The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) looks to the future for its opening night selection. RIDM will kick off its 2021 edition with Futura, directed by the Italian trio of Alice Rohrwacher, Pietro Marcello, and Francesco Munzi. Futura recently made its North American premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Wavelengths programme. The artful doc is a road movie in which the filmmakers interview young Italians from across the nation and assess their hopes, dreams, concerns, and fears for the future.
The film also offers a unique snapshot about the young generation’s awakening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as the lockdowns intersect with the production. When interviews resume, the filmmakers see their interviewees fired up with renewed vigour. “Any viewer who absorbs these conversations and engages with the youths’ concerns should see themselves implicated in the debate about where we want to go post-COVID-19,” I wrote while reviewing Futura at TIFF. “Futura’s open and honest travelogue captures the pulse of a generation reborn amid collective trauma.”
For RIDM’s closing night selection, the festival will host the world premiere of Gabor, directed by Joannie Lafrenière. The film is a portrait of social realist documentary photographer Gabor Szilasi. Gabor is Montreal-based filmmaker Lafrenière’s first feature after the acclaimed mid-length work Snowbirds and several short docs. Both Szilasi and Lafrenière will attend the festival.
The festival also announced a retrospective of the films by Vitaly Mansky (Under the Sun, Rodney – Close Relations) as part of this year’s programming. The selection will include Mansky’s latest work, Gorbachev, Heaven. RIDM will announced its full programming slate on October 20 ahead of the hybrid festival, which begins November 10.
