Victoriaville, April 25, 2025 – After a hugely successful first edition in 2024, FIMAV’s new artistic director, Scott Thomson, supported by an experienced team, is once again inviting audiences to discover exceptional experimental music, sound art, and cinema in downtown Victoriaville (Qc). At the heart of the program for this 41st festival, to be held from 12 to 18 May 2025, are two exceptional concerts, a program of films by Bill Morrison, and a world-class circuit of ten sound art installations.
The 41st FIMAV will feature reduced programming as the organisation renews itself. The festival team is proud to be able to announce that the festival will be back in force in 2026 with a full program of some twenty concerts, enhanced by a host of other activities.
Fire! Orchestra CBA Victoriaville – 17 May, 8 PM
Le Carré 150 – $25
Fire! Orchestra CBA Victoriaville is a landmark collaboration featuring Swedish composers Mats Gustafsson and Johan Berthling, long-time partners in the psychedelic free jazz trio, Fire!, and 14 remarkable improvising musicians from Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, from coast to coast. The Orchestra will rehearse in Victoriaville prior to its world-premiere performance.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – 17 May, 10 PM
Le Carré 150 – $25
Then, the Californian quintet, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, will perform their darkly theatrical blend of prog rock, experimental, metal, and classical music on conventional and unconventional instruments. An underground sensation until a twelve-year hiatus as of 2011, SGM has returned to release Of the Last Human Being (2023) and, to follow, widespread international touring.
Circuit of Ten Sound Art Installations
– 12 – 18 May
various indoor and outdoor sites – Free
Complementing the two concerts at the 41st FIMAV is an outstanding edition of the festival’s circuit of Sound Art Installations in Public Spaces, curated by Érick d’Orion. The circuit is free to attend, will be open throughout the festival and will feature ten intriguing works in accessible sites in Place Ste-Victoire and Downtown Victoriaville. Featured artists include European artists Félix Blume, Max Boutin, and Giuseppe Masia, plus Quebec artists and collectives, Léa Boudreau, Simon Chioini, Pascale Leblanc Lavigne, Théâtre Rude Ingénierie, and MMV2005.
Experimental Cinema Programming – 16 May, 7 PM
Le Carré 150 – $10
The 2025 FIMAV will feature a program of experimental cinema, a spotlight on the remarkable New York filmmaker, Bill Morrison. This program, devised by Morrison himself in collaboration with FIMAV’s cinema curator, Karl Lemieux, will present four short films. These works amply demonstrate Morrison’s skill at unearthing and deploying archival footage to tell compelling stories and make vital political commentary. The longest of the four, “Incident” (2023), was nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards, and will have its Canadian Premiere at the 41st FIMAV.
Additional Programming – 12-16 may – Various Venues – Free
