The 2020 edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma, the 49th edition in the event's history, took place from October 7 to 31, 2020 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Alex Rose, "Here’s what’s on at the Festival du nouveau cinéma 2020". Cult MTL, October 1, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, it was staged almost entirely online, with the exception of a few outdoor screenings at Ciné-parc FNC x YUL, a temporary drive-in theatre in the employee parking lot of Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.Lauren Malyk, "Festival du nouveau cinema’s 11th hour pivot". Playback, October 1, 2020.
The festival had planned to include some in-person screenings, but was forced to cancel these when the government of Quebec imposed a 28-day lockdown on September 29, just days before the festival was set to begin.Gabriel Sigler, "Montreal’s FNC film festival goes 100% virtual, announces complete lineup". Bad Feeling, October 1, 2020. As the drive-in and online components were already planned, the festival was able to quickly pivot its strategy, although the tight timeframe meant that a few films that had been scheduled for in-person screenings had to be pulled from the program rather than being added to the online platform.
The festival was slated to open with a free public screening of Underground (Souterrain) by Sophie Dupuis at FNC x YUL, but this event had to be cancelled due to severe weather. It closed with the film My Salinger Year by Philippe Falardeau on October 16;François Lévesque, "Horizons virtuels". Le Devoir, October 7, 2020. some, but not all, films in the program then remained available on the online platform until October 31.Odile Tremblay, "Un FNC dans la tempête". Le Devoir, October 15, 2020.
Awards Award winners were announced on October 17.Amélie Revert, "«Atlantis», «Sin La Habana» et «Judy vs Capitalism» au palmarès du FNC". Métro, October 19, 2020.
The international competition jury comprised Pascale Bussières, Louise Lecavalier and Félix Dufour-Laperrière, while the national competition jury consisted of Evelyne de la Chenelière, Timothée Donay and Ewa Puszczynska."Dévoilement du Palmarès 2020 de la 49e édition du FNC". CTVM, October 18, 2020.
Award Film Filmmaker National Competition, Grand Prize Judy Versus Capitalism Mike Hoolboom National Competition, Prix de la diffusion Québécor Without Havana (Sin la Habana) Kaveh Nabatian International Competition, Grand Prize Atlantis (Атлантида) Valentyn Vasyanovych International Competition, Prix de l’innovation Daniel Langlois Ecstasy (Êxtase) Moara Passoni International Competition, Best Acting Performance This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection Mary Twala Mhlongo FIPRESCI International Critics Prize Last and First Men Jóhann Jóhannsson New Alchemists Prize Khamsin Grégoire Orio, Grégoire Couvert P'tits Loups À la mode Jean Lecointre FNC Explore Panorama Prize O Qiu Yang FNC Explore Horizon Prize The Book of Distance Randall Okita National Competition, Short Film Foam (Écume) Omar Elhamy National Competition, Short Film Honorable Mention Benjamin, Benny, Ben Paul Shkordoff National Competition, Short Film Public Prize Shooting Star (Comme une comète) Ariane Louis-Seize International Competition, Short Film Filipiñana Rafael Manuel International Competition, Short Film Honorable Mention Red Aninsri, or, Tiptoeing on The Still Trembling Berlin Wall Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke New Alchemists, Animated Short Film Serial Parallels Max Hattler New Alchemists, National Dada Prize Barcelona Burning (Barcelona de foc) Theodore Ushev New Alchemists, International Dada Prize How to Disappear Total Refusal RPCÉ Grand Prize Danica's Mom Kennedy Kao Pitch Premières Œuvres Ghosts of the Sea (Les Enfants du large) Virginia Tangvald
Official selections International Competition English title Original title Director(s) Production country Abandonment Desterro Maria Clara Escobar Brazil, Portugal, Argentina Atlantis Атлантида Valentyn Vasyanovych Ukraine Bad Roads Pohani dorohy Natalya Vorozhbyt Ukraine The Cloud in Her Room Ta fang jian li de yun Zheng Lu Xinyuan China, Hong Kong Ecstasy Êxtase Moara Passoni Brazil Kill It and Leave This Town Zabij to i wyjedź z tego miasta Mariusz Wilczyński Poland Servants Služobníci Ivan Ostrochovský Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic, Ireland The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs Laila aur satt geet Pushpendra Singh India This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese Lesotho, South Africa, Italy Topside Celine Held, Logan George United States
National Competition English title Original title Director(s) Production country Judy Versus Capitalism Mike Hoolboom Canada There Are No False Undertakings Il n'y a pas de faux métier Olivier Godin Violation Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli Without Havana Sin la Habana Kaveh Nabatian
International Panorama English title Original title Director(s) Production country Apples Mila Christos Nikou Greece Cocoon Kokon Leonie Krippendorf Germany Drowsy City Thanh Pho Ngu Gat Dung Luong Dinh Vietnam If It Were Love Si c'était de l'amour Patric Chiha France Moving On Nam-Mae-Wui Yeo-Reum-Bam Yoon Dan-bi South Korea Mum, Mum, Mum Mamá, mamá, mamá Sol Berruezo Pichon-Rivière Argentina Oasis Oaza Ivan Ikić Serbia Sisters with Transistors Lisa Rovner United States A Thief's Daughter La hija de un ladrón Belén Funes Spain Wisdom Tooth Ri Guang Zhi Xia Liang Ming China A Yellow Animal Um animal amarelo Felipe Bragança Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique
The New Alchemists (Les Nouveaux alchimistes) English title Original title Director(s) Production country DAU. Natasha Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Jekaterina Oertel Russia, Germany, Ukraine, United Kingdom Khamsin Grégoire Orio, Grégoire Couvert France, Lebanon Last and First Men Jóhann Jóhannsson Iceland Maggie's Farm James Benning United States Night Has Come Peter Van Goethem Belgium Red Moon Tide Lúa vermella Lois Patiño Spain To the Moon Tadhg O'Sullivan Ireland
The Essentials (Les Incontournables) English title Original title Director(s) Production country Conference Konferentsiya Ivan Tverdovskiy Russia, Estonia, United Kingdom, Italy There Is No Evil Sheytân vojūd nadârad Mohammad Rasoulof Germany, Czech Republic, Iran Undine Christian Petzold Germany, France Uppercase Print Tipografic majuscul Radu Jude Romania Wim Wenders, Desperado Andreas Frege, Eric Friedler Germany
Temps 0
English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Book of Vision Carlo S. Hintermann Italy, United Kingdom, Belgium Caught in the Net V síti Barbora Chalupová, Vít Klusák Czech Republic Fishlove Poissonsexe Olivier Babinet France, Belgium The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq L'enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq Guillaume Nicloux France Out of the Blue Dennis Hopper United States Red Post on Escher Street Sion Sono Japan Shell and Joint Isamu Hirabayashi Japan Siberia Abel Ferrara Italy, Germany, Mexico Simply Black Tout simplement noir Jean-Pascal Zadi, John Wax France Thalasso Guillaume Nicloux France The Tremor Nilanadukkam Balaji Vembu Chelli India
Special Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country Octobre Pierre Falardeau Canada Orders Les Ordres Michel Brault Canada Saint-Narcisse Bruce La Bruce Canada
Cult Films at Ciné-Parc English title Original title Director(s) Production country Mad Max George Miller Australia Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior George Miller Australia Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome George Miller, George Ogilvie Australia Mad Max: Fury Road George Miller Australia, United States Pink Floyd: The Wall Alan Parker United Kingdom The Shining Stanley Kubrick United States Total Recall Paul Verhoeven United States
International Competition for Short Films English title Original title Director(s) Production country Battlefield Jannis Lenz Austria, Germany Digital Funeral: Beta Version Sorayos Prapapan Thailand L'Effort commercial Sarah Arnold France The End of Suffering (A Proposal) To telos tou ponou (Mia protasi) Jacqueline Lentzou Greece Erpe-Mere Noemi Osselaer Belgium The Eyes of Summer Gimhanaye Netra Rajee Samarasinghe Sri Lanka, United States Filipiñana Rafael Manuel Philippines, United Kingdom Fishbowl Ngabo Emmanuel Rwanda Heaven Reaches Down to Earth Tebogo Malebogo South Africa Lake on Fire Sjö i brand Jennifer Rainsford Sweden Maalbeek Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis France Menarca Lillah Halla Brazil Motorway65 Evi Kalogiropoulou Greece Our Kingdom O Nosso Reino Luis Costa Portugal Places Miegamasis Rajonas Vytautas Katkus Lithuania Rain Hums a Lullaby to Pain A chuva acalanta a dor Leonardo Mouramateus Portugal, Brazil Red Aninsri, or, Tiptoeing on The Still Trembling Berlin Wall Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Thailand The Return of Tragedy Bertrand Mandico France Song of Clouds Ankit Poudel Nepal Sudden Light Sophie Littman United Kingdom Sun Dog Dorian Jespers Belgium, Russia Talk to Her Iwa South Korea This Means More Nicolas Gourault United Kingdom, France, Portugal Towards Evening Axşama doğru Teymur Hajiyev Azerbaijan The Unseen River Giòng Sông Không Nhìn Thấy Phạm Ngọc Lân Vietnam, Laos Which Is Witch? Marie Losier France White Goldfish Jan Roosens, Raf Roosens Belgium
National Competition for Short Films English title Original title Director(s) Province Acting Out Jean-Sébastien Beaudoin Gagnon Quebec Aniksha Vincent Toi Quebec As Spring Comes Comme la neige au printemps Marie-Ève Juste Quebec August 22, This Year Graham Foy Ontario Benjamin, Benny, Ben Paul Shkordoff Ontario Every Day's Like This Lev Lewis Ontario Father Neptune Erik Horn British Columbia Fear in Motion Jean-Christophe Yacono Quebec Foam Écumne Omar Elhamy Quebec Happy as Can Be Chez les heureux de ce monde Jean-François Sauvé Quebec Here at Home À la maison Renaud Ouimet Quebec Inuit Languages in the 21st Century Ulivia Uviluk Quebec Moon Lune Zoé Pelchat Quebec Nadia Malorie Urbanovitch Quebec Parlour Palm Rebeccah Love Ontario Point and Line to Plane Sofia Bohdanowicz Ontario The Pond, at Night L'Étang, la nuit Olivia Boudreau Quebec Shooting Star Comme une comète Ariane Louis-Seize Quebec Spring Tide Jean Parsons British Columbia Storm Child L'Enfant-tempête Ines Guennaoui Quebec Sunken Cave and a Migrating Bird Qiuli Wu British Columbia Vaivén Nisha Platzer British Columbia Zen Basketball Mike Hoolboom Ontario
The New Alchemists, Short Films