Montreal, August 17, 2017 – From November 9 to 19 this year, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) will return for a 20th edition. While it prepares to announce its special programs and retrospectives for this anniversary edition, the festival is pleased to reveal 5 hard-hitting documentaries representative of a 2017 selection that will showcase openly political films.
Consisting entirely of interviews, Ouvrir la voix, the first feature by Amandine Gay, and Brexitannia by Timothy George Kelly (A City is an Island, RIDM 2014) take minimalist approaches to shed light on complex topics. By having black francophone women talk about their lives and activism, and by juxtaposing the comments of pro-Brexit voters and experts, the two filmmakers renew the art of the interview and broaden our perspectives on major social issues.
Here in Quebec, director Guillaume Sylvestre gained unprecedented access to the day-to-day work of social workers at the province’s youth protection agency, the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ). DPJ is a subtle, direct-cinema examination of how the workers, facing terrible dilemmas and intense pressure, must often make rushed decisions that will have irreversible impacts on the lives of the children and parents involved.
While 2017 continues to be characterized by a media and political circus as frightening as it is absurd, Pacho Velez and Sierra Pettengill revisit a television spectacle from another era with The Reagan Show. So distant yet uncannily near, the film is composed entirely of archival footage captured mainly by presidential television crews. It’s a fascinating piece that takes us back to the end of the Cold War, at the time of the Reagan-Gorbachev summits.
Filmed in Rio de Janeiro over the course of six years, State of Exception by Canadian filmmaker Jason O’Hara powerfully combines observational cinema with an unabashedly activist point of view. The film follows the struggle of a group of Brazilian indigenous people against mass relocations forced by the construction of facilities for the World Cup and the Olympics. A cri de coeur for a threatened culture in a capitalist world with only superficially universal ideals.
New headquarters
The festival’s headquarters will return to the Cinémathèque québécoise, a central location perfectly suited to a variety of activities: screenings, parties, hospitality and box office, as well as the professional gatherings of Doc Circuit Montréal, which includes the festival’s documentary market. The location will help festivalgoers make the most of the event, and provide a convenient gathering place for the public and the festival’s guests alike.
New look
Another year means a new visual identity; the banner above is a sneak preview. This year we worked with Caserne, a Montreal-based graphic design studio that worked with illustrator Thaïla Khampo. Follow us on social media for more details: www.facebook.com/RIDMFestival/
Presales
Starting today, the festival is selling passes good for all screenings (except certain special events) for $100, this limited time offer is during until September, 17th! Link to the box office: ridm.ca/en/box-office-and-venues-early-birds
Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival presents the best reality‐based films, including the works of established directors and new talents.
The 20th annual RIDM will take place from November 9 to 19, 2017.
Information: www.ridm.ca / info@ridm.ca
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For more information, please contact:
Caroline Rompré | publicist | 514-778-9294 | caroline@pixellex.ca