The Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) has just revealed the selection of short films for its 54th edition.

From October 8 to 19, the public can discover a varied selection of short films from around the world. For the twelfth consecutive year, the festival will also host the Pan-Canadian Student Film Meetings (RPCÉ) from October 13 to 15. These meetings consist of a series of workshops and conferences, in addition to offering networking opportunities to developing talents. Furthermore, Campus Critique will return for a 4th edition, allowing participants to discover the profession of a film critic through writing workshops with established journalists, as well as several other meetings and activities.

A Varied Selection of Short Films 

The national short film section presents a rich and original selection. Among the highlights are several titles screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, including A Soft Touch by Heather Young, Klee by Gavin Baird, and Ripe by Solara Thanh Bình Đặng. Other notable films include Brief Somebodies by Andy Reid, selected at South By Southwest, as well as Solitudes by Canadian Ryan McKenna and Boa by Quebec’s Alexandre Dostie, presented at the Locarno International Film Festival. Audiences who wish to support Quebec filmmakers will also find titles to discover with En pays froid by Hervé Demers or Comment devenir riche, épanoui et détendu by Amélie Hardy.

In the international competition, the most anticipated film is undoubtedly I’m Glad You’re Dead Now, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Other Cannes titles are also included in the selection, such as Loynes by Dorian Jespers, Cœur Bleu by Samuel Suffren, and Erogenesis by Xandra Popescu, which received the Canal+ Short Film Award at Critics’ Week. Other titles presented include Unavailable by Kyrylo Zemlyanyi, in competition at the Venice Film Festival; Une fenêtre plein sud by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, winner of the Jury Prize at Locarno; Extracurricular Activity by Dean Wei and Xu Yidan, selected at the Berlin International Film Festival; and A Small Fiction of My Mother in Beijing by Dorothea Sing Zhang, which just had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

For lovers of strange and experimental works, the New Alchemists section offers an eclectic competitive selection. Animation enthusiasts will be delighted with Arguments in Favor of Love by Gabriel Abrantes, selected in official competition at Cannes. Also featured will be Le pain se lève by Alex Boya, in official selection at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and Force Time Displacement by Angel Wu, selected at the Locarno Film Festival. Two award-winning and critically acclaimed festival films will also be presented: Koki, Ciao by Quenton Miller, winner of the Berlinale Shorts Cupra Award for Best Director, and Their Eyes by Nicolas Gourault, which won both the Golden Firebird Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Best Short Film award at the Berlinale. The 3D film, Felt by Blake Williams, a Canadian selection presented at both the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, and Bozo Over Roses by Matty Sidle, an official selection at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, starring Cate Blanchett, are also part of the program.

Pan-Canadian Student Film Meetings (RPCÉ) 

Presented in collaboration with L’INIS, the RPCÉ will offer workshops, conferences, and networking activities from October 13 to 15, in addition to the screening of their films in competition for young people from 28 Canadian schools. An international school is invited each year for a special program, and this year, Burkina Faso is in the spotlight with a visit from ISIS (the Institut Supérieur de l’Image et du Son de Ouagadougou).

This national student short film competition offers a unique platform for emerging filmmakers to meet, collaborate, and exchange ideas. Three awards—the Grand Prize, the Young Wolf Award, and a “Coup de cœur” Award from Vidéographe—will be presented at the short film and emerging talent celebration evening on October 15.

The 54th edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) will take place in Montreal from October 8 to 19, 2025. Passports are already available for presale on the festival website. The complete program will be unveiled on September 23.