Montreal Comic Arts Festival reveals the programming of its fourth edition!
For the fourth consecutive year, the Festival BD de Montréal will invade l’Espace La Fontaine to offer tons of activities dedicated to the art of comic books. From the 29th to the 31st of May, the festival is inviting individuals and families right in the heart of the park The Fountain, where old and young alike are invited to attend round tables, have their favorite comic book signed by its author, draw under the sun and discover our numerous exhibitors.
This year, the festival is collaborating with the multidisciplinary artist Socalled to celebrate its biggest novelty: bilingualism. Indeed, the FBDM will now also be known as the MCAF – Montreal Comic Arts Festival – a promise for a diversified, multilingual and international programming. Our ambassador is a perfect spokesperson of this eclectic culture, being himself a musician, a cartoonist, a Montrealer and a traveler. Accompanied by Fanny Mallette, who will share her love of comic books again this year, Socalled will bridge the gap between artists from all over, whatever their language may be.
Different exciting partnerships will occur through this linguistic expansion. Locally, the FBDM is joining Drawn & Quarterly in the celebration of their twenty-fifth anniversary. This Montreal publishing house will offer several activities throughout the festival – round tables, discussions and more – and present a unique exhibition at l’Espace La Fontaine during the whole month of May. On the national side, we have the pleasure of welcoming author and cartoonist Seth, who warmly agreed to draw our poster this year. He will be present at the festival to discuss his Palookaville 22 and the documentary Dominion, directed by Luc Chamberland and screening at the festival, and to participate in the launch of Ethan Rilly’s Pope Hats. Finally, several international authors will be in town to make you discover their work and discuss the stakes of multiculturalism, namely Belgians authors André Thaymans, Simon Spruyt and Patrick Pinchart, Cameroonian Elyon’s and a delegation of Algerian artists.
The festival’s programming will also offer a profusion of original events, which will undoubtedly attract comic book fans. Among these, author Alex A. will launch the eighth volume of his famous Agent Jean, a character cherished by children, in exclusivity. Michel Rabagliati and François Létourneau will join us to discuss Paul à Québec‘s film adaptation, with some surprise excerpts of the movie and the unveiling of the official website. In tune with the times, the FBDM will as well address crowdfunding, socially conscious comics and digital comics publishing through a series of round tables and discussions.
The FBDM weekend is the peak of a month dedicated to comic books. The OFF! offers a crowd of activities through the city in May. Comic book launches (Boumeries 5, Ping Pong), exhibits (Studio Lounak, La Ligne Rouge, Richard Suicide, etc.), le mois de la BD in Montreal libraries, colloquiums and workshops – something for everyone! Visit our website to discover the complete programming.
The Festival BD de Montréal is an annual and completely free major event offering visibility to exhibitors, publishing houses, distributors and comic book artists, as well as a series of activities dedicated to the general public. The Festival BD de Montréal also aims to highlight the diversity of the 9th art from Quebec and the whole world.
This project benefits from the support of le Conseil des Arts de Montréal, le bureau des festivals et des évènements culturels de la Ville de Montréal and la SODEC.
