Montreal, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 – Organized by the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), the RIDM+ film series presents a new auteur documentary monthly from February to June. For this season’s final RIDM+ screening, the RIDM is proud to present the North American premiere of The Dead Nation, the first documentary by Radu Jude (Aferim!), one of the most important Romanian filmmakers of the last decade. The film is an ambitious, unprecedented exploration of a little-known chapter in his country’s history. The screening will take place on Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m at Cinéma du Parc.
Built entirely from photographs of a Romanian town in the 1930s and 40s, The Dead Nation uses an essay format. Over deliberately idealized images of the Romanian people, the film adds a soundtrack composed of radio programming from the same era and quotes from the diary of Emil Dorian, a Jewish doctor from Bucharest. Dorian’s words shed light on the long-denied persecution of Jews at the time – a narrative made all the more poignant by its resonance with the nationalistic propaganda peddled by the photographs and radio programs. This elegiac historical film is an essential document in the form of a poetic odyssey of loss, the deterioration of some of its images evoking the victims of a nationalism that never spoke its name.
The RIDM+ series is presented by Télé-Québec.
The Dead Nation directed by Radu Jude
Romania | 2017 | 83 minutes | In the original Romanian, with English subtitles
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/246934940
North American premiere at RIDM+ on Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m., Cinéma du Parc
Purchase tickets online: http://bit.ly/RIDMplusjuin
REMINDER: RIDM en plein air begins this Thursday, June 14, at 9 p.m.
From June to August, 7 free documentary screenings will light up the Montreal night in 7 intriguing outdoor venues. It’s a great way to enjoy fine summer weather while taking in a thought-provoking work about our world. All screenings start at nightfall; several will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.
Details: http://bit.ly/ridmoutdoor2018
Thanks to our partners: the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Cinéma sous les étoiles de Funambules Médias, Station F-MR, Festival MURAL, the Society for Arts and Technology [SAT] and the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, in collaboration with the borough of Ville-Marie.
Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festivalpresents the best reality‐based films, including the works of established directors and new talents.
The 21st annual RIDM will take place from November 8 to 18, 2018
Information: www.ridm.ca / info@ridm.ca
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Interview requests, Vimeo links, visual materials:
Caroline Rompré | publicist | 514-778-9294 | caroline@pixellex.ca