Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue is proud to unveil the first major elements of its 45th edition, which will be held from October 31 to November 5, 2026, preceded by the 24th edition of Espace court, on October 29 and 30 in Rouyn-Noranda. To highlight 45 years of passion, discoveries and encounters around the seventh art, the Festival is preparing a particularly ambitious edition, which will give an important place to Quebec creators while continuing its tradition of openness to the world.
Who says 45th edition also says new visual identity! The Festival officially unveils the poster for its 45th edition, a creation which will visually embody this historic anniversary.
Inspired in particular by The Kid and Cinema Paradiso, this year’s poster reconnects with this child’s gaze, made of curiosity, wonder and discovery. It also evokes transmission – this passion for cinema which is shared and which crosses generations. This poster marks a fourth collaboration with the artist Gérard Dubois. After 45 years, the Festival of course wanted to celebrate the progress made, but above all to look towards the future. This anniversary edition marks a renewal, a new page that opens, while remaining faithful to what has driven it since its beginnings: the pleasure of discovering films, sparking encounters and sharing cinema with its audience.
About Gérard DuBois: For nearly 30 years, Gérard DuBois has established himself as one of the leading figures in contemporary illustration. His work has been crowned with numerous distinctions, including the prestigious Hamilton King Award, awarded by the Society of Illustrators in New York for his entire career. The century-old institution also awarded him no less than four gold medals. Recognized on the international scene, he has illustrated the pages of the biggest magazines, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and his works have been exhibited in several countries, notably in Canada, France, Italy and the United States, in cities as emblematic as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Miami, Montreal and Toronto.
The poster for L’Espace court, an event dedicated to short films and emerging cinematographers, is a creation that sets the tone for an edition which will give an important place to creation, emerging artists and the diversity of voices. This year, the theme of fishing and water are at the heart of the poster by Stéphanie Cloutier, the author behind the visuals of L’Espace court for several years already.
Each year, Espace court offers the opportunity to bring together film fanatics of all genres. With two screening evenings on the schedule, this segment of the Festival creates a rally between the public and the creators of more than twenty short films addressing a range of different themes.
The eclectic screening evenings at Espace court are a must-see of the Festival; the perfect place where festival-goers and creators create moments rich in discovery, curiosity and celebration.
The Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Cinema Festival is particularly proud to announce that Villeneuve: The Rise of a Legend as its Quebec premiere will kick off this 45th anniversary edition. This work distributed by Les Films Opale and Entract Films will be dedicated to the exceptional career of Gilles Villeneuve. She will brilliantly launch the festivities during the grand opening evening on Saturday, October 31 at 5 p.m. at the Théâtre du Cuivre in Rouyn-Noranda, and will set the tone for an edition dedicated to meetings, celebration and Quebec cinema. Directed by Yan Lanouette Turgeon (Mlle Bottine, IXE-13) and produced by Christian Larouche (Junior Majeur, Louis Cyr: the strongest man in the world, Redemptions,) it will also be presented at the Closing Gala of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 19. Starring Rémi Goulet (Gilles Villeneuve), Rosalie Bonenfant (Joann Villeneuve), Patrice Robitaille (Seville Villeneuve), Anick Lemay (Georgette Coupal), Fabien Cloutier, Luc Picard, Etienne Galloy, Paul Doucet.
This screening is presented in collaboration with the CINEMANIA Film Festival. The film will be screened at CINEMANIA during the Gala evening of the 32nd edition on Monday, November 9 at the Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts in Montreal.
The Festival is also pleased to welcome Imelda Counter-Attack, the new film by Martin Villeneuve, which will be presented in the Quebec Premiere and in the Official Competition on Saturday afternoon in a special free screening at 1 p.m. as part of this edition, in the presence of the film team. This premiere constitutes a special moment for the Festival and for the public of Rouyn-Noranda, who will have the opportunity to discover the work first and celebrate cinematographic creation Quebecois. A film written, directed, produced and performed by Martin Villeneuve, starring Robert Lepage, Michel Barrette, Benoît Brière, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Martin Drainville, Martin Dubreuil, Louise Forestier, Gregory Hlady and Roberto Zorfini. The film is distributed by Toska and Soupe du Jour.
Synopsis: At over 90 years old, Imelda Turcotte-Villeneuve refuses to disappear into silence. As scathing, provocative and unpredictable as ever, she returns in Imelda Strikes Back, the new feature film by Martin Villeneuve, a continuation of Imelda’s 12 works.
“Imelda was my paternal grandmother, an excessive but deeply living woman. By embodying her again, I wanted to continue this work of memory begun with The 12 Labors of Imelda, but this time going further: behind the humor and provocation reveals a woman marked by a darker passage in her life. Imelda Strikes Back is a film about memory, family and the freedom to exist until the end. » — Martin Villeneuve
Another expected event for this 45th edition: Paquet de troubles, by Myriam Guimond. This first feature film by Myriam Guimond will enrich a programming which gives an important place to emerging voices and works which contribute to the vitality of Quebec cinema. Its presentation is part of the Festival’s desire to introduce the public to strong, original and diverse works. The film will be presented on Sunday, November 1 at 1 p.m. The film is distributed by K-Films America and produced by Marilyn Bastien, and stars Evelyne Rompré and Zachary Kaddouri-Champagne.
Synopsis: Karim, a teenager with perfect pitch and promising a great future as a musician, learns that he has schizophrenia. Upset by this announcement and surrounded by his mother and sister, he will try to find his identity, even going so far as to put himself in danger. Package of Troubles depicts the story of Karim and his family who, turned upside down by mental illness, will have to demonstrate resilience, sometimes completely helpless, in order to welcome what is.
“I tried to move my film away from the “usual” framework of cinematographic works which too often approach mental health through the caricatured representation of madness or schizophrenia. I think the subtle and delicate interpretations of the actors. These three films will touch moviegoers right in the heart. »– Myriam Guimond
To conclude this anniversary edition, the FCIAT will have the pleasure of presenting the Franco-Belgian film Tomorrow I Fall in Love by Martin Provost as a closing film and Canadian premiere on Thursday, November 5 at 6:30 p.m. The film awaited by moviegoers was also previewed last Tuesday August 25 during the Francophone Film Festival in Angoulême. Distributed by AZ Films and starring Fabrice Luchini, Emmanuelle Devos and Chiara Mastroianni, this work addressing the themes of self-discovery and a new beginning will touch the passionate audience of the festival this fall.
This work will close six days of screenings, meetings and discoveries, in a spirit like the Festival: celebrating cinema and allowing the public to experience special moments with those who create it.
Synopsis: On the day of his retirement, Émile, a literature teacher in Dieppe, gives his young students one last lesson on literature and love, encouraging them to become the poets of their own lives. Once home, Émile discovers that his wife has left him. He is forced to apply his own precepts to himself. Three meetings will then help him to reinvent himself.
Agilely hosted by Martin Guérin, the Brunch Conference is the perfect moment to enjoy an exquisite brunch while discovering or rediscovering the guest artists.
We’ll meet on November 1st, 11:00 a.m., at the hotel at the Convention Center (41 6e Rue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 1Y8)!
An essential director and screenwriter of Quebec cinema, Louis Bélanger has directed several films that have left their mark on audiences over the years, including Post Mortem, Gaz Bar Blues, Route 132, Les weeds and Living at 100 miles per hour. His work has earned him numerous distinctions in Quebec and internationally, notably for Post Mortem, which won the Jutra awards for best film, best direction and best screenplay. The Festival also has a great history with the filmmaker, having presented The Genius of Crime at the opening in 2006. More recently, he directed 125, rue des Malaises, produced by Denise Robert, which enjoyed great success with the Quebec public. Louis Bélanger is also a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic. Denise Robert is a great figure in Quebec cinema. Producer and co-producer of more than 40 films, she has accompanied some of the most notable works of our cinematography, including Les invasions barbares by Denys Arcand, winner of the Oscar for best foreign language film. More recently, she notably produced The Fall of the American Empire, A Revision and 125, rue des Malaises, directed by Louis Bélanger, which has enjoyed significant success with Quebec audiences since its theatrical release this summer. A member of several major international film academies, Denise Robert has also received numerous distinctions during her career, including the Order of Canada and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France.
As part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the City of Rouyn-Noranda, the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue will present Mixtape, a free exhibition devoted to the world of Jean-Marc Vallée, to be discovered from October 23, 2026 at the MA, Musée d’art, in collaboration with the PHI Center. From a large-scale video installation to a selection of films and television series to testimonials imbued with emotion, the free Mixtape exhibition will be an opportunity to explore the unique relationship between music and emotion in the filmmaker’s work.
From October 23 to November 22, 2026MA Rouyn-Noranda Art Museum221 Av. du Musée, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 0H3Free entry (reservation required)
By assembling the testimonies of his collaborators and those close to him, inspired by his love for music, Mixtape paints a portrait of the man and the director and explores the traces he left behind him. An opportunity to delve into Vallée’s creative journey, but above all to map his monumental work. “Mixtape is a magnificent way to celebrate our father by presenting his immense work to the general public. » — Alex Vallée, son of Jean-Marc Vallée
About the exhibitionMixtape is made up of five installations and a sound environment which accompanies and envelops the public throughout the exhibition. These different spaces highlight several highlights of Vallée’s career, but above all, an invitation to delve into the artist’s head and music to discover what inspired him in his daily life, influenced him in his creation and what was transposed to the big screen.
The Story Behind CassettesMixtapes were an integral part of the artist’s life and creative process. He shared them with his friends, his collaborators and he created them specifically for his future creations. It therefore seemed judicious and meaningful to name this exhibition like that.
With a program that promises to be exceptional, the Festival is already inviting film buffs to mark the dates from October 29 to November 5, 2026 on their calendar (including October 29 and 30, during which Espace court will take place!). 45 years of cinema. 45 years of meetings. And an anniversary edition that promises to be memorable!