Montreal: After months of speculation, the rumors have proven true. The famously troubled New Montreal FilmFest, the inaugural edition of which was held just five months ago, is now history.

Organizers confirmed on Feb. 10 that the fest – which has been a lightning rod for trouble since its earliest days – will not be back for a second edition.

‘In light of the current situation and given our experience last year, we wanted at all costs to avoid having Montreal again project an incoherent image internationally with the holding of various competing festivals,’ said Alain Simard, president of NMFF’s parent L’Équipe Spectra, in a press release.

The scuttling of NMFF stands to clear up Montreal’s crowded schedule, which last fall labored through three consecutive festivals.

The NMFF was hatched by a squabble between the World Film Festival and its main government backers, Telefilm Canada and SODEC, which withdrew their support amid allegations of mismanagement. Their funding was redirected to L’Équipe Spectra, which also puts on Montreal’s successful jazz festival, among others.

But the NMFF was plagued by dilemmas from the get-go – including date conflicts with both the city’s smaller but popular festival Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and the Atlantic Film Festival. When it debuted in September, NMFF also suffered poor attendance, dismal reviews and a public fight between Simard and head programmer Moritz de Hadeln.

NMFF recently proposed a merger with the FNC, but the would-be white knight didn’t bite.