Montreal, a port of call

Sketch artists occupy the most prominent space in Old Montreal. Photo by Raymond Zhou / China Daily

For the past two years, I have been going to the second largest Canadian city for its film festivals that run from late August through early September.

This legacy was founded in 1977 by Serge Losique when the Venice Film Festival was in suspension.

Losique was instrumental in discovering China's Fifth Generation of directors when it was emerging from the mid-1980s State-owned production nebula. He showcased movies like Yellow Earth, raising their exposure to an international audience.

Most of the 400-plus films screened at the festival annually, hailing from across the world, serve more as windows for local film enthusiasts, who are extremely cosmopolitan and knowledgeable.

There are people who take vacations from work just to attend multiple screenings. The Cinema Imperial, one of the designated venues, often has a long line of moviegoers waiting outside its entrance before each film. And the question-and-answer session after a screening is often so lively it has to move to the corridor to make room for the next screening.

Audiences span the full age gamut, with the retired and the youth comprising the major components of participation.

Even if you don't have a budget for tickets, you can still go to the retrospective of prominent Quebecois films from the past year, which is free of charge.

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