MONTREAL — The unsentimental Durs à cuire (‘hard to cook’) , which follows two Quebec master chefs in their relentless quest for good food, opened Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinéma with much fanfare Wednesday night.

Helmed by first-time director Guillaume Sylvestre, 29, the culinary odyssey features renowned and uncompromising chefs Normand Laprise from Montreal’s Toqué! restaurant and Martin Picard, owner of the city’s infamous bistro Au Pied de Cochon.

The director and both chefs joined beaming FNC founder Claude Chamberlan on the red carpet at Montreal’s Imperial Cinema last night to launch the 36th annual festival, which features an eclectic lineup of more than 250 films from 40 countries.

Chamberlan says he picked Durs à cuire as the opener because it’s a feel-good movie that illustrates everything that’s wonderful about Quebec culture. ‘Food and having fun is one of the things we do best in Quebec. This film is not just about cooking — it’s about life,’ the veteran programmer told Playback Daily.

But he’s quick to point out that the flick doesn’t reflect his overall programming philosophy, which is to push the envelope by showing innovative and experimental films. ‘Whether it’s cinema d’auteur or a documentary, some films are accessible and some aren’t,’ he says. ‘We have a track record of programming recent discoveries.’

The goal of fest programmer Julien Fonfrède, then, was to find works that are strange and interesting, but accessible. ‘In Asia, they do really artistic stuff, but it’s also popular. In places such as India and Thailand, there isn’t a separation between auteur cinema and popular movies,’ says Fonfrède, who programs the festival’s avant-garde Temps Zéro section, which this year includes titles I’m a Cyborg But That’s O.K. (South Korea) and Sperm (Thailand).

The FNC is also committed to exploring the evolution of cinema and new media, adds Chamberlan. ‘I’m interested in the cinema of the future — the stuff that young people from 15 to 25 are interested in,’ he says. ‘We want to be at the forefront.’ The Future of Cinema section includes debates, lectures and new media installations exploring where the medium is going, including a dome in which visitors can explore the Canadian Film Centre/National Film Board interactive copro Late Fragment.

The festival’s Focus Québec/Canada program will showcase 15 works from across Canada, including: Peter Raymont’s A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman, Bruce Sweeney’s American Venus, Carole Laure’s La capture, Up the Yangtze by Yung Chang, Young People Fucking by Martin Gero, Ice Cream by Jean Leclerc and Damage Done by Connie Littlefield.

Denys Arcand will also attend the festival with his latest pic, L’âge des ténèbres.

When queried as to whether the Toronto International Film Festival, which ran Sept. 6 -15, overshadows FNC, both Chamberlan and Fonfrède were quick to point out their festival doesn’t compete with TIFF.

‘Of course we come after Toronto. But our festival has its own identity,’ says Fonfrède, echoing Chamberlan’s sentiments. ‘We are more relaxed and a bit more independent. We are not running after big stars. It’s not a big business festival. We do lots of networking, but it’s about showcasing independent cinema. We want to stay small and good.’

On Oct. 21, the festival will close with Cristian Mungiu’s Romanian entry 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which received the Palme d’Or award at Cannes.