Montréal, May 29, 2024 - Cinéma sous les étoiles by Funambules Médias is pleased to announce its return and unveil the full lineup of its 15th edition, which will take place from June 26 to August 31, 2024. This year, 49 entirely free screenings will be presented in 20 parks in Montreal, as well as in the city of Longueuil (3 screenings). Additionally, the 15th edition will be an opportunity to leave the metropolis and attend 5 screenings in the Brome-Missisquoi RCM, in the cities of Cowansville, Sutton, and Bromont.
THE PROGRAMMING
For this 15th edition, the programming team has curated a rich selection of national and international works, including 34 feature films – including 12 Quebec premieres – and 23 short films. As every year, the screenings will be followed by discussions with Quebec filmmakers or specialists on the themes addressed in the works.
Among the themes to be explored this summer, significant attention has been given to contemporary popular movements and ecological discourses. An entire week will be dedicated to this issue during the Environmental Week from July 15 to 21, along with a series of 5 documentary screenings on the environment at the Biosphere during the month of August.
DON'T MISS
Farming The Revolution (Nishtha Jain & Akash Basumatari, India) | Quebec premiere and opening film
○ Wednesday, June 26 at 9:15 PM, Laurier Park (Plateau-Mont-Royal)
As the opening film of the 15th edition at Laurier Park, Farming The Revolution by Indian director Nishtha Jain takes us into the heart of massive protests against the Indian government's agricultural laws.
The Flag (Joseph Paris, France) | Quebec premiere
○ Monday, July 1 at 9:15 PM, Faubourgs Park (Ville-Marie) Documenting the phenomenon of identity withdrawal in France, the film confronts current events with archives and dissects the French media and political discourse over five decades.
Evicted City (Priscillia Piccoli & Laurence Turcotte-Fraser, Quebec)
○ Tuesday, July 2 at 9:15 PM, Pélican Park (Rosemont — La Petite-Patrie) A choral and intimate film, My Evicted City gives voice to those who experience the repercussions of real estate speculation and raises the alarm about the human and social impacts on the city of tomorrow.
Orlando, My Political Biography (Paul B. Preciado)
○ Tuesday, July 2 at 9:15 PM, Médéric-Martin Park (Ville-Marie)
Paul B. Preciado's debut film, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, in which the director organizes a casting and brings together 26 trans and non-binary people, aged 8 to 70, to embody Virginia Woolf's Orlando.
Maël and the Revolution (Céline Thiou, France) | Quebec premiere
○ Wednesday, July 10 at 9:10 PM, Laurier Park (Plateau-Mont-Royal)
The film follows Maël, 17, passionate about the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who surprises his entourage by getting involved in the environment. A student at an agricultural high school, he develops a unique political consciousness, despite opposition from his peers.
La théorie du boxeur (Nathanaël Coste, France) | North American premiere
○ Monday, July 15 at 9:00 PM, Faubourgs Park (Ville-Marie) The director investigates in the Drôme valley to understand how farmers adapt, while questioning the food resilience of our territories.
La ferme des Bertrand (Gilles Perret, France) | Quebec premiere
○ Thursday, July 18 at 9:00 PM, Molson Park (Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie)
The film follows the Bertrand farm for 50 years, a family dairy farm about to be transferred to a new generation.
After Work (Erik Gandini, Sweden, Italy, France) | Quebec premiere
○ Thursday, August 8 at 8:30 PM at Molson Park in the presence of the filmmaker.
This film explores the reality of work and the search for meaning in economies like Italy, the United States, South Korea, and Kuwait.
The Ocean Seen from the Heart (Iolande Cadrin-Rossignol & Marie-Dominique Michaud, Quebec) | With director Iolande Cadrin-Rossignol
○ Thursday, August 15 at 8:15 PM, Biosphere (Ville-Marie)
Following The Earth Seen from the Heart, in which Hubert Reeves, surrounded by passionate scientists and explorers, proposes to rediscover what threatens the ocean.
On the Adamant (Nicolas Philibert, France) | Golden Bear of the 73rd Berlinale
○ Wednesday, August 21 at 8:00 PM at Saint-Mark Park (Longueuil)
This documentary follows the daily life of the Adamant, a unique Day Center, floating on the Seine in Paris, which welcomes adults suffering from psychiatric disorders.
Among the films in the Quebec programming, we also have the following titles, which will be accompanied by the filmmakers:
○ Eviction by Mathilde Capone, which follows the eviction of an iconic space in the Montreal queer scene where residents desperately seek a new home amidst a housing crisis and real estate speculation. (July 9 at Médéric Martin Park).
○ Manufacturing the Threat, directed by Amy Miller, tells the troubling story of a couple coerced by undercover law enforcement agents to commit a terrorist bomb attack. (July 8 at Faubourgs Park).
○ Sister of Wrestling by Sarah Baril Gaudet portrays three ring warriors for whom fighting is both a passionate love and an outlet for everyday injustices. (August 14 at Saint-Mark Park in Longueuil).
○ The Ballad of Hard Times (1983), a film by Richard Boutet and Pascal Gélinas digitized and restored by the National Film Board of Canada, which explores the Great Depression with moving testimonies and popular songs. Forty years later, it remains relevant in the face of persistent social inequalities in Quebec. (August 1 at 8:45 PM at Molson Park).
ENVIRONMENTAL WEEK – from July 15 to 21
For the second consecutive year, an entire week will be dedicated to documentaries focusing on environmental issues, mainly agriculture and resource exploitation. During this week, 7 films will be presented, including several Quebec premieres. Among them, King Coal by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, offers a poetic reflection on the unique environment of the central Appalachians and its transformation due to coal mining (July 15th at 9:00 PM at Dante Park). La Ferme des Bertrand and La théorie du boxeur will also be showcased during this week dedicated to ecological themes. Noteworthy is La guardia blanca by Quebec filmmaker Julien Élie, winner of the Magnus-Isacsson Award at RIDM, exposing the regime of terror orchestrated by transnational companies, the government, and organized crime to appropriate resources in Mexico (July 17th at Laurier Park in the presence of the director). Also featured is Malartic by Nicolas Paquet, which, ten years after the opening of the massive open-pit gold mine in Malartic, exposes an opaque decision-making system that excludes citizens (July 19th at Square Dérézy).
In addition to this thematic week, 5 screenings dedicated to the environment are planned at the Biosphere, including Deep Rising by Matthieu Rytz, following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last year.
SHORT FILM COMPETITION – July 22nd to July 25th
For the 10th consecutive year, Funambules Médias' "Cinéma sous les étoiles" presents a short film competition divided into 4 programs. Among the 23 selected films are 13 Quebec films and 10 Canadian and international films.
○ Program #1 | Monday, July 22nd at 8:45 PM, Faubourgs Park (Ville-Marie)
○ Program #2 | Tuesday, July 23rd at 8:45 PM, Médéric-Martin Park (Ville-Marie)
○ Program #3 | Wednesday, July 24th at 8:45 PM, Compagnons Park (Plateau Mont-Royal)
○ Program #4 | Thursday, July 25th at 8:45 PM, Molson Park (Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie)
Thanks to our generous partners (Paraloeil, PRIM, Vidéographe, SLA Location, Royal Photo, Main Film, Bande à part audio and post-production, L'Observatoire du Documentaire, Les Films du 3 mars, Tënk, DocCanada, and the Forges de Montréal), the jury will award over $20,000 in prizes across six categories during the special awards ceremony at Baldwin Park on Tuesday, July 30th, 2024 at 8:45 PM.
The full program, special events, as well as locations and screening schedules, are available online and on the festival's Facebook page
COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Cinéma sous les étoiles by Funambules Médias benefits from the technical, financial, and promotional support of key players and organizations in the Quebec film and cultural industry such as Réseau Coop, Cinémania, Réalisatrices Équitables, Québec Cinéma, Kino Montréal, Panorama-Cinéma, Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM), Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC), Tënk, Festival International du Film Ethnographique (FIFEQ), Cinéma Public, UPOP Montréal, Festival Émergence, Festival de Film de Knowlton, Festival de Cinéma de la ville de Québec (FCVQ), Les Filministes, Fondation Alter-Ciné, Attac Québec, Pour la suite du Doc, and Doc Québec. As media partners, we also receive support from TV5, CISM, and CIBL.
The short film competition would not be possible without the invaluable support of production partners: Paraloeil, PRIM, Vidéographe, SLA Location, Royal Photo, Main Film, Bande à part audio and post-production, L’Observatoire du Documentaire, Les Films du 3 mars, Tënk, DocCanada. In addition to these partners, the festival is supported by Les Forges de Montréal, Koumbit, Mingotwo, and Microbrasserie Les Grands Bois. Cinéma sous les étoiles would like to acknowledge the collaboration of the City of Montreal and its boroughs, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), and La Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, which financially support this large-scale project, along with the essential support from institutions at all three levels of government, namely the Canada Council for the Arts (CAC), Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), and Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). Finally, as part of the Conseil des arts de Montréal en tournée 2024, in collaboration with the Maisons de la culture de Montréal and l’Association des diffuseurs culturels de l’Île de Montréal (ADICIM), 7 screenings will be held to present a special selection.