Montreal: The Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media is an established showcase for auteur filmmakers. What is perhaps a little less known is the year-long lobbying efforts by festival co-director and vp Claude Chamberlan who actively pushes distributors to pick up festival movies, often the more difficult titles. And with the cooperation of Ex-Centris, the festival's home, Chamberlan provides those same distribs with an appropriate exhibition venue. "It's more than a festival," he says. "We act as a universal go-between."

The programming for this year's edition, the 29th, is being assembled this month with Chamberlan in Paris last week for pre-Cannes Film Festival screenings followed by more screenings on the Cote d'Azur.

fcmm takes place over 11 days from Oct. 12-22, primarily at the Ex-Centris complex. Programming sections include feature-length films and videos, short and medium-length films and videos, new media and a new section this year - digital cinema - in all genres.

Only works produced after Jan. 1, 1999 are eligible, and all entries must be received by June 1.

Over the years, festival favorites have included Atom Egoyan, Arthur Lamothe, Francois Girard and Guy Madden.

In '99, several films were immediately programmed at Ex-Centris following their festival debuts, among them, Beau Travail (Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm), the '99 Prix Banque Laurentienne winner, Moloch (K-Films Amerique), Haut les Coeurs (Film Tonic), Petits Freres (Lions Gate), The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun (Dist. La Fete) and Le Vent nous emportera (Remstar).

fcmm new media director Luc Bourdon was recently named festival co-director.

(www.fcmm.com)