Academy award-winner Paul Haggis & Ciné Institute founder David Belle to receive the 2015 Social Impact Award at the 11th annual MIBFF - Followed by the Cinema Without Borders event - Jollywood : The New Wave of Haitian Cinema

Friday, October 2 - 7 PM - 20$ - Cinéplex Odéon du Quartier Latin
Tickets available at: www.montrealblackfilm.com 

11^th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF)
presented by Global News Montreal - September 29 to October 4, 2015

MONTREAL, Sept. 23, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The 11^th Montreal International Black Film Festival will honour Academy award-winner Paul Haggis and Ciné Institute Founder (in Jacmel, Haiti) David Belle with the 2015 SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD. The event will take place on October 2, at 7PM at Cinéplex Odéon du Quartier Latin (350, Émery Street, Montreal). The award ceremony, presented by Le Centre des Viandes F. Iasenza, will precede the Cinema Without Borders Movie Discussion: Jollywood, The New Wave of Haitian Cinema.

Paul Haggis and David Belle will receive this award in celebration of their contributions to Haitian education and social justice. Haggis is the founder of Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) where Belle serves as CEO. APJ is committed to providing education, healthcare, and dignity to the poorest children of Haiti.

"It's a true privilege to be paying tribute to such two exceptional people at MIBFF. By granting Paul Haggis and David Belle this award, we hope to not only share their inspirational journey, but also highlight the significance of their social and community involvement. We also hope to remind everyone that we can all become agents of change and help improve living conditions of those less fortunate than us," declared Fabienne Colas, President and Founder of the MIBFF.

PAUL HAGGIS
Born in London, Ontario, Paul Haggis is an award-winning filmmaker. In 2006, Haggis became the first screenwriter in Oscar history to have written back-to-back Best Picture winners, for 2005's Million Dollar Baby, directed by Clint Eastwood, and 2006's Crash, which Haggis himself directed. For Crash, Haggis won Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Haggis' other screenplays include Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima and two James Bond films (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace), as well as In the Valley of Elah, The Next Three Days, and Third Person, all three of which he directed. For over two decades he has written, directed, and produced television shows such as Walker, Texas Ranger, The Tracey Ullman Show, and Thirtysomething, for which he won two Emmys. Most recently, Haggis directed all six episodes of the HBO mini-series Show Me a Hero. Haggis was honored with the prestigious Ian McClellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement by the Writers Guild of America. Equally committed to his private and social concerns, Haggis is the founder of Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), which is committed to providing education, healthcare, and dignity to the poorest children of Haiti. His work with APJ provides thousands of aspiring Haitians hope for the future. He currently resides in New York.

DAVID BELLE
David Belle first travelled to Haiti in 1993 as a young filmmaker, helping shed light on the nation's struggle for democracy. Ever since, he has continued to work in the country, with many projects to his name. In 2004 David co-founded Haiti's International Film Festival as a way of supporting the country's creative and tourism industries. He went on to found Haiti's national film school, Ciné Institute. David currently serves as CEO of Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ). Together with Paul Haggis and many others, APJ expanded Ciné Institute, now Artists Institute, a college for art and technology. APJ has also established the Academy for Peace and Justice, a private high school for underprivileged students.

Following the tribute, five graduates of Ciné Institute will present their work as part of the movie discussion "Jollywood, a new wave of Haitian cinema from Jacmel, Haiti" in the presence of Paul Haggis and David Belle.

• Vev La / La Veuve by Wood-Jerry Gabriel
• Portrait de Gradués by Meryam Joober and Ciné Institute graduates
• Sité Twoublé / Cité troublée by André-Deave Oxance Decime, screenplay Wilna Barjon
• Dans la Cour de Vivianne Gauthier by Marie-Claude Fournier, Alexandrine Benjamin assistant director
• Fléau by Gasner Francois

The 11th Montreal International Black Film Festival, created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, will be held from September 29 to October 4, 2015 and is presented by Global News Montreal.

About the Montreal International Black Film Festival – MIBFF
The Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting cinema, art and culture. As Canada's biggest Black Film Festival, MIBFF's mission is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to foster the creation of films on international black realities. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema: cinema from both here and abroad that doesn't always make it to the silver screen. We showcase ground-breaking cinema that both moves and shocks us, all while raising awareness. Join us for a fresh look at black cinema from all four corners of the globe! www.montrealblackfilm.com

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SOURCE Montreal International Black Film Festival

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