Montreal International Black Film Festival 2023

Montreal – The 19th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF), created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, has confirmed its place as a must-attend event on Montreal’s cultural scene. This year again, the festival brought together artists, entrepreneurs, film lovers, and families around screenings, discussions, and initiatives that highlight Afro-descendant talents.

Among the guests, Marie Reny Faille, founder of Moren, a Senegalese clothing and accessories brand, shared her experience during the festival’s Pop-Up Market. Specializing in boubous and handmade creations imported directly from Senegal, she explained:

“I often travel to Dakar to choose the fabrics myself and to exchange with the tailors. Taking part in this market was important to see what other Black entrepreneurs are creating and to collaborate among ourselves.”

For her, the festival is also an educational space:

“The NFB makes more than 13,000 productions available online, many of them about the history of Black communities in Canada. These films are real learning tools for future generations.”

The Vice-President of the Fabienne Colas Foundation, Réal Barnabé, praised the quality of the programming:

“This 19th edition is an exceptional success, with films of very high quality. The closing film, a Sudanese work, literally took the audience’s breath away thanks to its stunning visuals and complex storyline.”

The festival was held this year at the heart of the Afromuseum, directed by Barnabé, who was pleased to see the institution become the headquarters of the event.

For the community relations coordinator, the event fulfilled its mission:

“Our role is to bring people together and to give a voice to Black communities and diversity. The MIBFF proves that it is possible to build careers both in front of and behind the screen for talents from minority backgrounds.”

She also recalled the difficulties linked to funding:

“We still need to convince certain bodies that Afro-descendant artists deserve fair support.”

Despite these challenges, the team promises an even more ambitious 20th edition in 2024.

The festival was made possible thanks to the support of many partners, including Desjardins, SODEC, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, as well as Netflix and the National Bank through the Being Black in Canada program.

Beyond the screenings, the festival offered a diverse program: panels, masterclasses, discussions, and initiatives such as the Black Market and the Pop-Up Market, creating a unique space where cinema, entrepreneurship, and culture meet.

After 19 years of hard work, resilience, and achievements, the MIBFF now looks toward the future.

“We are preparing several surprises for next year in order to properly celebrate this historic 20th edition,” concluded the organizing team.