The Festival international de la littérature is the only annual French-language literary festival in Montréal. Its international, multidisciplinary scope and its daring, original programming make it a reference point in Québec in the realm of literary show creation.
Since its beginnings in 1994, 4,000 authors and artists from all disciplines, generations and backgrounds have given more than 1,000 shows, events and other artistic performances at the FIL. Every fall, some 200,000 festival attendees have the chance to meet well-known authors and to discover new ones.
Widely renowned artists
From the very start, the Festival has welcomed many internationally renowned artists to Montréal, including Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Sami Frey, Charlotte Rampling and Frankétienne. The long-running show Poésie, sandwichs et autres soirs qui penchent was created at the Festival, along with moving tributes to Gabrielle Roy, Anne Hébert, Roland Giguère, Aimé Césaire and Dany Laferrière, and a host of unforgettable performances in which literature has been featured on stage, in music and in images.
Every fall, Place des Arts hosts major not-to-be-missed shows for the Festival international de la littérature, including several in the Cinquième Salle and Salle Claude-Léveillée.