FIFA nominated for the new Conseil des arts de Montréal Awards in the ​“Innovation” category

Following today’s official announcement, the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is thrilled to be among the finalists for a Conseil des Arts de Montréal Award - known as Nos Indispensables — in the ​“Innovation” category. This nomination honoring the Festival’s team, comes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis that has turned the cultural scene upside-down since the spring of 2020, on a human, artistic, financial and logistical level.

LEADERSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE

On the eve of its fortieth anniversary, to be celebrated in March 2022, FIFA takes pride in being an innovative company and occupying a key position in the dissemination and promotion of cinematographic works in the digital age. With two consecutive virtual editions, in March 2020 and March 2021, the Festival has been able to evolve its corporate culture and has reinvented its model, while maintaining its primary mission of offering a choice showcase for the presentation of works by numerous local and international directors and producers. 

The greatest challenge of online programming is to find innovative ways to connect audiences and filmmakers, so FIFA has rethought the way films are delivered. For example, on March 29, in order to mirror the vitality of films about art and to extend the dissemination and outreach of the works celebrated at FIFA, the Festival launched ARTS.FILM, which aspires to become a Grand Place for artistic webcasting in all its forms, where partner festivals and cultural institutions offer ephemeral programming and selections of new works, in addition to a year-round program.

“For several years now, we have been closely following the technological mutations that influence the film and artistic distribution sector, noticing important changes in the behaviors and expectations of audiences, but also in the creators. Certainly, the pandemic has precipitated the adoption of many of these technologies. But above all, we have always approached the technologies from the angle of the links they allow to be created and redefined between the works, the artists and the public. Many of the technologies we are developing will still be present when the Festival returns to theatres. They only open up worlds of possibilities, constantly encouraging us to reposition ourselves, to re-question ourselves, to redefine ourselves. However, they remain tools and our role is to decide how and for what purpose to use them,” stated Philippe U. del Drago, Executive and Artistic Director of the International Festival of Films on Art.

The creation of this new cultural content platform is proof of the reinvention of the International Festival of Films on Art, which now exists well beyond its annual edition and ensures an enviable visibility on a pan-Canadian scale throughout the year.

INNOVATION AND PANDEMIC

FIFA’s significant foray into the digital domain was part of a business plan initiated several years ago and simply accelerated by the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us recall that in March 2020, FIFA was the first festival in the Americas, and the second in the world, to go online. On March 14, 2020, merely two days after the Premier’s decree banning all public gatherings of more than 250 people, the FIFA team, driven by its cohesion, experience and expertise, succeeded in mounting an online edition, presenting more than 180 films across the country for the enjoyment of moviegoers and art lovers.