Montreal World Film Festival

ROUTE 132, directed by Montreal filmmaker Louis Bélanger, will open the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival, and will inaugurate its official competition. The film is making its world premiere at the Festival, one of North America's largest, which runs from August 26 to October 6, 2010.

Written by Bélanger and Alexis Martin, ROUTE 132 was produced and by Fabienne Larouche and Michel Trudeau for Aetios Productions and by Denise Robert and Daniel Louis for Cinémaginaire. The film stars François Papineau, Alexis Martin, Alice Morel-Michaud, Andrée Lachapelle, Benoît McGinnis, and Clémence Desrochers. The film will open theatrically on October 8 via distributor Alliance Vivafilms.

The crime caper/road film tells the offbeat story of Gilles, a thirtysomething everyman who has just experienced the death of his young son and is devastated by the loss. Overcome by grief, Gilles finds his old friend Bob, a schemer who is looking for a masterstroke to lift him out of a rut. It is the perfect occasion for the two protagonists to head out along Highway 132 towards the Lower St. Lawrence where, they believe, the local credit unions are chock full of money deposited by senior savers.

This is director Berlanger's third film to premiere at the Festival. In 1999, his first film POST MORTEM was selected for the Official Competition. In 2003, his film GAZ BAR BLUES opened the 27th edition of the Festival. "We are happy to have Louis Bélanger's new film to open our Festival", MWFF president Serge Losique and general director Danièle Cauchard announced in a prepared statement.

For more information on the Festival, visit: http://www.ffm-montreal.org

Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor