Known as Montreal's biggest and Canada's oldest film festival, the Festival du nouveau cin�ma returns with another daring lineup of auteur-driven works.

To celebrate its 38th anniversary (October 7 to 18), the FNC will treat Quebec film lovers to a spirited mix of flicks, directors and filmmaking visions.

"We are a festival for the audience," says Damien Detcheberry, the FNC's programming coordinator.

"This year we've chosen films from around the world that are not necessarily bigger or splashier. They've got staying power," says Detcheberry. "These movies make people think long after they're done."

Featuring more than 250 films from 48 countries, the FNC's lineup includes world and North American premiers, shorts, documentaries and animated flicks.

"We began our selection with no overall theme. In the process themes emerged such as the idea of the dysfunctional family," says Detcheberry.

That is the driving force behind "Canine" (or "Dogtooth"), the latest work by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos.

The darkly surreal family yarn won the top prize earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival's "Un Certain Regard" competition.

Lanthimos' tale revolves around a couple who keep their three children cut off from the world behind the walls of their suburban villa. The parents lie, telling the kids that their dogteeth will fall from their heads if they dare leave.

Lanthimos' brilliant weave of danger and deception delivers an unsettling look at the dysfunctional workings of dictatorships.

Youth getting involved in political movements is another FNC theme.

''Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam'', the new documentary from Montreal director Omar Majeed, explores Western-style punk in the Muslim world.

Sufis with Mohawks. Riot Grrrls in burqas. Indonesian skaterboys... The film, produced by Montreal's EyeSteelFilm ("Up the Yangtze"), showcases the Taqwacore music scene and its unofficial founder, American Muslim Michael Muhammad Knight.

It also chronicles a generation of North American Muslims who are speaking out against extremism within their communities and stereotypes in the outside world.

"This film is a great example of how today's youth are choosing to make their own political statements," says Detcheberry.

The power of human goodness, another FNC theme this year, shines in Claude Demers' "Les Dames en bleu" ("Ladies in Blue")

The film pays a heartfelt homage to Quebecois crooner Michel Louvain and the fans known as the ladies in blue who followed the singer for decades.

Long before Celine Dion, the dapper, down-to-earth star became a huge musical force in Quebec during the 60s and 70s with hits like "Beunas Noches Mi Amor." Louvain also went on to host shows on television and radio.

"This is a film I never expected to make," Demers told CTV.ca.

While researching another film, Demers walked into what he calls "a salon for men." There he found Louvain, an elegant, grey-haired man having his hair clipped.

"I was so fascinated by him," says Demers. "I knew instantly that he would be the subject of my next film."

The end result is a subtle, tender look at Louvain and how his romantic music and humanity touched real lives.

"These ladies in blue all had hard lives," says Demers. "They found solace in Louvain. They still do after many years. That's remarkable."

Even more remarkable is that today 20-year-olds feel the same about Louvain.

"You'd expect a film like this to be satirical. Not so," says Detchberry. "This film is about personal strength. It also looks at how a true heart can change people for the better. That quality transcends generations."

World gems, star tributes

Since it's founding in 1971, the FNC has showcased Canada's biggest directors such as Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, Francois Girard and others.

The festival has also exposed Canadian audiences to international directorial giants such as Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Jane Campion, Pedro Almod�var and Peter Greenaway.

"The talent we have featured has been rich and varied. We bring new points of view to our Canadian audience," says Detchberry.

To that end, the 2009 FNC will spotlight Turkish film and feature a program entitled "50 Years of Cuban Cinema."

Tributes to Austrian avantgarde director Kurt Kren (1929-1998), Quebec actor Reynald Bouchard ("La T�te de Normande St-Onge") and German filmmaker Andreas Dresen ("The Policewoman") are included.

Famed New Zealand director Jane Campion ("The Piano," "Bright Star") will also be the honoured. The entirety of Campion's work anchors the "Jane Campion Retrospective: The Fascination with Strangeness."

Finally, horror king George A. Romero ("Night of the Living Dead") will participate in the festival's Temps � program.

The illustrious horror master will receive the FNC's Louve d'honneur and screen his latest, blood-splattered flick, "George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead."

"We programmers are just like our audience," says Detchberry. "We'll love one film, like 'Antichrist' for example. Others will hate it. Good film festivals get people talking and thinking."