Montreal: To say a pall hung over the 28th edition of Montreal’s World Film Festival would be an understatement. Dubbed the Existential Festival from day one by local media, the event was reeling from the damning July 27 Telefilm Canada and SODEC report that demanded festival brass open themselves up to great scrutiny and accountability. This was not merely yet another government report that denounced WFF founder and director Serge Losique’s leadership; this time, Telefilm and SODEC spokespeople insisted they meant business, suggesting that unless the World Festival altered course significantly, it stood serious chance of losing the government agencies’ money.