TIFF blamed for stealing the spotlight from Montreal World Film Festival
It’s a little strange to think of TIFF as doing a disservice to the Canadian film industry, as it is the biggest platform around for CanCon. But the organizers of the Montreal World Film Festival (and its apparently unfettering devotee the Gazette) certainly disagree. The two film fests shared a Tale of Two Cities-style rivalry for years, but last week TIFF unveiled its Canadian lineup on the exact same day the Montreal fest presented its lineup, prompting the Gazette to call it a “deliberate shot across the bow for the World Film Festival, an attempt to underline that Toronto does more for Quebecois cinema than Montreal does,” in a story today. So rather than chewing out the Montreal fest for having only two Quebecois films on offer, they’re mostly blaming Toronto for showing off Quebec-made selections like Jacob Tierney’s Good Neighbours and Xavier Dolan’s Les amours imaginaires.
MWFF President Serge Losique, who has expressed his disdain of TIFF before, dismissed the festival’s one-upping, saying it’s “all about star-studded Hollywood junkets while his event takes the high road and shines the spotlight on world-class arthouse cinema,” according to the Gazette. Did someone just say, “bring it”?
• Show Biz Chez Nous: Toronto film fest lacks class [Montreal Gazette]
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/culture/tiff-blamed-for-stealing-the-spotlight-from-montreal-world-film-festival/&title=TIFF blamed for stealing the spotlight from Montreal World Film Festival&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/screen-capture1.png&description=[caption id="attachment_35686" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Stolen: Xavier Dolan's Les amours imaginaires (Image: TIFF.net)"][/caption]
It's a little strange to think of TIFF as doing a disservice to the Canadian film industry, as it is the biggest platform around for CanCon. But the organizers of the Montreal World Film Festival (and its apparently unfettering devotee the Gazette) certainly disagree. The two film fests shared a Tale of Two Cities-style rivalry for years, but last week TIFF unveiled its Canadian lineup on the exact same day the Montreal fest presented its lineup, prompting the Gazette to call it a "deliberate shot across the bow for the World Film Festival, an attempt to underline that Toronto does more for Quebecois cinema than Montreal does," in a story today. So rather than chewing out the Montreal fest for having only two Quebecois films on offer, they're mostly blaming Toronto for showing off Quebec-made selections like Jacob Tierney's Good Neighbours and Xavier Dolan's Les amours imaginaires.
MWFF President Serge Losique, who has expressed his disdain of TIFF before, dismissed the festival's one-upping, saying it's "all about star-studded Hollywood junkets while his event takes the high road and shines the spotlight on world-class arthouse cinema," according to the Gazette. Did someone just say, "bring it"?
• Show Biz Chez Nous: Toronto film fest lacks class [Montreal Gazette]){kind=link}
Boo Hoo Hoo what the heck is the Montreal World Film Fest
DAVIDE, MWFF used to be more important in the 60s with all the greatest directors coming/ not pandering to Hollywood yet it was about the films like Bonnie and Clyde with Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, Pasolini showing up.Tiff only began at Ontario Place in 1976.But Venice Festival came before MWFF.MWFF has to compete with Venice and TIFF where the first is all about prestige while TIFF about marketing and selling distribution.
No one wants to change the date. So somebody should swallow his hubris, change the date.Telefilm stopped backing him for a glitzy festival from the folks behind Jazz Festival which went nowhere and saved Losique’s family empire.
Who is to blame, Mr.Losique? Never giving up hold, nepotism galore (brother owns/owned Imperial while their other theatre on Ste Catherine closed). Brushed against bankrupcy many times. Not paying Grand Prix winners like Raul Ruiz who now comes here. FIPRESCI is the only one left to honour MWFF.
And MWFF doesn’t hire non-francophones.
Chamberlain’s Nouveau Cinema festival is where it’s at where one could meet great directors and volunteers can get free tickets for every 2 hours volunteered unlike exploitative TIFF 10 hrs for a free ticket.