JFL Montreal, one of the biggest, longest running comedy  festivals in the world, is pushing forward with having a festival of some kind this year. It won’t be quite the limited capacity, mask-wearing attempt at a festival that the Venice Film Festival just had, but JFL has assembled a handful of big stars including Hannah Gadsby, Nicole Byer, Kenya Barris, Amber Ruffin, and Andy Kindler for what will be the very first online JFL Montreal Comedy Festival. Oh yeah, it also will be free.

It’s a much, much more trim version of what is normally just over a week of the main festivities, but a showcase of Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch will still be happening and the “Creators” category of New Faces will be featured (doing live stand-up or sketch over Zoom probably wasn’t the best way to feature New Faces). Andy Kindler on the line-up most certainly means that there will be another annual State of the Industry Address from Kindler (one of JFL’s biggest highlights for our money) and what Andy has to say about the state of comedy this year will very likely be even more unforgettable than it normally is.

This virtual edition of JFL Montreal will be streaming for FREE on Fri. Oct. 9th & Sat. Oct. 10th right here. No need to RSVP or get one of several different festival badges.