Moritz de Hadeln, a familiar figure here in Berlin for more than two decades as the head of the Berlinale, will be back in the city this weekend to talk about his latest effort, launching a new film festival in Montreal.

Details of the new Festival International de Films de Montreal have emerged with de Hadeln serving as Artistic Director at the event, set for its inaugural run from October 12 - 23, 2005 in the Canadian city. Alain Simard has been named President and General Director of the new festival.

The event, based in the Latin Quarter of the city, will promote itself as "The New Montreal FilmFest." It is stepping in to try and top the beleaguered Montreal World Film Festival which has faced numerous criticisms of late, mainly from government sponsors such as Telefilm Canada, which had been at odds with Montreal World Film Fest head Serge Losique and withdrew funding from the event. The new festival will occur in cooperation with and alongside the existing Montreal Festival de Nouveau Cinema this fall, but in 2006 will move to a solo summer slot.

De Hadeln's wife, Erika de Hadeln has been named Assistant Director of the new festival. Alberto Barbera, former head of the Venice Film Festival and now director of the Turin Film Museum has joined the new festival's board of governors, as has National Film Board commissioner Yves Jacques. On the selection committee for the new festival are filmmaker Léa Pool, Jean Lefebvre, Robert Meunier, André Pâquet, and Danny Lennon.

The programming advisory committee will include filmmakers Louis Bélanger, Charles Binamé and Jean-Claude Labrecque, as well as the heads of local film organizations. Board of Directors participants will include Guy Fournier of ACCT (Agence de coopération culturelle et technique), Michel Côté of La Grande nuit du cinéma, Marc-G. Fortier of Montréal International, Isabelle Hudon of the Montreal Board of Trade, Michel Archambault of Chair in Tourism and Jean-François Gatti of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal.

International delegates will include Chistel Buschman for German and Austrian Cinema, Norman Wang for China and Southeast Asia, Hans-Joachim Schiegel for Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Oscar Larussi, Sylvio Danese for Milan and Al Newman for Hollywood, with other delegates to be announced.

De Hadeln, a 45 year festival veteran of Visions du Réel, Locarno, and the Venice International Film Festival, will be in Berlin on Sunday to formally announce the details of the new festival to European media and Berlinale festival-goers. Erika de Hadeln, Alain Simard, will join him and others, will join Moritz and Erika de Hadeln.

[For more information, please visit the event's website.]