12^th MIBFF: SPIKE LEE IS BACK!

 

Spike Lee, Clement Virgo, Maya Angelou, Sembene, Black Lives Matter Movement… for an ever more committed festival!

 

The 12^th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) features a program that highlights the tales and events that have challenged conventions, left a distinctive mark on our times, and changed how we see the world.

 

Full program and tickets: www.montrealblackfilm.com

The 12^th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF), the brainchild of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, will be held from 28^th September to 2^nd October 2016

 

 

Montreal, 8^th September 2016 – The Montreal International Black Film Festival team (MIBFF) revealed the program for the 12^th edition, which will be held from 28^th September to 2^nd October 2016 and features 40 films from all four corners of the globe, most of which will be shown in the Cinéma Impérial, Cinéma du Parc, the former ONF cinema, and the Concordia University Theatre Hall. Created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, the biggest black film festival in Canada is back for a 12^th edition, which promises to be inspiring and breathtaking – and the return of the legendary Oscar-winning director and producer SPIKE LEE, who won the MIBFF Precursor Award in 2014, just goes to prove it.

 

 

SPIKE LEE BACK AT THE MIBFF!

Showing of Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall + Q&A with Spike Lee

Saturday 1^st October 2016 – 7:00 p.m. – Theatre Hall Concordia University | $35

 

The great Spike Lee is back at the Montreal International Black Film Festival this year to pay tribute to the King of Pop. The documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall will be a premiere in Canada and a Q&A session will follow: an unmissable opportunity for film-lovers and fans of Spike Lee and Michael Jackson. This “Special Evening with Spike Lee” on Saturday 1^st October at 7:00 p.m. at the Concordia University Theatre Hall will give fans the chance to spend a whole evening with this film industry icon, who has helped to revolutionize contemporary black cinema. As a pioneer in independent film production and a proud ambassador of African-American culture, Spike Lee has always addressed complex issues, such as identity-based and ethnic conflicts. His work is for the most part politically oriented, provocative, and often controversial.

“We are delighted and honoured to have Spike Lee back at the Festival, which is a testament to his great support for the MIBFF – another huge achievement for Montreal. Spike Lee is a pioneer and a source of inspiration and motivation for a whole generation. His commitment to independent cinema, his strength, determination, and activism in achieving social justice really make a difference in a world that, too often, tends to silence us.” – Fabienne Colas, president and founder of the MIBFF.

 

 

SPOKESPEOPLE AND HONORARY PRESIDENT

 

Author, composer, singer, and actor Manuel Tadros, who has enjoyed a 40-year career in Quebec, and singer Valérie Daure, who performed magically on the La Voix series and dabbles in comedy, are the spokespeople for this 12^th edition. Monique Jérôme-Forget, former Quebec finance minister and currently serving as special advisor in Osler, president of the Board of Directors of the McCord Museum, and honorary member of the Board of Directors of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, is the festival’s honorary president.

 

 

A PROGRAM ON THE TOPIC: SPEAK UP/ EXPRIME-TOI

 

The objective of the Montreal International Black Film Festival has always been to promote diversity and give minorities a voice by opening our eyes to certain realities in the world through the 7^th art. “Today, more than ever, we want to challenge the many inconsistencies, inequalities, and injustices that still claim many victims,” explained Mrs. Fabienne Colas, president of the festival. “The fact remains that not everyone has access to opportunities. We cannot pretend everything is okay. Everyone has a part to play if we want things to change.”

Speak up / Exprime-toi  is the underlying theme for this new edition. Through the films selected, special events, round tables, and guests of honour, the 2016 program has attempted to showcase a story, a person, or a movement that is not afraid to be heard, has been able to overcome conventions, and has not been afraid to make demands and change the state of affairs. The official poster of the 12^th MIBFF, an original work of art by Sandro França, is the perfect reflection of this.

Our absolute favourites are inspiring stories that combine cultural heritage, the struggle against injustice, and inequality with passion, determination, strength, and great feats. Don’t miss Maya Angelou and Still I Rise, Le Gang des Antillais, Walk All Night: A Drumbeat Journey, Lambadina, Bois d’Ébène, Agents of Change, Dirt and Deeds in Mississippi, Black, Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (with Spike Lee), Southside with You, Dieu Merci, Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement.

The program features films – often international, Canadian, or Quebec premieres – from all four corners of the world, an MIBFF Black Market space dedicated to the cinema industry, special events, and tributes to international figures. It also includes a Black Fem’Art exhibition that highlights black femininity through the work of ten young female artists from Montreal and the documentary Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement by Jesse Williams, which will be followed by a round table with distinguished guests to discuss a movement that affects us all.

   

 

OPENING FILM: MAYA ANGELOU AND STILL I RISE

By Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack

Official selection at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival

Wednesday 28^th September – 7:00 p.m. –  Cinéma Impérial | $25

 

Maya Angelou and Still I Rise will kick off this year’s edition as a premiere in Quebec. The opening of the festival will be dedicated to Maya Angelou, a Pulitzer-nominated writer, poet, and artist who has received a medal from Barack Obama—a symbol of the struggle for civic rights in the United States. The documentary explores how historical, cultural, and artistic events have shaped Dr. Maya Angelou’s journey and how she, in turn, has shaped our view of the world through her tales and activism. There will be a tribute to Canadian director Clement Virgo before the screening.

 

CLEMENT VIRGO WILL RECEIVE THE CAREER EXCELLENCE AWARD

Wednesday 28^th September – 7:00 p.m. –  Cinéma Impérial

 

The opening evening will pay tribute to CLEMENT VIRGO, one of the most highly acclaimed directors in Canada. Best known for directing the Canadian mini-series The Book of Negroes – broadcast on CBC – which has won 11 Canadian Screen Awards, Clement Virgo also directed the entire first season of the OWN network drama Greenleaf (2016), for which he is the executive producer alongside Oprah Winfrey. He will receive the 2016 MIBFF Career Excellence Award in recognition of his stunning, prolific career. The tribute will be followed by the film Maya Angelou and Still I Rise.

 

 

 

CLOSING FILM: BLACK

By Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Winner of the Dropbox Discovery Programme Filmmakers Award at TIFF 2015

Sunday 2^nd October – 7:00 p.m. –  Theatre Hall Concordia | $20

 

Black is an immensely rich film. Love, betrayal, friendship, violence, immigration, and uprooting are just some of the topics that this film, which will round off the 2016 MIBFF, is built around. Two gangs from the suburbs of Brussels, the Black Bronx and the 1080, are engaged in a merciless conflict. Mavela falls in love in Marwan, a rival gang member. The two lovers become entangled in an intense, forbidden, and dangerous passion.

 

 

THE MIBFF BLACK MARKET

Saturday 1^st October – 1:00 p.m. –  Former ONF cinema | $10

 

The MIBFF Black Market is back with a master class/workshop that you won’t want to miss if you want to succeed in the film industry. Established filmmakers from Canada and abroad will come to share their experiences in film creation, financing, production and distribution, and in the festival circuit.

 

 

FILM AND DISCUSSION: STAY WOKE: THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

Sunday 2^nd October – 1:00 p.m. –  Former ONF cinema | $10

 

This year, we want to place particular emphasis on a movement that affects us all: The Black Lives Matter Movement. For the first time, a round table will be held to discuss this movement after the documentary directed by Laurens Grant, winner of several Emmy Awards, and produced by Jesse Williams Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement. Through the experiences of activists and local celebrities, a parallel will be drawn between the situations in the USA and Canada on issues such as racism, racial profiling, diversity, and the representation of visible minorities.

 

 

EXHIBITION:  BLACK FEM’ART 

23^rd September – 1^st October 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Espace Mushagalusa | Free

 

The BLACK FEM’Art exhibition highlights work by 10 young, black women from Montreal during the 12^th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF). The festival wishes to showcase these multitalented young artists to the public and increase their visibility with the aim of promoting artistic diversity in Montreal and supporting these artists in their work. With each artist bearing her own personality, background, and style, visitors will be treated to a delightful panel of “made in Montreal” creations and forms of expression.

 

JURY MEMBERS

 

Feature-length films, fictions: Kristian Hodko, actor and scriptwriter; Marie-Évelyne Lessard, actress; Michael Challenger, actor, dancer, founder of Anu Productions

 

Feature-length films, documentaries: Honey A. Dresher, president of Culture. Diversity. Communications; Carel Pedre, producer, radio, and television host; Jérôme Pruneau, doctor of social and cultural anthropology (ethnology), director general of Diversité artistique Montréal (DAM)

 

Medium-length and short films: Phyllis Gooden, actress; Caesey Shakes, scriptwriter and director; Jhonattan Ardila, actor and director

 

 

TICKETS AND PASSES

 

PASSES:

• VIP Card Total Access: VIP Package – See details on website: $195
• Passport Card Access to all films: Cinéma du Parc + former ONF cinema: $95

 

 

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS:

• Regular film ticket – $10 | Opening evening – $25 | Closing evening – $20
• Special events – $15-$35 | After Party–$15

 

 

VENUES

Cinéma Impérial: Centre Sandra and Leo Kolber: 1430, rue de Bleury, Montréal

Old ONF cinema (Judith-Jasmin Annexe): 1564, rue St-Denis

Concordia University, Theatre Hall 1455, boul. de Maisonneuve O., Montréal

Cinéma du Parc 3575, av. du Parc, Montréal

Galerie Mushagalusa 533, rue Ontario E., Montréal

 

The 12^th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF), the brainchild of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, will be held from 28^th September to 2^nd October 2016.

 

 

About the Montreal International Black Film Festival – MIBFF

Created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) is currently the largest film festival in Canada entirely dedicated to black reality from all four corners of the globe. It aims to offer the public the most spectacular productions in black cinema, in addition to being a place to debate the great cultural, social, and socio-economic issues facing society. The objective of the MIBFF is to promote the development of the independent film industry, and showcase more films on black realities across the world. The festival seeks to prioritize those other films: those films from here and from abroad that do not necessarily come under the spotlight, a new cinema that moves its audience and raises awareness – and a few eyebrows. And in doing so, the aim is to address issues and showcase art that makes you think and smile, and provokes, bewilders, and shocks you—a new, fresh look at black cinema from all four corners of the globe! www.montrealblackfilm.com

 

 

 

Keep on top of the latest festival news:

www.montrealblackfilm.com

www.facebook.com/blackfilmfestival / www.twitter.com/filmblackmtl / www.Instagram.com/MontrealBlackFilmFest

 

#FIFBM16

 

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For more information, interviews, and promotional material:

Press relations manager: Dominique Argant – presse@montrealblackfilm.com – 514 663-4588

Coordinator (French-speaking): Fadwa Lapierre – fadwa@montrealblackfilm.com – 514 884-9545

Press agent (English-speaking): Danny Payne – danny@montrealblackfilm.com – 514 621-8657