FIFA Connexions
FIFA Connexions
For arts and culture professionals
The FIFA Connexions days will return on March 17, 18 and 19, at the National Film Board (NFB), in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles.
Wednesday, March 19 will be dedicated to women in leadership.
For over 40 years, Le FIFA has been dedicated to the promotion and international influence of film on art and the media arts.
As a specific component of the Festival, FIFA Connexions invites national and international presenters and cultural producers, artists and platforms, and festival directors to discuss their distribution and production challenges through panels, interviews and talks.
Are you a presenter, cultural producer, artist or platform?
FIFA Connexions is an opportunity to create contacts and synergies by bringing together players in the industry. Through these professional activities, FIFA aims to cultivate exchanges and partnerships between professionals from home and abroad.
With the generous support of Gouvernement du Québec, Canadian Heritage, la ville de Montréal, le Conseil des Arts de Montréal, Telefilm Canada, Tourisme Montréal, The National Film Board , MAPP MTL, the Centre canadien d’études allemandes et européennes, Université de Montréal, and DOCOMOMO Québec.
This year’s FIFA Connexions program:
MONDAY 17th MARCH
9H00 — 12H00
The Grand Meeting: Connecting with Decision-Makers
> By invitation only
> Appointments made at the initiative of Decision-Makers
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Espace ONF
This year FIFA Connexions is organizing a time dedicated to making appointments! During this morning event, platforms, producers, artists, curators and broadcasters have the opportunity to meet and forge new relationships. This event provides a framework for exchanges and the creation of collaborations between Quebec and international industry professionals.
12H30 — 14H00
Midi Connexions : How I filmed Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Cézanne?
> This activity will be held in English, however, an interpretation system (Wordly, an AI platform) will also provide oral and written translations in English, French and several other languages, accessible via mobile devices. We therefore recommend bringing your headphones
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Espace ONF
> Tickets
BAFTA-winning producer and director Phil Grabsky founded Seventh Art Productions in 1984. A regular at the FIFA, he is now internationally renowned for Exhibition On Screen, a film series offering an immersive look into the lives of great artists — from Frida Kahlo to Van Gogh — through exhibitions dedicated to their work. In this talk, Phil Grabsky will discuss his collaborations with museums and his approach to filming them. Come meet this passionate advocate for the arts, dedicated to making them more accessible!
15H00 — 16H30
When the Museum Met the Cinema
> This activity will be held in English, however, an interpretation system (Wordly, an AI platform) will also provide oral and written translations in English, French and several other languages, accessible via mobile devices. We therefore recommend bringing your headphones
> Location : Office national du film du Canada — Salle Alanis Obomsawin
> Tickets
This afternoon, Jonathan Pouthier from the Centre Pompidou and Pascale Raynaud from the Louvre Museum will examine the place of cinema in museums, from past to present. A stimulating and captivating discussion that is sure to spark your curiosity!
17H00 — 20H00
Composite #42 : Le FIFA x Umanaïa
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Espace ONF
> Tickets
COMPOSITE is a bi-monthly networking event dedicated to digital creativity. It was born from an initiative of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, and coordinated by MAPP_MTL in collaboration with other important actors of the Montreal digital scene.
This event aims to create a recurrent meeting space between the art and industry of the digital sector, by encouraging the meeting and pollination between creators, artist-run centers, organizations, companies and digital professionals.
What happens during a Composite Evening?
- A Minute Inspiration blitz opens the evening, with digital players each getting a minute to share a project that has recently impacted, inspired and touched them.
- These short introductions are followed by six 6‑minute presentations that were pre-selected by the Composite Evenings committee through a call for projects.The projects can come from the field of art, industry or social innovation; the guiding principle is their shared ability to inspire, stimulate innovation and spark a desire among viewers to discover and explore.
- The event concludes with an evening of networking and discussion, allowing both presenters and participants to build relationships and develop their respective projects.
Come and take part in this event and discover inspiring projects!
17H00 — 20H00
The International Symposium of Art Films cocktail
> Closed-door meeting
This year, Le FIFA organizes the 5 à 7 of the International Symposium of Films on Art. Directors of platforms and festivals will meet over drinks to discuss their challenges and latest successes.
TUESDAY 18th MARCH
8H30 — 14H00
International Symposium of Art Films
> Closed-door meeting
> Location : Goethe-Institut Montreal
For its 43rd edition, FIFA is organizing an International Symposium of Films on Art, bringing together members of the Films On Art Network. Festival and platform directors will share their experiences, challenges and perspectives. The aim of this activity is to strengthen collaboration between them and to promote cinematographies on the international scene. This morning is a unique opportunity to strengthen the international art film community.
9H00 — 12H00
The Grand Meeting: Connecting with Decision-Makers
> By invitation only
> Appointments made at the initiative of Decision-Makers
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Espace ONF
This year FIFA Connexions is organizing a time dedicated to making appointments! During this morning event, platforms, producers, artists, curators and broadcasters have the opportunity to meet and forge new relationships. This event provides a framework for exchanges and the creation of collaborations between Quebec and international industry professionals.
12H30 — 14H00
Midi Connexions: Will AI save cinema?
> This activity will be held in French
However, an interpretation system (Wordly, an AI platform) will also provide oral and written translations in English, French and several other languages, accessible via mobile devices. We therefore recommend bringing your headphone
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Espace ONF
> Tickets
Many things in the realm of cinema are flammable: the film reels used in the silent era, the works of Pasolini or Buñuel, and certain existential questions that permeate it. FIFA has taken an interest in one particularly thorny question: “Will AI save cinema?” To explore this topic and understand how technology can help preserve cinema’s memory, researcher and co-founder of the Open Memory Box project Laurence McFalls, co-director of the Unarchive Found Footage Fest Marco Bertozzi, and researcher at Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute Gauthier Gidel will take part in a discussion today.
This event is sponsored by the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, University of Montreal.
14H30 — 17H00
The Power of Programming: Fueling Emergence!
> This activity will be held in English and In French
However, an interpretation system (Wordly, an AI platform) will also provide oral and written translations in English, French and several other languages, accessible via mobile devices. We therefore recommend bringing your headphone
> Lieu : National Film Board of Canada — Salle Alanis-Obomsawin
> Tickets
This afternoon, FIFA Connexions invites you to listen to directors and programmers from various institutions discuss their commitment to fostering emergence: How can we provide support for new voices? How can we reach and develop new audiences? Organized as a series of short back-to-back talks, this event offers a rare opportunity to discover concrete initiatives and inspiring strategies!
On the program :
- Florian Cauderlier I ARTE France I ARTE: Conquering Emerging Audiences
- Philippe U. del Drago I Festival International du Film sur l’Art (Le FIFA)
- Zoé Protat I Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC)
- Anne Georget I FIPADOC
- Silvia Lucchesi I Lo schermo dell’arte I Lo schermo dell’arte: Choosing Production as a Response to Emergence
- Fany Fulchiron I Paris Opera Play (POP) — Opéra de Paris
17H00 — 19H30
The FIFA 43 Grand 5 à 7
> By invitation only
> Location : Le MEM — Centre des mémoires montréalaises
This cocktail evening invites festival representatives from different countries, local and international artists, presenters and cultural producers to come together to celebrate outstanding achievements and contributions in cultural diplomacy. Participants will have the opportunity to network, discover the cultures and traditions of different countries and strengthen international ties. The evening will be an unforgettable opportunity to celebrate cultural diversity and the positive contributions of cultural diplomacy, with a number of Representatives in attendance.
WEDNESDAY 19th MARCH
9H30 — 15H15
Workshops: Changing Perspectives to Act on World for Tomorrow
> Location : National Film Board of Canada ‑Espace ONF
> Facilitated in French
> Activity intended for people who identify as women or non-binary
> By registration only, places are limited
FIFA Connexions is organizing a day dedicated to women’s leadership and entrepreneurship in the arts and culture. The goal? To shift perspectives and take action for the future! This event aims to empower every participant to feel confident and fully engaged in shaping the cultural sector and the world of tomorrow. Through workshops, discussions, and networking opportunities, participants will be encouraged to envision the future, understand key challenges facing the cultural sector, find inspiration, and explore diverse perspectives. This will help them both imagine the future and determine how they want to make their voices heard in the face of these challenges. A unique opportunity for women working in cultural and creative industries — whether established entrepreneurs, leaders, professionals, or aspiring talents — to share experiences, exchange ideas, and collectively shape our future. Together, let’s foster collaboration so that women can fully claim their place and express their talents!
Participants are invited to join us for lunch.
Sandwiches will be available for purchase.
15H30 — 17H00
Women’s Voices: Let’s Get Inspired!
> Activity open to everyone
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Salle Alanis-Obomsawin
> Tickets
The afternoon will be devoted to a meeting with inspiring, committed and daring women, those who dare to defy established norms and take paths that are still too little explored. Women who, through their voices and their actions, shake up received ideas, transform narratives and open the way to new perspectives. Whether they are activists, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers or leading figures in their respective fields, they all share one thing in common: they have dared to speak out, to assert themselves and to embody change.
What obstacles did they have to overcome to make themselves heard and legitimize their place in the public arena? How have they succeeded in freeing their own voice and, in so doing, inspiring other women to do the same? What drives them on?
This panel will be a moment of exchange and inspiration, an invitation to reflect together on how to move our society.
Join us for this essential and vibrant conversation, where women’s voices will resonate as a call to action and transformation.
In the presence of:
- Amandine Gauthier : consultant, strategist, trainer and writer, company director Et maintenant
- Carla Beauvais : co-founder and executive director of the Dynasty Foundation, social entrepreneur
- Elizabeth Markevitch : founder and managing director of IkonoTV
- Suzanne Laure Doucet : architect and co-founder of
Pivot, an architectural cooperative.
With warm thanks to the members of the Inspiring Women committee: Marie-Josée Lacroix, Isabelle Huiban, Elodie Marteau, Nadia K. Luong, Dominique Sirois-Rouleau, Jacinthe Brisebois et Marie Martinez.
17H00 — 19H00
Cultural Entrepreneurship with a Feminine Twist: An Exclusive Networking Mixer
> Location : National Film Board of Canada — Espace ONF
Le FIFA invites the business and cultural communities to come together for a networking 5 à 7. It’s a unique opportunity to bring together professionals from both industries to exchange ideas, explore potential collaborations and strengthen relationships between the two communities.
On this occasion, we’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Groupe Intervention Vidéo (GIV).
