On Wednesday, POP Montreal will announce the final wave of artists and films playing the festival from September 13-17. Kicking off Film POP this year is A, a new movie from director Mitchell Stafiej and starring Alex Zhang Hungtai, the musician behind the now-disbanded Dirty Beaches.
Hungtai plays Konrad, an acclaimed musician and alcoholic whose work on an album is derailed by a relapse. The film covers seven days in Konrad's struggle from inside his apartment, with a cast of other Canada-based musicians like Romy Lightman of Tasseomancy, Bernardino Femminielli, and Alexis O'Hara as members of Konrad's community.
"I don’t mean to shock for the sake of shock," Stafiej told The FADER over email. "Through all of my films, I work tirelessly to portray a very specific truth that I understand and care about deeply. This truth is usually related to suburbia, youth issues and mental health. There have been so few works that accurately depict what it feels like to be in an alcoholic bender; the fear, the chaos, and the complete lack of control. I wanted to create a piece that truly depicts this shocking and nightmarish insanity.”
A will premiere at POP Montreal on September 13, 2017 at the Cinéma du Parc. Tickets are available here.
Afterwards, the Piccolo Little Burgundy will host a reception featuring performances from Hungtai's group Love Theme, along with Bernadino Femminielli, Petra Glynt, and Guizo LaNuit.
A film poster.
Photo via The Syndicate
