News release

International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) honours Concordia University

Faculty, students and alumni contributions highlighted in anniversary edition

Montreal, February 23, 2012 - Concordia University will be in the spotlight during the next edition of the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) taking place from March 15 to 25. The festival’s 30th edition is devoting a portion of its program to a retrospective of works that recognize the significant achievements of artists with a connection to the university.

"It is gratifying to receive this recognition," says Catherine Wild, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. "We are proud of the immensely talented faculty, staff, students and alumni of the Faculty and their diverse contributions to the art world both locally and internationally."

The Concordia retrospective features films about alumnus Marc Séguin, the painter and novelist who has carved out an international reputation over the past decade. Current and former faculty members are also well-represented with screenings of films on the lives and work of Françoise Sullivan, Irene F. Whittome and the late Guido Molinari. The screenings will all be held at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, 185 Ste-Catherine St. W.

In addition to this honour, Concordia will continue to be a central presence in the FIFA as it has over the past two years of its partnership with the festival, the largest of its kind in the world. The diverse program of more than 180 screenings of films on architecture, dance, literature, photography, painting and more includes 18 taking place at the university’s J.A. De Sève Cinema (J.W. McConnell Library building, 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.).

As well, students at Concordia’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema will benefit from the expertise of industry professionals through a series of special events.The first will be a master class on March 18 with filmmaker Jake Auerbach, immediately following the projection of his film Lucian Freud: Portraits. Auerbach has had a distinguished career as an independant filmmaker with a focus on arts documentaries. He also worked at the British Broadcasting Corporation, after starting his career with the Henson Organisation, producers of The Muppets.

As part of FIFA’s International Market of Films on Art, March 21 to 24, Concordia students are invited to attend a training seminar on how to pitch an art film project to producers, director and distributors. They are also invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on promotion and broadcasting in media arts.

This evening, February 23, Concordia will host the Canadian premiere of Mendelsohn’s Incessant Visions. Duki Dror’s film tells the story of Erich Mendelsohn, a pioneer of expressionist architecture whose legacy is most notable in Tel Aviv and his native Germany. The screening will take place in the J.A. de Sève Cinema at 6 p.m.

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