that the current standoff began as an effort to make Montreal’s film festivals more user-friendly for Canadian and Quebec filmmakers, not less. All three fests will run in the hectic late-summer/early-fall season.

‘It’s of great concern to me,’ says a filmmaker based in Montreal. ‘How do you know where you can maximize your media exposure? With two larger festivals and one smaller one – all within about two months – it’s a bit ridiculous. The press is going to be exhausted.’

While all three festivals have made assurances that their events will go ahead as planned, most have acknowledged that this will be a make-or-break season. At least one of the two larger festivals – the World or International – should bow out after the last film rolls in October.

The conventional wisdom was that, after Telefilm Canada and SODEC yanked their funding from the WFF, it would fold. But founder and director Serge Losique has proven more resilient than many imagined, shoring up support of some of his key sponsors, doing his usual schmoozing at Cannes, and boasting that he ‘has nine amazing films already booked for the competition section of the World Film Festival.’

As well, Losique is arguing that L’Équipe Spectra, the private firm entrusted to run Montreal’s newest film festival, now holds an unfair monopoly over the city’s festivals. Spectra also runs the famed Montreal Jazz Festival and the music festival Francofolies.

They hold too much power, he says, and is suing both Telefilm and Spectra, arguing that the money going to Spectra’s MIFF should go to the event it went to for 28 years, his WFF. As well, Losique says that Spectra is attempting to put the WFF out of business.

‘They are trying to crush us,’ he says.

As well as suing to get his government funding back, Losique is also suing over use of the name Montreal International Film Festival, pointing out that he legally registered that name years ago.

Spectra president Alain Simard expresses surprise over Losique’s charges. ‘I find it odd that Serge Losique would criticize us for not being transparent,’ says Simard. ‘How can he give lessons in that? We have a strong ethical code that we enforce very strictly. We have been asked to run the new film festival because of our past successes.’

Though the WFF continues to issue press releases about its lineup, some have proven problematic. The WFF announced that the National Film Board continued to back the festival, but left the impression that the Crown corporation would be releasing its fall bounty of documentaries and animated films at WFF exclusively. That led to a prompt announcement from NFB brass to the contrary.

‘We really can’t afford to play favorites with festivals,’ NFB commissioner Jacques Bensimon says. ‘We will have films at all three of the City of Montreal’s film events this summer and fall.’

Losique concedes he’s made his share of enemies over the years, but insists this is largely a matter of professional jealousy. ‘There are people out there who want to destroy me… But I’m still here. The festival will go ahead this summer.’

Losique says that Montreal’s film festival mess is not his doing, but rather the fault of Telefilm and Spectra. ‘I did my job. In a very difficult situation, I brought films in. Telefilm thought that this would be easy. They thought everyone is against Losique. It’s not true! I have my supporters, too.’

WFF is slated to run Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, MIFF, Sept. 18-25, and Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Oct. 13-23.

-www.ffm-montreal.org

-www.fcmm.com