It’s mid-July (already!), and for North American cinephiles that means one thing: Montreal’s 28th annual Fantasia International Film Festival! Running from July 16th to August 3rd, Fantasia has justifiably been hailed as “a shrine”, “the most important and prestigious genre film festival on this continent”, and “one of the most exciting genre film festivals in the world” this year’s festival will take place several theatres throughout Montreal, in addition to a virtual program for those unable to attend in person. As always, this year’s festival is guaranteed to scratch the itch of any cinephile with a cavalcade of offerings from filmmakers and creators from around the globe, as horror, comedy, drama, sci fi and more will all be adequately represented at the festival.
Some of the newer feature films we here at Cinepunx and Horror Business are excited to see are Tsai Chia Ying’s Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo, Ben Leoberg’s Good Boy, William Bagley’s Hold The Fort, Kurtis David Harder’s Influencers, and the latest offering from the always awesome Adams family Mother Of Flies. Opening the festival is the North American premiere of I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s very first stop motion full length.
All of these, however, are just scratching the surface. Dozens of features are playing this year at Fantasia Fest, including some screenings of remastered versions of arthouse classics such as Pupi Avati’s The House With The Laughing Windows, John Woo’s Bullet In The Head, Katsuhito Ishi’s bizarre masterpiece Funky Forest: The First Contact, and Koji Shiraishi’s chilling Noroi: The Curse.
Some of the special events include live discussions with filmmakers such as Sheila McCarthy and Anne-Marie Gelinas, and a sit down with Danny Elfman on his work in the animated short Bullet Time.
There’s a ton more content this year that I haven’t touched upon here, including literally hundreds of short films and short films programs (including their annual ANIME NO BENTO feature), live readings, and more, but I’m hoping you’ll check it out for yourself.
Fantasia Festival is one festival you don’t want to miss. It is a cinephile’s dream come true, the kind of event we wait for all year long, and there’s a reason it’s the stuff of legend amongst genre filmmakers from all over the world.
For more information, including schedules, FAQ, and how to purchase tickets and badges, please head to https://fantasiafestival.com/en/.
Fantasia Festival can be found on social media at the following:
https://www.instagram.com/fantasiafestival/
https://twitter.com/FantasiaFest
https://www.facebook.com/FantasiaFilmFestival
