ONLY ONE WEEK BEFORE THE 6TH MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

MONTREAL, Sept. 15 /CNW Telbec/ - Much like big international cities such as Berlin, Milan, New York, Los Angeles and Miami… Montreal can also boast having its own International Black Film that will be held from September 22 to October 3, 2010 presented in collaboration with Global Montreal.

International by virtue of the number of films participating in the Festival, the number of countries represented the diversity of the themes and the origins of its movie-goers… With a record number of 128 films, the majority of which are world, international, Canadian or Quebec premieres, the program for this 6^th edition of the MIBFF is by far the most impressive and the most mind-blowing in the history of the Festival.

This year's highly anticipated Festival will offer audiences an amazing line-up of films that showcase the creativity of filmmakers from more than 25 countries worldwide. During the 12 days of the Festival,  the public will be treated to short, documentary, fiction and animated films that portray the richness and diversity of productions dealing with the realities of black communities from the four corners of the globe. It's also an opportunity to discover unexpected new actors, directors, stories and landscapes.

MAJOR EVENTS

Opening Film - The Festival will open on Wednesday, September 22 with the Canadian Premiere of Jean van de Velde's THE SILENT ARMY (L'ARMÉE SILENCIEUSE) at Cinéma Impérial. An Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Festival (Un Certain Regard), this film will be presented by Global Montreal and hosted by the director. The Silent Army, which deals with the issue of child soldiery, will also be in official competition at the MIBFF.

Closing Film - Anthony Fabian's SKIN (Couleur de peau) will close the festivities on Sunday, October 3, once again at the Impérial. The director will be in attendance at the screening of his film. This film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda), three-time Golden Globe nominee Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and Alice Krige (Star Trek), has won more than 18 awards worldwide and was an Official Selection at the Toronto Film Festival in 2008. SKIN, which tells the true story of Sandra Laing, who was born black to white parents right in the middle of South Africa's Apartheid era, will also be in official competition at the Festival.

128 Films for Every Taste!
Festival-goers can look forward to a rich and varied program. There are more than 128 films on the roster, divided into the following 8 themes: Violence, Art/Poetry/Music, Voodoo, History/Traditions/Politics, Haiti, Immigration/Segregation, Human Conditions and Homosexuality. This is the very first time the Festival is dealing with the theme of homosexuality, an extremely taboo subject in black communities. The line-up of films is long but the Programming Committee's personal favourites will certainly help you choose. Here they are: Fleur du désert, Aide-toi le ciel t'aidera, Adera, Ramata, Orpailleur, Simonal, Spitting Ink, Jelly, Now Boarding, Mandela Tribute, American Faust: From Condi to Neo-Condi, Hermafrodita, The Silent Army and Skin.

Debate Conference: Fondu au Noir - Fade to Black
This year, in the spirit of innovation, the Festival is presenting a debate conference called "Fade to Black - Fondu au Noir." The purpose of this conference is to create a space for dialogue on the realities of black cinema from here and abroad. Several reputed panellists will take the floor to speak about the various issues facing and the prospects for this industry. The public and anyone working in the film industry are invited to take part in the debate. The conference will be held on Friday, October 1 at 1:30 pm in the Jean Desprez theatre at Maison de Radio-Canada (1400 René-Lévesque East). For further information, visit the Festival Website at: www.montrealblackfilm.com.

Cine-Meeting: Haiti During and After the Earthquake
Haiti has always had a predominant place in the Festival. This is why the Organizing Committee decided to hold a cine-meeting on this country that was so ravaged by the January 2010 earthquake. The cine-meeting will be held on Saturday, September 25 at 1:20 pm at the NFB's CineRobotheque (1564 St-Denis), and will consist of four short films on the earthquake followed by a discussion hosted by Réal Barnabé. This event will give the public the opportunity to meet with NGOs that are helping to rebuild Haiti. The event is presented in collaboration with the NFB as part of the Journées de la culture. The following shorts will be shown: Antisismique (Thomas Noreille), Nap Viv kanmenm (a group of teens living in a camp for disaster victims in Pétion-Ville), Ayiti leve kanpe/Haïti lève toi (Yvetot Gouin) and Thirty-Five Long Seconds (Mario Delatour).

TICKETS AND THEATRES
The Festival is delighted to be offering a $50 passport card good for 10 films and a $95 passport card good for all the films in the Festival (except the opening and closing night films). Individual tickets are now also available at $10 per ticket at NFB Cinema and at Cinéma du Parc. Tickets for the opening and closing nights cost $20 each and are available at Ticketpro.ca. All films will be screened at Cinéma du Parc (3575 du Parc) and at NFB Cinema (1564 St-Denis), except for the opening and closing night films, which will be shown at Cinéma Impérial (1432 de Bleury). Admission to the Fade to Black Debate Conference and the Haiti During and After the Earthquake Cine-meeting is free.

The Montreal International Black Film Festival
The mission of the Montreal International Black Film Festival, which was created in 2004, is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to encourage more films on the realities of Blacks from the four corners of the globe. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema, cinema that hails from here or from abroad and that does not necessarily have the opportunity to grace the big screen, groundbreaking cinema that moves us, that raises awareness and takes us all by surprise! While dealing with issues and presenting works that raise questions, that provoke, that make us smile, that leave us perplexed, that shock us... A fresh new look at black cinema from the four corners of the globe! For complete details on the Montreal International Black Film Festival, visit www.montrealblackfilm.com.

For interviews or more information, please contact Carla Beauvais.

For further information:

Media contact:
Carla Beauvais / Media Relations Officer
438-868-5450 / [email protected]