 | |
 World Film Festival, Place des Arts, Montreal | |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founded by | Serge Losique |
| Disestablished | 2018 |
| Hosted by | Montreal World Film Festival Group |
| Language | International |
The Montreal World Film Festival (French: Festival des films du monde de Montréal), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.[1] Founded and run throughout its lifetime by Serge Losique, it was the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF.[2] (The Toronto International Film Festival is also FIAPF-accredited, but is run as a non-competitive event).
The public festival, which was founded in 1977 as a replacement for the defunct Montreal International Film Festival (1960–68), was held annually in late August.[3] Unlike the Toronto International Film Festival, which has a greater focus on Canadian and other North American films, the Montreal World Film Festival had a larger diversity of films from all over the world.[4]
Throughout its life, the festival saw various controversies around Losique's leadership, including uneven programming,[5] a marketing strategy that sometimes seemed more concerned with throwing barbs at TIFF than with actually building the MWFF's brand, and increasing financial irregularities.
The festival was abruptly cancelled in 2019, just a few weeks before that year's event had been scheduled to launch.[1]
- ^ a b "Montreal World Film Festival abruptly cancelled weeks before opening". CBC News Montreal, July 22, 2019.
- ^ "Stars come out for Montreal Film Festival". Canadian Press, August 21, 1966.
- ^ Matthew Hays and Martin Siberok, "Cinema has been 'abused horrifically'". Archived 2017-01-13 at the Wayback Machine The Globe and Mail, September 04, 2000.
- ^ "TIFF-MWFF Filmfest fisticuffs, Montreal against Toronto". nationalpost.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ Brendan Kelly, "Too many films, too few enticements for the under-40s; World film fest badly needs a sharper focus and a way to attract the Fantasia crowd". Montreal Gazette, August 18, 2008.