Concordia co-presents an experimental lineup for 42nd Festival of Films on Art

The 42nd International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) kicks off March 14 — and once again Concordia is on the bill.

In collaboration with the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts, this year’s event includes giveaway tickets for students as well as a co-sponsorship of the FIFA Expérimental program. It will feature a film by independent curator and writer Anne Golden, BFA 84, MA 07.

“FIFA is a dynamic force in Montreal’s film-festival scene, fostering international connections and offering unique opportunities for our students and alumni,” says Annie Gérin, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

“Our lasting collaboration with FIFA fortifies the bridge between academia and the arts community and keeps unveiling opportunities for our students to get inspired and create connections with this industry.”

Gérin says she is proud that Golden is featured in FIFA’s programming. She is also pleased to have screenings happening at the university’s state-of-the-art J.A. DeSève Cinema, a coveted venue for film festivals.

Taking place throughout Montreal and Quebec City as well as online, FIFA is set to feature more than 200 films from 40 countries. As usual, it places emphasis on innovative approaches to cinema and authorial video.

“This year, the filmmakers and artists invite the viewers to delve into the marvels and complexities of our world,” says Philippe del Drago, FIFA’s executive and artistic director.

“They remind us that we have the capacity to change things, to make new choices and to create the extraordinary.”

‘A speculative historian’

Curated by Nicole Gingras, the FIFA Expérimental program is an invitation-only, non-competitive section. Twenty-four works, organized into four programs, make up this ambitious panorama of exploratory cinema.

Golden’s film Test Sequence (2023) will be presented at FIFA Expérimental.

She curated programs for the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and Dazibao Montreal, among others. Golden is also the co-artistic director for Groupe Intervention Vidéo and teaches in the Media Arts Department of John Abbott College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.

Her portfolio includes some 100 videos, notably Fat Chance (1994), Big Girl Town (1998), From the Archives of Vidéo Populaire (2007) and The Shack (2013).

Golden explains that she crafted Test Sequence with multiple films sourced from the Prelinger Archives, exploring the obsolescence of technologies and proliferation of machines.

“I was inspired by images of machines that were once the pinnacle of technology but that now appear bulky and even somewhat mysterious because we can’t always identify their purpose,” she underlines. The artist carefully reviews documentary footage, seeking visually striking images that resonate to then unfold into a narrative.

“Sometimes, I’m not entirely sure what my process is, and at other times I feel ‘anchored’ by a specific shot,” Golden further reflects. “I have described myself as a ‘speculative historian’ because I am making up stories and associations from other peoples’ images.”

She also expresses her gratitude for being featured in this year’s festival and the FIFA Expérimental program. “I am always happy to discover new works and artists, or to see artists whose work I know in another context,” Golden says.

“Nicole Gingras honours media artworks. She takes care of the works she presents through contextualization and careful placement. I look forward to the festival to see her selections.”

FIFA screenings will take place from March 14 to 24 in Montreal and Quebec City and from March 22 to April 2 online. Films can also be accessed year-round on the ARTS.FILM platform.

Find out more about FIFA Expérimental, Concordia’s collaboration with the 42nd International Festival of Films on Art, featuring alumna Anne Golden.