There are a lot of reasons to love the 41^st annual FNC and its mascot, the she-wolf. For one thing, this is a festival with a truly vanguard programme – lots of things to see and do, every day, that you can’t see and do anywhere else. Which brings us to #1 on a list (not comprehensive, by any means) of things not to miss at the FNC.

1) Movies: On October 20, the FNC will sponsor a special advance screening of Ang Lee’s adaptation of Life of Pi, the Booker Prize-winning book by Montrealer Yann Martel. This is an eagerly awaited premiere of a story they said couldn’t be made for the screen, so we can’t wait to see it! Best of all, the film will be presented in 3D with special guest Yann Martel.

Other premieres include A Liar’s Autobiography-The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman, and movies by international art-cinema stars Alain Resnais, Mike Hoolboom, Cristian Mungiu, Olivier Assayas, Thomas Vinterberg, and many many others. Of course, you’ll also be able to preview some of the holiday-season movies that everyone will be talking about and the FNC has a high-profile competition, the Louve d’Or, for which 18 films will compete. The competition is for films from first, second and third features by directors from around the world. Trailer here.

2) Retrospectives: An homage to Nikkatsu: The famed Japanese production company turns 100 this year, hence a prestigious retrospective co-produced by Fantasia and the Cinémathèque québécoise. This is a big deal for amateurs of Asian film, as explained in this video of the press conference announcement. Also retrospectives honouring dearly departed filmmakers Chris Marker, Carole Roussopoulos, William Klein and Stephen Dwoskin.

3) Temps 0: My personal favourite programme at the festival is the edgy movies in this section, which always defy description or comparison. This year: Vincent Gallo plays two roles opposite flying saucers in The Legend of Kaspar Hauser, with soundtrack by techno giant Vitalic. Six Irish teenagers have a housewrecking party in SXSW favourite Dollhouse. Adam Smith’s doc The Chemical Brothers: Don’t Think. Tons more.

4) Little wolves (Les P’tits loups): Wolf children, little vampires, sea turtles, foxes, moonmen and many more populate this section, the best childrens’ programming at any film festival in Montreal, making this festival a must-see for kids as well as grown-ups.

5) FNC Lab: From experimental art, web projects, conferences, interactive installations, and don’t forget ten days of nonstop parties: There’s more to the FNC than movies. A salute to Carolee Schneemann and the erotic art of the 1960s is one attraction, Glenn Gould in The Idea of North is another. And check the site for what’s on, every day. There are art parties every night at both Centre PHI and festival headquarters.

THE DETAILS

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, October 10-21, 2012

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The first episode of The Borgias, directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire), just premiered on Showtime, with Jeremy Irons playing the power-hungry paterfamilias, Rodrigo Borgia, and Montreal actor Arnaud as his son, Cesare Borgia.

Arnaud is already a recognizable face here in Montreal, having already appeared in several Quebec TV shows and Xavier Dolan’s Cannes-award-winning debut, J’ai tue ma mere. But certainly, The Borgias is his big break—the first episode is as gorgeous as a tapestry and as blue as The Sopranos, and that probably means it’ll be a hit. Showtime has been selling the series as a replacement for The Tudors, only with sexy Italians instead of pasty-faced Brits. But for Arnaud, The Borgias’ rollicking 2-hour debut full of sex, murder, and Papal intrigue makes perfect sense.

“It always bothers me when I read reviews that say Neil is ‘sexing up history’,” says Arnaud. “Sex and violence is totally a part of that story and I don’t think it’s (gratuitous). If you think about it, most of what we know about The Borgias comes from what their enemies said,” he continues. “And I think those [dark] impulses are closer in human nature than we like to think.”

Montreal hangouts

In Montreal, posters for The Borgias are everywhere, so much so that Arnaud says he’s now getting recognized even more than before, though he doesn’t think he resembles his version of Cesare Borgia: “They made my skin darker, and I’m wearing a long wig….which is fine with me. I’ve always wanted to be an actor, but not to be famous. I want to live my life.”

When he’s not in L.A., Arnaud haunts his Montreal hood, including some of the spots he name-checks below.

Shopping: I don’t really like shopping for clothes, but I do like one place, Les Étoffes on Saint-Laurent. It’s a really small boutique and I really like what they have for men- their clothes are classy, different and unique, and not too flashy. I don’t like to show off with my clothes. And it’s hard to find men’s clothes that are masculine, but not H & M.

Restaurant: Au Tarot has the best couscous ever! It’s really cheap and really huge and I usually have leftovers for three days. La Montée de lait, it’s so super busy all the time, I can’t think how it could become more busy. But it’s good!

Bars: I’m not really a club person, I prefer dive bars and neighbourhood spots. Waverly Bar that just opened in Mile End is good. I kind of love Buvette Chez Simone, but mostly on weekdays because it’s so busy.

Neighbourhoods: I like Mile End a lot, it’s near where I live. And I like St-Henri and Griffintown, I like up-and-coming neighbourhoods. I like Outremont for a walk- you can wander from Parc to the park.

Parks: If you want to go for a long walk or a hike, the Mountain is cool. I like small parks too, like Joyce park in Outremont. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid. When I was a child it seemed so huge, I thought there was a giant mountain and a forest in there. Then, when I went back as a grown-up, it’s just a small park, really. But very nice.

Guest Blogger: Melora Koepke

The post MEET A MONTREALER: FRANCOIS ARNAUD appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.