On the occasion of the 5th edition of the Nouveau Marché organised within the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC), Johanna Hébert, director of the industry section, exposes the vision and the evolution of the professional pole, now unmissable in Montreal

Cineuropa: What distinguishes the Nouveau Marché from other festivals?
Johanna Hébert: The industry section of the FNC brings together all our activities aimed at professionals. This includes the student competition of the campus, which represents the future of our cinema, as well as the forum which offers panels, workshops and networking cocktails throughout the festival. As for the Nouveau Marché, it is a co-production market over four days with international projects, but also a curation of debut Canadian features in development. We carefully select the participants and welcome them to create a real ecosystem of encounters.

How does the selection of projects work?
For international pitches, there is no open call. All is based on the curating work of Hayet Benkara, head of the Nouveau Marché, and Karim Aitouna, our consultant for project selection. They find candidates in festivals all around the world. For debut Canadian features, an open call is launched in June. For this section, we sometimes privilege projects that are already quite solid, but the door remains open to promising filmmakers, even without producers.

How would you describe the need of such a market in Canada?
We needed a point of entry that worked both ways. For international actors, it’s a point of access to North America and for Canadians, it is one towards the international scene. Montreal is a crossroads of cultures that is highly frequented by Europeans, but also by Americans. It’s the ideal place, also because the FNC, with its strong identity and a solid reputation built over the years, was naturally destined to have an industry section.

You privilege an international approach, without a focus on the French-speaking world. Do you nevertheless have a particular direction?
We focus on under-represented areas, especially in North America. This year, for instance, we are welcoming projects from Kirghizistan and Kosovo. These are opportunities to create bridges between continents and stimulate unexpected co-productions.

Has the Marché already allowed for projects to come to fruition since its creation?
Yes, several. Demba [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Mamadou Dia, a Senegal-Europe project which won in 2022, was shot thanks to the market prize and had its premiere in Berlin. Who Do I Belong To [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Meryam Joobeur
scheda film] by Meryam Joobeur (selected in competition in Berlin) or Vampire Humaniste Cherche Suicidaire Consentant by Ariane Louis-Seize (Director’s prize at the Giornate degli Autori in Venice) also emerged from here before enjoying a beautiful international career.

What kind of guests do you prefer?
We listen to the local industry. We work hand in hand with Quebec and Canadian producers to adapt our formats to their needs. We are not looking to rival the big Canadian markets such as Toronto, but rather to offer a space on a human scale, and of quality. We limit ourselves each year to about a hundred guests in order to foster more frequent and durable exchanges and we only invite figures which have an immediate use for our selection.

A word on the musical section?
We collaborate with the Marseille Festival Musique et Cinéma for the Troisième Personnage initiative. Three Canadian projects are paired with selection composers. These encounters already result in real collaborations, proving that artistic exchanges are at the heart of our approach. The Marseille festival sends us talents and we do the same so that the collaboration can continue on both territories.