MWFF 2018: Closing Night Photo Highlights

Montreal World Film Festival 2018 Award Winners

Montreal World Film Festival 2018
September 3, 2018

Red Carpet Closing Night

Award Ceremony

  
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For more information on the festival visit the Montreal World Film Festival's website.

MWFF 2018 Opening Night

Montreal World Film Festival 2018 / 42st Edition
Opening Night Photo Highlights 

August 23, 2018

The Montreal World Film Festival 2018 held its red carpet and opening night ceremony at the Cinema Imperial. 

Photo Highlights: The Red Carpet MMFA 2018 Opening Night. 

Serge Losique on the Cinema Imperial's stage at the Opening Ceremony

 Visit the Montreal World Film Festival's website for more information.

All photos in this article © Nadia Slejskova

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For more information on the festival visit the Montreal World Film Festival's website.

MWFF 2017: Chinese Delegation Photo Highlights

Montreal World Film Festival

Montreal World Film Festival has great ties with the Chinese film industry. Serge Losique, the festival's president, in his youth worked on his first film in China. This year, a special Chinese section was instituted at MWFF entitled Chinese Film Festival with three best film prizes. Here are the winners in this category:

CHINESE FILM FESTIVAL

1st Prize:  THE AMBER by Chen Peng'ao (China)

2nd Prize:  THE BLOOD HOUND by Jianhua Liu (China)

3rd Prize:  ACROSS THE RIVER by Zhang Yueling (China)

On December 2, 2017, the festival also held a special press conference with all the Chinese film directors in attendance at MWFF 2017. The Chinese films artistic aspirations but mainly the promotional strategies especially in the western world were discussed. The group photo of the Chinese directors together with two key discussion and ideas animators is at the top of this article.

THE HIDDEN SWORD

The crew of the Chinese film The Hidden Sword that won the Best Artistic Contribution Prize at the festival's Closing Awards Ceremony, held two well attended special events at the MWFF 2017, both of them open to the general public:

On August 28, 2017, at Astral, they presented a Master Class with the director and screenwriter Xu Haofeng that lasted over 2 hours.

A day later, on August 29, 2017, at the Hotel Intercontinental, the film's team held a press conference where once again they talked about The Hidden Sward film, the history of the traditional sword fighting, the techniques of the masters, the necessity of the sword arts being preserved and passed onto the future generations, and also about how the film was conceived, made and promoted.

The members of the The Hidden Sward production team also attended the festival's closing ceremony on September 4, 2017 where Xu Haofeng received the prize on the Cinema Imperial stage.

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FOOTSTEPS

The team of the Chinese film Footsteps often attended screenings of other films at the festival which provided several picture taking opportunities.

Here are photos of the Footsteps director Wong Wai with his leading actors and crew members.

Footsteps consists of 4 stories dealing with the same theme of a woman's position in the society, how she behaves within a family and in a relationship to a man. The two main characters play the principal roles in all four stories which are spread from each other in 20 years periods, each story representing a one generation gap. It becomes very obvious how interestingly confident and liberated a woman progressively becomes, how much more personal freedom, power and confidence she gains.

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For more information about the festival visit the Montreal World Film Festival's website.

Article's dedicated web address.

MWFF 2017 Opening Night

Montreal World Film Festival 2017 / 41st Edition
Opening Night Photo Highlights 

August 24, 2017

This year, there was no red carpet ceremony before the Cinema Imperial on the Opening Night. As the festival's president Serge Losique pointed out during his opening speech, there was only a green carpet inside the cinema's lobby. He added, the festival was going green, saving on all types of expenses. It is actually a miracle the festival is taking place this year, only thanks to Serge Losique's  - the founder of the festival - great efforts, stamina, and perseverance, regardless of the grave financial difficulties the festival has been facing. 

Here are a few photo captures from the MWFF 2017 Opening Night. 

Serge Losique entering the Cinema Imperial

Serge Losique on the Cinema Imperial's stage at the Opening Ceremony

Check the film schedule here.

Visit the Montreal World Film Festival's website for more information.

Article's dedicated web address.

MWFF 2016: Photo Highlights

Montreal World Film Festival 2016
Photo Highlights

The Montreal World Film Festival 2016 held all its red carpet as well as the closing ceremony at the Cinema Imperial. Three great movie starts who attended the festival this year. They were the famous French star Isabelle Afjani, the Americal actor Willem Dafoe, and a very popular and also considered to be one of the most beautiful Chinese actresses, who is also a model and a singer Chrystal Liu Yifei.

Isabelle Adjani played a lead role in the MWFF 2016 film Calole Matthieu. Before the screening, she presented the film on-stage, to the audience on the Cinema Imperial's.

Isabelle Afjani with the MWFF President Serge Losique.
Red Carpet before Closing Ceremony, MWFF 2016, September 5, 2016.

Willem Defoe starred in the lead role of the film MY HINDU FRIEND, directed by Hector Babenco (Brazil). He won the Best Actor Prize at the MWFF 2016 for his performance in that film. Unfortunately, he was not present at the festival's Awards Ceremony to collect his prize in person.

Willem Dafoe with the MWFF President Serge Losique.
Red Carpet Before Closing ceremony,MWFF 2016, September 5, 2016.

Chinese actress Chrystal Liu Yifei starred in the film YE KONG QUE / THE NIGHT PEACOCK by director Dai Sijie that was presented at the MWFF 2016 and that won SPECIAL CHINESE FILM FESTIVAL 1st Prize of $60,000. 

Chrystal Liu Yifei with the MWFF President Serge Losique.
Red Carpet and before Closing Ceremony, MWFF 2016, September 5, 2016.

The President of the Montreal World Film Festival Serge Losique announced at the Closing Ceremony that the next edition of the 41st MWFF festival will be held on August 24 - September 4, 2017.

MWFF 2016: Tatara Samurai Reception

Tatara Samurai Special Event

August 29, 2016

The Executive Produce of the Japanese film Tatara Samurai EXALE HIRO and the LDH Inc. agency participated in the Montreal World Film Festival presentation of the film. There was a pre-screening of the film photo session at the Imperial Theatre with the film's director Yoshinari Nishikori and the two actors Sho Aoyagi and Naoki Kobayashi, and the onstage film presentation and discussion before and after the screening of the film.

After the screening, a special reception was organized by the film's Producer where the production team celebrated and interacted with those present. The two actors were exceptionally friendly and ready to answer any questions and listen to the comments, as well as to grant all the picture taking requests. It was a great evening!

You can read more about the Tatara Samurai  film here. The film won the Best Artistic Contribution prize at the Montreal World Film Festival 2016.

MWFF 2015: Finnish Film Foundation Day

Montreal World Film Festival 2015
Finnish Film Industry Day
Photo Highlights

September 5, 2015

The day was marked by the presence of the Finnish Film Foundation at the MWFF 2015. Two films were especially at the foreground. Both are completing in the festival's World Competition. One, entitled 2 Nights Till Morning is a Finnish-Lithuanian production. The other, a historical film about the Swedish Queen Christina The Girl King is a co-production between Germany, Canada, Finland and Sweden.

The celebration started with the Canadian Premier of The Girl King at the CINÉMA IMPÉRIAL. It continued with the The Girl King Press Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. A bit latter, the crew members of both films met for beer and chat at the hotel's open air terrace. And in the evening there was the Finnish Film Foundation reception. I asked a representative from the foundation why a film about a Swedish Queen would be considered to belong under the Finnish auspices. I was told that during the reign of Queen Christina Finland was a part of Sweden.

On September 7, 2015, at the closing ceremony, the following Finnish production films won Awards at the Montreal World Film Festival 2015:

Best Director:

2 Nights Till Morning, director Mikko Kuparinen (Finland / Luthania) 

Best Actress:

Malin Buska for The Girl King, director Mika Kaurismäki (Canada / Finland /Germany / Sweden)

Public Award for the most popular Canadian film of the Festival:

The Girl King, director Mika Kaurismäki (Canada / Finland /Germany / Sweden)

Award for Best Documentary:

TIE Marzia, Ystäväni (Marzia My Friend / Marzia Mon Amie), director Kirsi Mattila (Finland)

The Girl King Press Conference: Actress Malin Buska, Director Mika Kaurismäki

Film 2 Nights Till Morning Director Mikko Kuparinen and Actor Mikko Nousiainen

Chatting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Terrace

Finnish Film Foundation Evening Reception

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All photos by Nadia Slejskova
© Nadia Slejskova