by MATTHEW HAYS

Just what Montreal's biggest cinema event, the World Film Festival, undoubtedly didn't need: a severe slap on the wrist from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), the Paris-based organization which stripped the WFF of its A-list status last week.

FIAPF officials have argued in the trade papers that the WFF is being punished for its scheduling. This year, the event is slated for Aug. 27-Sept. 7, effectively overlapping with both Venice's and Toronto's fests.

WFF and its ringmaster Serge Losique have shot back, arguing that they weren't interested in FIAPF's stamp of approval anyway. And they've correctly pointed out that the dates of the WFF have often been held on a very similar time line; it's certainly happened before that the three fests have overlapped.

The WFF goes on to slag the FIAPF quite severely: ""We have therefore informed the FIAPF that the Montreal World Film Festival did not wish to be "accredited" by an association that has no real authority - over producers, sales agents, distributors or over festivals."

Regardless of who slagged whom first, the bad bit of press can't possibly be considered a good thing for the WFF, an event increasingly passed over by the international press and one widely slighted by Montreal cultural critics as well. I confess to being tickled by the last line of their response to the FIAPF: "…the FIAPF has not adapted over the past 25 years and its system has become obsolete." It's an odd charge coming from the WFF, an event whose organizers have refused to accept any constructive criticism or tried to improve their own lot, despite barrels of press ink spilled and two government inquiries into what, precisely, is wrong with the event.

And it's also odd to hear WFF types say that the FIAPF's approval is meaningless. Certainly, many fests operate without FIAPF's stamp of approval; the Toronto International Film Fest has long said it's not interested in getting a rating from the group, for example. But for many years I heard WFF PR types desperately trying to defend the fest's declining reputation, clinging to their A-list status as proof they were still relevant. No more. The WFF has one less line of defence.

This week marks the opening of the sixth annual Hispano-American Film Festival, held from Wednesday, June 11, until Friday, June 13. This is a travelling fest that offers some of the most exciting Spanish-language films of the past year or so. Screenings are all in original Spanish versions with English subtitles at the Eaton Cinema. See www.hispanoamericanfilm.com for more information.

Montreal's non-fiction film fest, the sixth annual Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal, will be held this November. The deadline for those who'd like to submit their films is less than a month away, however. Deadline for submissions is July 1. See www.ridm.qc.ca for forms and more information.

>> Movie Listings