Jen Goldfinch (onscreen), Gavin Graham, Peter Nofz, Tara Donovan, Eric Bourque, Julien Klein. Not pictured: David Bitton.
Montreal has become one of the world’s busiest visual effects communities. Home to both internationally recognized studios and small creative shops, the Section has become a hub for VFX artists, producers, technicians and industry experts to connect, share ideas and support one another. VES Montreal members enjoy year-round educational events, screenings, networking opportunities and social gatherings.
The local industry’s peak before the 2023 strikes was followed by a challenging period, shaped in part by changes to Québec’s provincial tax incentives, explained Section Treasurer Gavin Graham. Throughout those shifts, VES Montreal remained focused on bringing people together, and its membership has continued to grow. Partnerships with local VFX meetups and industry organizations, along with a dependable rhythm of monthly events, have helped foster a welcoming community that members know they can count on. Behind the scenes, the current Board of Managers has refreshed the Section’s communications with a new Linktree hub, welcome emails for new members, stronger sponsor engagement and QR codes at every event that make it easy for members to volunteer and get involved.
Free screenings and pub nights anchor the VES Montreal’s active social calendar, alongside technical talks, industry mixers, seasonal celebrations and family-friendly events. Thanks to partnerships with the Cinémathèque Québécoise, the National Film Board of Canada and Concordia University, members regularly gather in some of Montreal’s premier venues.
Opening-weekend studio screenings continue to be popular among members and their families, with Superman and Avatar: Fire and Ash drawing especially strong attendance. VES members packed the theater for Toy Story 5 with a post-screening virtual Q+A with the filmmakers. Section Board Member Julien Klein is enthusiastic about the open and accessible events VES Montreal hosts: “We’re one of the few true bilingual sections, and we make it a priority to have family-friendly programming and to be inclusive of our francophone members.”
With the generous support of host Rodeo FX, VES members joined in-person and virtual panels to vote for this year’s VES Awards nominees and to reconnect with colleagues at the annual VES Awards Nomination Event held in January. Familiar faces return month after month for trivia nights and collaborations with other VFX groups to help build a stronger and broader community. Seasonal gatherings have also become an important part of the calendar, including the annual Summer Picnic along the Lachine Canal. More recent additions, including a Fall Cocktail Member Mixer hosted by Autodesk and a Section bowling night, have quickly found their place on the calendar. The final affair of the calendar year, the aptly named “Xmas Mega Party,” held at the Théâtre Plaza, has become one of VES Montreal’s signature annual events for members and the Section Board to raise a toast to a year full of accomplishments both professionally and community-wide.
“Our all-volunteer board runs like a passion project, because it is one – we’re all hugely dedicated to the region, to the industry, and to the mission of the VES,” explains Marine Lelievre, Montreal Screenings Lead. This dedication keeps the Section calendar full of activities into the new year and beyond.
Education remains a top priority. In partnership with NAD (L’École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design de l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi), VFX Supervisor Peter Nofz of Rodeo FX presented “Intro to AI for Artists,” familiarizing attendees with the fundamentals of neural networks, machine-learning, large language models and generative AI. This fall, the conversation continues with “From LLM to Agentic AI,” featuring practical demonstrations of tools such as Foundry GripTape and ComfyUI. An upcoming panel on “On-Set Work” will also be livestreamed, making the discussion accessible to remote attendees.
What makes the VES Montreal Section stand out is its close-knit community. Gavin Graham notes, “Many world-class studios – from large international offices to homegrown boutiques – are within a few blocks of each other, so it’s never a surprise to find that the artist next to you at any of our events works across the street or lives around the corner.” In an industry that has weathered significant change, those connections have become more valuable than ever. Competitors become friends, artists support one another, and the dedicated Board continues to create a welcoming community for visual effects industry members across the region.
