Cinema has always been built from many voices. Different cultures, different visions, different ways of seeing the same world. When those voices find each other, something new comes to life.
The New Babylon Montreal Independent Festival was created around that idea. The name draws from an old myth, from a city where languages collided and ambitions ran wild. Here, in a similar spirit, filmmakers from different corners of the world bring their work to a single screen.
Babylon has meant many things over the centuries, but at its core it carries one persistent image: people reaching for something larger than themselves. Cinema works the same way. Every director who builds a world from scratch, every writer pulling meaning out of scattered experience, every filmmaker who calls in collaborators and bets on a story worth telling, they're all doing some version of that same thing.
On May 28, 2026, Studio Newma in Montreal opens its doors for an evening of independent film. The festival welcomes work of all kinds, bold debuts, experimental pieces, quiet personal stories, visual projects that take risks. Each film adds something to the conversation.
During the evening, selected films will be shown to a live audience, followed by talks with the filmmakers and recognition of the most distinctive work presented.
Montreal has always been a city of crosscurrents, languages, cultures, movements arriving and blending and pushing against each other. That makes it a natural home for something inspired by Babylon. A place where voices meet, sometimes clash, and come out transformed.
Every generation builds something. This one builds with cinema.
Golden Tower Award — Best Film
The main award of the festival, given to the film that best embodies bold vision, cinematic craft, and the spirit of independent storytelling.
Vision of Babylon — Best Director
Presented to a director whose work demonstrates a distinctive cinematic voice and a strong artistic vision.
The Mosaic Award — Best Screenplay
For a screenplay that weaves characters, ideas, and narrative into a compelling and memorable story.
Eye of Babylon — Best Cinematography
Honoring exceptional visual language and the ability to shape emotion and atmosphere through imagery.
Rising Voice Award — Best Emerging Filmmaker
Dedicated to a director presenting one of their early works and showing remarkable creative potential.
Montreal Spirit Award — Audience Choice
Chosen by the audience attending the festival screening at Studio Newma.
The Gate of Stories Award — Best Short Film
Recognizing excellence in short-form storytelling and originality in compact cinematic form.
