Stone cold classic Kiss Me Deadly opens the Film Noir au Canal fest on July 16

The outdoor screening series is also challenging local filmmakers to create a trailer for their 2023 festival, for prizes worth $3,000.

For crime film fans in the South-West, summer in Montreal has become synonymous with Film Noir au Canal. Today they’ve announced their seventh edition, which will take place from July 16 to Aug. 20, 2023, at Square Saint-Patrick on the Lachine Canal. For six Sunday nights over the summer, cinephiles will be treated to outdoor screenings, preceded by live music and introductions. 

This year’s festival will open with a screening of the 1955 film noir classic, Kiss Me Deadly (presented by Cult MTL Film Editor Justine Smith). Directed by Robert Aldrich, this atomic-themed crime thriller is a perfect companion to this year’s summer blockbuster, Oppenheimer. After picking up a hitchhiker, Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) becomes embroiled in a strange mystery. 

To keep the suspense going, the Film Noir au Canal lineup will be unveiled weekly throughout the summer. 

This year’s festival also includes a contest for emerging filmmakers to design a trailer to be screened before the films. “Direct Your Own Film Noir” asks filmmakers to shoot a 60- to 90-second short film using film noir tropes. The winning film will serve as the trailer for the 2023 edition of the festival. The contest is open to all and participants must send their (royalty-free) video before July 5, 2023, to info@filmnoiraucanal.org. A jury of festival team members will pick the winning film, which will be announced on July 10, just before the start of the new season. This trailer will be presented before the six screenings of the festival and shared on social media and the Film Noir au Canal website. 

The winner will also receive $1,000 in cash from Film Noir au Canal; $1,500 in camera equipment rental services from Post-Moderne; a festival pass to attend the 29th edition of Cinemania; a guest card giving access to the regular programming of the Cinémathèque québécoise during a year; a two-year subscription to the magazine 24 images; and two double passes to attend film premieres, courtesy of pixelleX — a prize with a total value of $3,000.

Film Noir au Canal takes place every Sunday from July 16 to Aug. 20. For more, please visit their website.


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