Montreal’s Festival of Films on Art gets artsy – but not too fartsy

What do Amy Winehouse, William Golding and Sol LeWitt have in common? Besides being past powerhouses in their respective pursuits, they’re all coming (in filmic form, at least) to Montreal’s International Festival of Films on Art! From March 14 to 24, the 31st edition of FIFA promises to deliver great films, vaunted directors, captivating installations, engrossing panel discussions and must-attend master classes to art mavens, literature lovers and cinephiles alike.

With so much on offer, one might wonder what to watch and where to go. Never fear! NIGHTLIFE has you covered with a few interesting picks from this year’s FIFA roster. Ready to get arty? Okay! Let’s dive in:

1. Amy Winehouse—The Day She Came to Dingle
Place des Arts, March 16 and 23

Oh Amy. You were a marvel. You looked so ready to take on the world in 2006, in this documentary rife with footage from “Other Voices”, an Irish TV music series filmed in the small coastal town of Dingle. Your voice and vision for your future were plenty strong here (clips of the “Other Voices” interview are priceless). The doc itself, though? To be frank, it’s a little lacking in vigor. But don’t you worry, Winehouse. Your candor and contralto carry it through.

2. Sex in the ComiX
Cinémathèque québécoise, March 23 & Grande Bibliothèque, March 24

T and fuckin’ A, my friends. If you get off on the ins and outs of drawn erotica, then this is the show for you. From Robert Crumb’s thick, stridin’ ladies with horn-rimmed specs to Suehiro Maruo’s ghastly visions of beastly grotesques, Sex in ComiX gives a comprehensive view of this flourishing art form’s place in modern culture. On March 23rd, be sure to check out the round table discussion on erotic comics in Quebec featuring, amongst others, cartoonists Rick Trembles and Jacques Boivin.

3. The Fatwa – Salman's Story
Musée des Beaux-Arts, March 14 and Grande Bibliothèque, March 16

Can you believe it’s been 24 years since Ayatollah Khomeini condemned Salman Rushdie to death on Valentine’s Day for writing The Satanic Verses? First run as an episode of BBC’s Imagine… series, The Fatwa – Salman's Story is an intense ride through Rushdie’s much talked about, but not vastly understood decade in hiding (as writer Martin Amos famously quipped, “He vanished onto the front page.”) On March 16, try to take in the two-for-one screening and professor-laden panel discussion on censorship, intellectual freedom and Rushie’s work.

4. John Cage – Journeys In Sound
Place des Arts, March 19 & Musée d’Art Contemporain, March 22

Composer. Artist. Writer. Mushroom enthusiast. John Cage was all these things, and so much more. Journeys In Sound by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller and Emmy winner Paul Smaczny pays high tribute to the most fascinating, contentious, avant-garde sonic innovator the great U.S of A. has ever produced. From the archival footage to the many interviews conducted, it becomes glaringly apparent that John Cage was a master at putting the “irk” in quirky.

5. Edward Hopper and the Blank Canvas & Sol LeWitt
Edward Hopper: Musée des Beaux-Arts, March 20 & 22
Sol LeWitt: Musée d’Art Contemporain, March 15 & 23

Two very different approaches to art, two very different artists, two very contemplative documentaries. Whereas LeWitt strove to strip his art of the self and the subjective, Hopper, when asked about his seemingly objective oeuvre, claimed, “It’s about me.” Both docs offer up lingering shots on brilliant works of art, mount intriguing interviews, and try to uncover a few of the gnarled roots at the base of such abundant creative genius. Go see them both, contrast and compare, and tell us what you think.