The Official 2020 MCAF’s Program Unveiled!

(May 4th, 2020) While the Montreal Comic Arts Festival has taken on the challenge of moving to a 100% online event, just a few weeks ago, the team is pleased to announce the official programming for its 9th edition.

This was not what was originally planned. That’s the least we can say. Normally, the BanQ and MCAF teamed up for a festive evening. The BAnQ had invited MCAF to inaugurate its new Comic Arts space by presenting the festival’s program and launching “May, Comic Arts Month”. It will be for another time.

Going digital means to forget any book-signing sessions, spontaneous encounters in the park La Fontaine and moving comic books in electric carts. However, it is a unique occasion of learning further about how we can share our passion of comics and MCAF went to it. The programming will be broadcast live for three days. The meeting is given on MCAF’s website from May 22 to 24!

May, Comic Arts Month

In collaboration with the Montreal Libraries, the concept of “May, Comic Arts Month” was developed in 2012. For the past nine years, libraries and other cultural places have been concentrating their activities in May on the theme of Comic Arts. This year will be no exception. Every Wednesday of the month, MCAF offers four conversations. They will feature comic book projects that have migrated to another art or vice versa:

• BD & Literature: Aliss with Patrick Senécal and Jeik Dion
• BD & Animation : Les choses qui existent with Iris, Cathon and Francis Papillon
• BD & Media: Rock et Steel, la menace blast, Patrick Marleau, Mathieu Benoit and Steelorse
• BD & Theater: Le garçon au visage disparu, Pierre Lecrenier and Larry Tremblay

Interesting fact, the Comic Arts is also celebrated across Canada in May. The recent cancellations of the various festivals have been a source of solidarity. In response to the situation, the  cancaf.com platform was created in order to list the multiple digital activities developed by the festivals of Dartmouth, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Exhibitions

Comic & Arts

Comics are a one-of-a-kind art medium, long underestimated and undervalued. Despite the rich history of the comic arts, the cultural importance of this art form has only recently been broadly acknowledged. But regardless of this long-standing prejudice, it is also clear that comics have had a considerable impact and influence over the other arts. The MCAF’s virtual exhibition traces this influence through the arts: you will find it right here.

Bédélys Awards, 20 Years of History

This original exhibition traces the rich history of the Bédélys Awards and the contribution of “Promo 9e art” organization to Quebec Comic Arts.
It will be available online on May 24.

Our Guest Creators

Because meeting the public is one of the pleasures that goes with a festival, MCAF has provided virtual tables where cartoonists can present their work and chat with their fans. There will be 21 of them ready to play the game of questions and answers. Exciting and lively discussions are to be expected! Here are some of the names to find or discover:

• Walter Scott
• Boum
• Jackie Davis
• Michael DeForge
• Jess Thomas
• Axelle Lenoir

Activities

Even though the MCAF program is reduced to better learn the new online medium, it will be no less diversified, for all ages and bilingual, as usual!

Our young crowd will have the opportunity to attend two workshops to learn how to make manga-style drawings, offered by the Ikko Project and O-Taku-Manga Lounge. Stéphan Arche will also share his passion for drawing for everyone’s pleasure. Great learning in sight! Not to be missed for the many fans of Agent Jean, a Drawing Battle between Alex A. and Cab led by Patrice Lépine on Saturday, May 23 at 2 p.m. Although all these activities are in French, they should be easy to follow for everybody.

 The general public will have the chance to attend activities as diverse as:

• The Bédélys Awards ceremony on Friday, May 22 at 7 pm, preceded by a panel with the five finalists of the Bédélys Québec Award.
• From idea to print: creating your own comic:  
• A special “Dungeons, Dragons & Drawings” evening on Saturday 
• 6 Panels including this one: What ingredients make for a successful graphic novel? 
• 5 Workshops including one given by Montreal creator Salgood Sam : Flow, Movement & Wordless Conversations in Comics
• 2 Live Drawings, one with the german artist Reinhard Kleist

All the details can be found on the activities page.

Professional Day

For the authors who participate in the festival, the professional day will be officially held on May 21. First planned as a festive cocktail of meetings, this day will take the form of two master classes held by well-known cartoonists : Jean-Louis Tripp for the master class in French, Jeff Lemire for the English one. In the evening, a “comic jam” open to all will take place, just to have fun.

About the 9th edition

MCAF will be held entirely online this year for 3 days, from May 22 to 24, 2020 on our website. Workshops, Q&A, panels and live drawing are just a few of the many activities planned! The festival is also proud to announce that we are officially launching the Presses du FBDM | MCAF Press, who’s first book will be published for the festival. 24 cartoonists contribute to the creation of “Lettres à Montréal”, a project that you can support here!

The Montreal Comic Arts Festival thanks its partners

MCAF would like to highlight the collaboration of its partners who contribute to the success of this 9th edition.

Thanks to : Patrimoine Canada; Conseil des Arts du Canada; Conseil des arts de Montréal; SODEC, Division Festivals et événements culturels de Montréal; l’Arrondissement Le-Plateau-Mont-Royal; Caisse de la culture Desjardins; Consulat général of France in Québec; l’Institut Goethe and the Centre de la francophonie des Amériques.

Our media partners : Culture Cible; La Fabrique culturelle, LesLibraires.ca;  CISM 89.3, la revue PLANCHES; as well as our booktubers : Elise, from “A Book and a Cup”; Ariane, from “Miz Littérature” and Chantal, from “La Bibliothèque Jaune”.

The participation and commitment of the team, which is largely made up of volunteers, cannot be ignored, as they enthusiastically embarked on a huge project just eight weeks before the end.

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Further Information:

Quentin Hocquinghem
Communications Coordinator
(514) 649 7352
press@fbdm-mcaf.ca