From: Caroline Rompré [mailto:caroline@pixellex.ca] Sent: June 10, 2026 1:50 p.m. To: caroline Subject: FILM NOIR AU CANAL unveils the opening film of its 10th edition
PRESS RELEASE For immediate release
THE BIG LEBOWSKI by the brothers Co-presented at the opening of the 10th edition of Film Noir at CanalINTRODUCTION OF THE WORK BY HELEN FARADJI
Film Noir au Canal, the cult crime film festival on the banks of the Lachine Canal, will kick off its 10th edition on Sunday, July 12 with the screening of The Big Lebowski (1998), presented in collaboration with the Festival du nouveau cinéma.
Scheduled for the first time at Film Noir at the Canal in 2018, the Coen brothers’ film attracted a record audience of 1,000 people, establishing itself as the most popular screening in the history of the festival. A true cultural phenomenon, the film seduces with its atypical characters, its surreal dream sequences, its powerful dialogues and its eclectic soundtrack. It is therefore a perfect choice to kick off the festivities!
To mark this opening evening, the festival will have the pleasure of welcoming Helen Faradji, critic at Radio-Canada, author of the book Reinventing film noir: the cinema of the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino, and director of programming for the Quebec City Cinema Festival.
Film buffs are invited to go to Square Saint-Patrick, at the corner of Wellington and St-Patrick streets, from 7:30 p.m., for this first meeting of the season. At nightfall, The Big Lebowski will be presented in English with French subtitles.
Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), nicknamed « Dude », is a lazy guy who spends his time drinking with his friend Walter (John Goodman) and playing bowling, a game of which he is fanatical. One day two thugs beat him up. It seems that a certain Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) wants to recover a sum of money owed to him by Jeff’s wife. Only, Lebowski is not married. It’s a mistake, the Lebowski sought is a millionaire from Pasadena. The Dude then sets off in search of compensation from his extremely wealthy namesake…
Entrance is free. In the event of rain, the screening will be postponed to Monday July 13.
Tribute to Jeanne MoreauTo keep the suspense going, the films in the Film Noir programming at Canal are revealed every week during the summer. In order to give a taste of this anniversary edition, the festival is making an exception here and lifting the veil on its double program in collaboration with the Cinémathèque québécoise. This year, a tribute will be paid to French actress Jeanne Moreau, a cinema legend whose career spans seven decades. On this occasion, Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) by Jacques Becker will be screened free of charge outdoors on Sunday July 19, as part of the festival. Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1958) by Louis Malle will, for its part, be presented in 35 mm at the Cinémathèque québécoise on Saturday July 18.
“Make your short film noir” competition Until July 5, filmmakers are invited to make a short film lasting 60 to 90 seconds which uses the codes of film noir, and which will serve as a trailer for the 2026 edition of the festival. Faithful to the community spirit of the event, the competition is open to everyone. A jury, made up of members of the Film Noir au Canal team, will decide on the winning trailer which will be announced on July 9, ahead of the launch of the new season. This short film will be presented before the six summer screenings, in addition to being shared on social media and the Film Noir au Canal website. Thanks to Film Noir au Canal, CineGround, the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC), the Cinémathèque québécoise, the magazine 24 images and pixelleX, the winning person will receive a prize with a total value of $3,300.
The 10th edition of Film Noir at the Canal – from July 12 to August 16, 2026