The Montreal International Film Festival is the only competitive film festival in North America, founded by the Ministry of Culture of Quebec in 1977. It is the only competitive film festival in North America. The main activities of the festival include: feature film and short film competitions, feature film and short film side screenings, special screenings of one country's films each year, observational screenings for professionals, special screenings of films from that country, special screenings of films from the Americas, conferences to honor new and veteran filmmakers, retrospectives, seminars, international film markets, and extensive promotional activities.