The RIDM film fest promises gorillas, cellphone factories and Juggalos!

Gorillas, cellphone factories and Juggalos (Insane Clown Posse fans) will all make it to the big screen during the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (November 12-23).
 
The festival opens and closes with two of the 21 world premieres. Le nez, a film exploring the sense of smell, is the first documentary directed by Montreal native Kim Nguyen. Nguyen’s last film, Rebelle, was nominated for an Oscar. After the run of 141 films from 44 countries, the festival will close with Nicolas Wadimoff’s Spartiates, about a martial arts school in Marseille. As always, the large number and diversity of material coming to town will ensure there’s something that tackles nearly every aesthetic or topic.

Crowds will likely flock to veteran Hollywood names such as Martin Scorsese (The 50-Year Argument, about the New York Review of Books) and Robert Altman (profiled by director Ron Mann).
 
The truly anticipated big-hitters, however, include the likes of The Look of Silence. Playing in competition, The Look of Silence is director Joshua Oppenheimer’s follow-up to his wildly acclaimed The Act of Killing, which featured gag-inducing recreations from the Indonesian genocide in the 1960s. Then there is CITIZENFOUR, playing as one of the many critical and commercial hits screening in the Special Presentations stream out of competition. Laura Poitras started making the documentary on Edward Snowden after she received an email from a mysterious “Citizenfour” one day: it was from Snowden, urging her to publicize his findings on the NSA.

Perhaps the most important responsibilities of such a festival is to screen works by locals and about local stories. This is probably a Montrealer’s only chance to ever see, and certainly on a big screen, many of the Canadian features, shorts, and multimedia works (think Oculus Rift virtual reality and immersive 3D). Relive the Justin Trudeau/Patrick Brazeau boxing match with God Save Justin Trudeau. Or sit and absorb Sol, a haunting portrait of a young Inuk artist who died in an RCMP holding cell. La ville est un île, about the Anglophone music scene, and Sur la piste des DJs, showcasing six Montreal DJs, are also part of a musical emphasis this year. This will spin off into performances by musicians such as Champion and Miracle Fortress—and even an installation where a tree becomes a speaker. That’s right: put your ear to the bark and listen.

 
Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)
November 12 to 23 | ridm.qc.ca