Behind the Scenes of MCAF: Creating the Festival Programming
Reflections on programming begin as soon as the theme is chosen. When selecting the theme, we are already deciding on certain topics or directions that might be interesting to explore. For example, for Back to the Future, the team thought it would allow us to highlight science fiction, as well as historical comics, while also touching on autofiction and retro nostalgia.
The programming director then begins to think about potential ideas, but until the comic artists are confirmed, the programming doesn’t move forward much.
Regular Programming
It’s towards the end of autumn, after meetings with publishing houses and cultural partners, and once the first artists are confirmed, that the programming committee and the team begin brainstorming on activities.
The programming committee is made up of people who have been involved with the festival for many years and who are part of the Montreal comic book community. Here is its current composition:
- Catherine Emmanuel Brunet | Moderator
- Rodolphe Legrand | Representative & comics creator
- April Petchsri | Comics creator
- François Vigneault | Comics creator & translator
Panels and drawn conversations topics are the first activities we consider, whether related to the theme or not. The team tries to think of exchanges between artists that will be interesting and enriching. We encourage encounters between local and international artists, as well as between established and emerging creators. MCAF is proud to contribute to the discovery of new talent!
It’s from February onwards, when most artists and exhibitors have confirmes their presence, that the programming really starts to take shape. MCAF always asks artists to confirm what type of activities they enjoy participating in: for example, some people love meeting school groups, some have workshops to propose, but others dislike live drawing and prefer to participate only in discussions. Creators can also suggest new activity formats. We also take into account the languages in which they are comfortable expressing themselves.
MCAF presents different exhibitions, but that’s a whole other topic!
The Schedule
The public festival lasts for 3 days, from Friday to Sunday, and there are 4 main activity tents each offering a certain type of events. The programming director must define the number of activities that can be proposed based on the schedule in the fall, and we avoid having two activities start at the same time for logistical reasons.
Next, we have to insert the proposed activities into the timetable while taking the artists’ availability into account. Between the first draft of the schedule in March and its final unveiling, we go through about ten different versions.
In total, MCAF offers around 60 free activities for the public. We try to include all invited guests, highlight new Quebec publications, and feature the Bédélys finalists, aiming for a balanced and representative outcome of the community.
“Creating the programming for such a large festival is like a beautiful game of Tetris; there are so many little details to consider, and we must work on several aspects simultaneously. It’s a few very exciting months for the team.” – Virginie Mont-Reynaud, Programming Director
Special Programming
In addition to the regular programming, MCAF offers a day of online activities for school groups called BD POP! in collaboration with École en réseau and the three main French-language school boards of Montreal. Five activities are proposed. The Festival also offers in-person school activities for local establishments and cultural mediation meetings, some of which involve French language learning groups.
Thursday is usually the professional day, featuring training sessions, masterclasses, and networking activities for comics creators. The day ends with the opening night and the Bédélys Award ceremony. This year, an additional day was added on Wednesday, specifically for publishing houses and other book industry professionals, to take advantage of the Swiss delegation and create opportunities for meetings and exchanges on comics.
In collaboration with Bibliothèques de Montréal (Montreal’s library network), MCAF also offers activities throughout the city as part of May, Comic Book Month. This is often an opportunity to collaborate with other cultural partners.
Sharing the Information
To share the program, we need to complete more than 175 exhibitor forms, validate 320 artist forms, and create each event in our database. This data is made available online on our website thanks to Linda Furstenberger, a volunteer web developer who has worked with us for years. This work requires a few late nights to be ready in time for the program unveiling.
Finally, the book signing schedule requires additional integration time. It is decided by the publishing houses, but MCAF ensures that it also aligns with the program schedule. The information is regularly updated to provide you with the latest details throughout the Festival.
Our website is the go-to reference for planning your visit to the Festival, but we also share daily activity schedules on our social media.
