The Final Girls Berlin Film Festival returns for the 4th edition with its annual showcase of horror films that were directed, written, and/or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers from across the globe.
CAM
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Watch Spine-Tingling Electrifying Trailer for CAM, Set in World of Webcam Porn
Netflix today released the new trailer for the psychological cyberworld thriller CAM starring Madeline Brewer, set in the world of webcam porn.
It follows Alice (Brewer), an ambitious camgirl, who wakes up one day to discover she’s been replaced on her show with an exact replica of herself. As this copy begins to push the boundaries of Alice’s internet identity, the control that Alice has over her life, and the men in it, vanishes. While she struggles to regain what she’s lost, she slowly finds herself drawn back to her show and to the mysterious person who has taken her place.
Daniel Goldhaber directed the pic, which was co-financed by Blumhouse Productions and Gunpowder & Sky and produced by Divide/Conquer. Goldhaber also co-wrote the story with Isabelle Link-Levy and Isa Mazzei, who penned the script from her experience as an ex-camgirl, making CAM a rare film about sex work openly written by a sex worker. Link-Levy, Adam Hendricks, John Lang, Greg Gilreath produced.
CAM premiered at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal and stars Madeline Brewer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Patch Darragh (“The First Purge”), Melora Walters (“Venom”), and Devin Druid (“13 Reasons Why”). The film took home the best first feature and best screenplay awards from Fantasia and recently won best actress, a special jury prize for production design, and the audience award at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN8xZ5WDonk
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AFI FEST 2018 Announces Special Screenings, Cinema’s Legacy and Midnight Lineup
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Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) by Asghar Farhadi[/caption]
Some of the most highly anticipated films and episodic series will play in the Special Screenings, Cinema’s Legacy and Midnight sections at AFI FEST 2018 presented by Audi.
Narrative features screening in the Special Screenings section are COLD WAR (DIR Paweł Pawlikowski), EVERYBODY KNOWS (DIR Asghar Farhadi), THE FAVOURITE (DIR Yorgos Lanthimos), ROMA (DIR Alfonso Cuarón), the North American Premiere of STAN & OLLIE (DIR Jon S. Baird), UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (DIR David Robert Mitchell) and VOX LUX (DIR Brady Corbet). Documentaries screening are THE COLD BLUE (DIR Erik Nelson) and DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES (DIR Alexis Bloom). Also screening are are an episode of the docuseries ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI (DIR Jed Rothstein), and the World Premiere of the first episode of the limited series I AM THE NIGHT (DIR Patty Jenkins, AFI Class of 2000).
In this year’s Cinema’s Legacy program, AFI FEST highlights films directed by women. This section is a celebration of motion picture history and a special opportunity to screen recent restorations of classic and lesser-known films. The festival spotlights six independent filmmakers across subjects and genres, including two world-premiere restorations, and newly struck 16mm presentations: THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY (DIR Kathleen Collins, 1980), DRYLONGSO (DIR Cauleen Smith, 1998), THE JUNIPER TREE (DIR Nietzchka Keene, 1990), MEETINGS OF ANNA (DIR Chantal Akerman, 1978), NITRATE KISSES (DIR Barbara Hammer, 1992) and QUEEN OF DIAMONDS (DIR Nina Menkes, 1991).
The Midnight section features an international selection of macabre and provocative genre films: CAM (DIR Daniel Goldhaber), IN FABRIC (DIR Peter Strickland), KNIFE+HEART (DIR Yann Gonzalez) and PIERCING (DIR Nicolas Pesce).
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
THE COLD BLUE – In 1943, legendary Hollywood director William Wyler crafted MEMPHIS BELLE, a celebrated tribute to the titular WWII bomber. Using footage from the National Archives shot by Wyler and his team of cinematographers, director Erik Nelson has crafted a new film, featuring gripping narration from some of the last surviving B-17 pilots. A meditation on youth, war and stunning bravery. DIR Erik Nelson. USA. The film will be followed by Wyler’s THE MEMPHIS BELLE: A STORY OF A FLYING FORTRESS (1943). This screening in celebration of Veterans’ Day has been underwritten by the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation. COLD WAR – Zula and Wiktor meet in a provincial talent search in a love story that traverses borders and years. In this stunning black-and-white depiction of 1950s Poland, two unlikely people find love at an almost impossible cost. DIR Paweł Pawlikowski. SCR Paweł Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki. CAST Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Agata Kulesza, Cédric Kahn, Jeanne Balibar. Poland, UK, France DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES – This documentary explores the rise and fall of the late Roger Ailes, a Republican Party heavyweight. From his early media influence on the Nixon presidency to his controversial leadership at Fox News, director Alexis Bloom documents the creation of his media empire and how Ailes was one of the earliest giants toppled by accusations of sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement. DIR Alexis Bloom. USA ENEMIES: THE PRESIDENT, JUSTICE & THE FBI – In this preview of the four-part documentary series inspired by Tim Weiner’s book, “Enemies: A History of the FBI,” director Jed Rothstein and executive producer Alex Gibney examine the complex history of conflict between the FBI and U.S. presidents, as well as stories of abuse of power from within the bureau. DIR Jed Rothstein. SCR Tim Weiner. USA EVERYBODY KNOWS (TODOS LO SABEN) – Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem turn in brilliant performances as longtime friends who must come together when a brutal event sends their families into crisis. EVERYBODY KNOWS is Asghar Farhadi’s skillful suspense saga that keeps the screws turning while sacrificing none of the layered drama for which the Iranian auteur has become known. DIR Asghar Farhadi. SCR Asghar Farhadi. CAST Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darín, Eduard Fernández, Bárbara Lennie, Inma Cuesta, Elvira Mínguez, Ramón Barea, Carla Campra, Sara Sálamo, Roger Casamajor, José Ángel Egido. Spain, France, Italy THE FAVOURITE – Director Yorgos Lanthimos showcases his uniquely dark humor with a royal story of intrigue, jealousy and betrayal. Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) sits on the throne in the early18th century, while her close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), governs behind the curtain and tends to her capricious moods. When a new servant named Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, she charms her way into the women’s lives, discovering secrets and provoking rivalries. DIR Yorgos Lanthimos. SCR Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara. CAST Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith, Mark Gatiss, Jenny Rainsford. USA I AM THE NIGHT – Inspired by true events, this TNT limited series tells the incredible story of Fauna Hodel, a teenage girl given away at birth, growing up outside of Reno, Nevada. Fauna has always lived with her contradictions and her mysterious origins, until she makes a discovery that leads her to question everything. As Fauna begins to investigate the secrets of her past, she meets a ruined reporter, haunted by the case that undid him. Together they follow a sinister trail that swirls ever closer to an infamous Los Angeles gynecologist, Dr. George Hodel, a man involved in some of Hollywood’s darkest debauchery, and possibly, its most infamous unsolved crime. DIR Patty Jenkins. SCR Sam Sheridan. CAST Chris Pine, India Eisley, Jefferson Mays, Dylan Smith, Leland Orser, Yul Vazquez, Justin Cornwell, Golden Brooks, Jay Paulson and Connie Nielsen. USA ROMA – Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA is a semi-autobiographical recounting of one year in the life of an upper-middle-class family in Mexico City in the 1970s. From the perspective of their live-in maid and nanny Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio, in an exceptionally subtle yet powerful performance), this profoundly compassionate and humanistic portrait delivers a transcendent masterwork from one of our greatest living filmmakers. DIR Alfonso Cuarón. SCR Alfonso Cuarón. CAST Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira. Mexico, USA STAN & OLLIE – The true story of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the world’s two biggest stars, and how they fell from grace and lost not only their fortunes but their friendship. Delightful performances from Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the titular duo transport audiences to Hollywood’s Golden Age. DIR Jon S. Baird. SCR Jeff Pope. CAST John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Stephanie Hyam, Shirley Henderson. UK, Canada, USA UNDER THE SILVER LAKE – A killer cast leads this highly anticipated noir from David Robert Mitchell, one of our most exciting directors. Hidden beneath the surface of the lives of the young and beautiful in Los Angeles lurks a sinister code to unlocking everything. DIR David Robert Mitchell. SCR David Robert Mitchell. CAST Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Zosia Mamet, Callie Hernandez, Patrick Fischler, Grace Van Patten. USA VOX LUX – In Brady Corbet’s assured and razor-edged second directorial feature, Natalie Portman stars as Celeste, a jaded pop star who as a teen was a survivor of a Staten Island school shooting. Now, when Celeste’s most popular music video is the inspiration for another mass shooting, she must contend with the link between her past and present. DIR Brady Corbet. SCR Brady Corbet. CAST Natalie Portman, Jennifer Ehle, Jude Law, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy. USACINEMA’S LEGACY
THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY – This charming feature debut from recently rediscovered filmmaker Kathleen Collins (LOSING GROUND), THE CRUZ BROTHERS AND MISS MALLOY follows three Puerto Rican brothers who, under the watchful eye of their father’s ghost, are enlisted to help an eccentric elderly widow restore her home before her own anticipated death. DIR Kathleen Collins. SCR Kathleen Collins, Henry H. Roth, Jo Tavener. CAST Rae Ferguson, Sylvia Field, Cesar Gonzalez, Susan Hurst, Susan Lukas, Jose Machado. USA DRYLONGSO – While photographing “America’s most endangered species” — the African-American male — Pica Sullivan encounters Tobi, disguised in men’s clothing to avoid her abusive boyfriend. Like its title, DRYLONGSO — an old term meaning “ordinary” — the issues addressed in Cauleen Smith’s powerful and little-seen 1998 film remain appallingly ordinary to young African-American men and women. New 16mm print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. DIR Cauleen Smith. SCR Salim Akil, Cauleen Smith. CAST Toby Smith, April Barnett, Will Power. USA THE JUNIPER TREE (EINITREO) – This beautiful restoration exhumes Nietzchka Keene’s unheralded debut, a feminist interpretation of the Brothers Grimm fairytale that underscores the uncertain safety of women in a patriarchal society. Filmed in Iceland, this atmospheric fantasy features a 20-year-old Björk as Margit, who escapes with her sister Katla when their mother is killed for practicing witchcraft. DIR Nietzchka Keene. SCR Nietzchka Keene. CAST Björk Gudmundsdottir, Bryndis Petra Bragadottir, Valdimar Orn Flygenring, Gudrun S. Gisladottir, Geirlaug Sunna Pormar. Iceland MEETINGS OF ANNA (LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA) – In Chantal Akerman’s 1978 masterwork, Anna (Aurore Clément) is a respected Belgian filmmaker on a no-frills European tour promoting her latest film. As Anna travels from city to city, she has a series of startling encounters with different men and women, all of which seem to underscore her uneasy place in an increasingly dreary and anonymous Western Europe. DIR Chantal Akerman. SCR Chantal Akerman. CAST Aurore Clément, Helmut Griem, Magali Noël. France, Belgium, West Germany NITRATE KISSES – The debut feature from celebrated filmmaker Barbara Hammer, NITRATE KISSES is an experimental excavation of queer histories, a celebration of difference across communities and a lament for histories lost to cultural repression. New 16mm print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. DIR Barbara Hammer. USA QUEEN OF DIAMONDS – A seminal work by experimental narrative filmmaker Nina Menkes, this film stars her sister and longtime collaborator Tinka Menkes as a blackjack dealer at a desert casino. The resulting film is a hypnotic trance of white bones and blue sky, the occasional oasis, the dark nights punctuated by neon. Restored in 2018 by the Academy Film Archive and the Film Foundation with funding provided by the George Lucas family. DIR Nina Menkes. SCR Nina Menkes. CAST Tinka Menkes, Emellda J. Beech. USAMIDNIGHT
CAM – Lola (Madeline Brewer of THE HANDMAID’S TALE) is a modern-day camgirl who makes her living through online private chats, but her world is about to turn upside down. Written by former camgirl Isa Mazzei, this thriller is one of the most surprising and intelligent films of the year. DIR Daniel Goldhaber. SCR Isa Mazzei, Daniel Goldhaber. CAST Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, David Druid, Imani Hakim, Michael Dempsey. USA IN FABRIC – A demonic dress haunts the lives of all that come into contact with it in this sexually explicit, phantasmagoric fever dream. As the garment moves from person to person, it leaves death and destruction in its wake. DIR Peter Strickland. SCR Peter Strickland. CAST Gwendoline Christie, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, Leo Bill. UK KNIFE+HEART (UN COUTEAU DANS LE COEUR) – A masked madman stalks across the world of a producer and her film company. What results is psychosexual slasher set in the world of the 1970s gay porn scene in Paris, from visionary and boundary-pushing director Yann Gonzalez. DIR Yann Gonzalez. SCR Yann Gonzalez, Cristiano Mangione. CAST Vanessa Paradis, Nicolas Maury, Kate Moran, Jonathan Genet, Khaled Alouach, Félix Maritaud, Noé Hernandez, Thibault Servière, Bastien Waultier, Bertrand Mandico, Jules Ritmanic. FRANCE PIERCING – In Nicolas Pesce’s wicked and kinky black comedy PIERCING, Reed (Christopher Abbott) is a seemingly normal guy struggling to channel some dark urges involving an ice pick. But when he orders a call girl (Mia Wasikowska) with the secret intention of taking his violence out on her, things go disturbingly off-script. DIR Nicolas Pesce. SCR Nicolas Pesce, Ryû Murakami (novel). CAST Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Olivia Bond, Laia Costa, Maria Dizzia, Marin Ireland, Dakota Lustick, Wendell Pierce. USA
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Ithaca Fantastik Reveals Final Wave of 2018 Films
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THE UNTHINKABLE[/caption]
Ithaca Fantastik will close the upcoming 7th edition in upstate NY with the breathtaking Swedish war drama THE UNTHINKABLE from Victor Danelland. The 10-day festival running October 26th to November 4th announced the final wave of 2018 programming including the highly acclaimed and award-winning MY NAME IS MYEISHA by Gus Krieger’s and Daniel Goldhaber’s electrifying CAM, and notable IF alum Perry Blackshear returns following his 2015 psychological horror hit THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE with an eerie and out-of-the-world fable THE RUSALKA!
The Cinema Pur side-bar is back with one of the festival’s strongest vanguard focused programs to date adding Joel Potrykus’ latest niche nostalgia nerd-fest RELAXER and A.T. White’s spellbinding debut STARFISH, hands down one of the most beautiful and gripping fable we’ve seen this year to previously announced titles in wave one. The Ithaca Fantastik will host also special screening of BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA with celebrated cult director Frank Henenlotter and Mike Diana paired with a discussion. Taking the Piss Down Under, a mini series with two of our favorite films of the year coming from South East Pacific: BROTHER’S NEST, MEGA TIME SQUAD. What would Ithaca Fantastik be without a dose of gore and fun! Get ready for the gruesome French insanity that is Alfonso’s GIRLS WITH BALLS and the international festival midnighter darling, Ueda’s ONE CUT OF THE DEAD!
For it’s 7th edition, Ithaca Fantastik goes wild with its shorts with four massive blocks – GASP! The Horror!, WTFantastik!, Light+/-Dark Shorts, and the very special Eyeslicer Halloween Special, a curation of the weirdest and wackiest American indie spooky shorts from NYC producers Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell.
Ithaca Fantastik rounds out the final wave with a dive into AR/VR and brings a program of six experiences, including the award winner DINNER PARTY and Alexandre’s Aja’s CAMPFIRE CREEPERS!
Closing:
The Unthinkable East Coast Premiere
Victor Danell | 2018 | Sweden | 129min
While Alex attempts to reconnect with the long lost love of his youth, a series of strange events unfold—each bizarre occurrence leading to the next until it culminates in a declaration of war by a belligerent foreign country. Carried on by his quest for love, Alex must also manage to find his family and save them from the war. This epic adventure pushes him to overcome each obstacle and face the deepest, darkest corners of his past.
Scandinavia has produced some of recent years’ most impressive action films with a healthy dose of heart—from The Wave (2015) to The Quake (2018)—redefining what it means to be a blockbuster in the global market. Following in this grand tradition, Crazy Pictures takes us by storm with this genre blurring piece of cinema. It expertly navigates the arthouse drama landscape while using a backdrop of a war as metaphorical elements enhance the frustration of the protagonist. THE UNTHINKABLE will make you think, cringe, laugh out loud, and cry- all in the span of a second. You’ll be talking about this perfect IF8 closing film for months to come.
International Competition:
Cam Regional Premiere Daniel Goldhaber | 2018 | USA | 94min Alice’s (Handmaid’s Tale’s Madeline Brewer) career as “Lola” the cam girl is red hot, and her public can’t seem to get enough! But when a mysterious clone of her web persona surfaces, Alice is left questioning where she ends and her online presence begins. Daniel Goldhaber’s debut feature CAM delivers an unvarnished and brutal reflection on a culture of obsession and vice. The first feature about sex work written by a former sex worker Isa Mazzei has masterfully drawn from real life to create this dazzling and dark thriller. The 2018 Fantasia Film Festival New Flesh award winner is not to be missed. Actor Patch Darragh in attendance Dog (Chien) East Coast Premiere Samuel Benchetrit | 2017 | France | 90min After losing his wife, home and job, Jacques spirals into depression, closing himself off to the world around him. That is, until he meets the owner of a pet shop. He finds redemption in giving his free will over to the most random person he’s met: A dog trainer. Multi-talented artist Samuel Benchetrit adapts his eponymous book with a style and voice reminiscent of another french perturbateur: Quentin Dupieux. Taking a literal route to define modern alienation, Benchetrit creates a surreal piece of cinema, which, despite its straightforward approach to the problematic, shocks at every turn. My Name is Myeisha Regional Premiere Gus Krieger | 2018 | USA | 85min At the moment of Myeisha’s (the outstanding Rhaechyl Walker) death at the hands of police, she guides us inside her mind and muses over the life she’ll be leaving behind. Told uniquely through hip-hop, spoken word poetry, and dance—and inspired by the 1998 police shooting of California teen Tyisha Miller—the mix of style and social message allows the narrative to explore territories rarely tackled in film. We connect with Myeisha as we see into both her past and a possible future she will never have. Highly acclaimed on the festival circuit, this is one of the most important films of the year. The Rusalka Regional Premiere Perry Blackshear | 2018 | USA | 88min A perfectly twisted balance of folklore and modern cinema, THE RUSALKA reinvents “the lady of the lake” into “the girl next door.” Mina is chained to water by demons that possess her. The man who pines for her is traumatized and left speechless by a childhood swimming accident. This love story is only rendered more eerie by the haunting beauty of the setting, and the slavic songs that set the dark and atmospheric tone of this tale. Director Perry Blackshear in attendance Prospect Regional Premiere Christopher Caldwell | 2018 | USA | 98min In a working-class future (in space!), a father and daughter mining team (Jay Duplass and Sophie Thatcher) struggle to make a living on an alien moon with worn out space suits and a barely functional spacecraft. When they learn about a large haul of the rare, valuable crystals they’ve been tracking, they decide to risk confrontations with their lawless competition. Adapted from a short film of the same name, PROSPECT has a blue collar sci-fi atmosphere that evokes the highlights of the genre and follows the lead of films like Alien (1979) and Silent Running (1972).Cinema Pur:
Relaxer Regional Premiere Joel Potrykus | 2018 | USA | 91min Settle in for 91 minutes of action and adventure set entirely on a sofa as our hero Abbie (Joshua Burge) attempts to beat every level of Pac-Man- including the legendary 256th. Berated by his brother and a slew of off-kilter friends, Abbie must stick to his mission at any cost. He’ll have to stay focused in the midst of hilarious antics. Will he beat the game? This is the Y2K apocalyptic slacker comedy you didn’t know you needed until Poltrykus dared you to. Starfish Regional Premiere A.T. White | 2018 | USA, UK | 99min The past can creep up on us in the most unlikely of ways. While grieving the loss of her best friend, Aubrey (Runaway’s cosmic babe Virginia Gardner) finds herself in the middle of a wintery apocalypse. She holes up in her late friend’s flat, fending for herself as the world deteriorates and unspeakable Lovecraftian creatures lurk around every corner. With mixtapes, an indie soundtrack, and an adorable pet turtle, Aubrey fights to survive. This fantastical tale of grief and trauma transcends time, space, and logic. Director A.T White in attendance Luz Regional Premiere Tilman Singer | 2018 | Germany | 70min Luz (Luana Velis) arrives at a police station. Seemingly in a state of shock, she begins the interview process of filing a report. Meanwhile, at a nearby bar, a mysterious man drinks alone. He’s approached by a young woman with a disconcerting manner. They strike up a conversation over drinks. A malevolent force seems to permeate both communions . Shot on 16mm—and the thesis project for German film student Tilman Singer—LUZ already feels like a movie out of it’s time with aesthetic trappings of a film made in the 80s but characters and story contemporary in their design and feel.Fantastik Documentaries:
Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana Regional Premiere Frank Henenlotter | 2018 | USA | 101min In 1991, the FBI thought they had a lead on the Gainesville student murders when they came into possession of Mike Diana’s ‘zine, Boiled Angel. Despite being cleared of any murder charges, the FBI forwarded information about him and his work to Florida police. He became the first artist in US history to be prosecuted on obscenity charges—all because of his cartoonish depictions of depravity. This documentary, directed by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Brain Damage), features narration by Jello Biafra and appearances by Neil Gaiman, George Romero, Jay Lynch, and the trial lawyers who felt they were justified in putting an artist behind bars. Join us for this special screening of BOILED ANGELS, followed by an extended Q&A and discussion with director Frank Henenlotter, artist Mike Diana, and producer Mike Hunchback.Taking the Piss Down Under:
Brother’s Nest Regional Premiere Clayton Jacobson | 2018 | Australia | 98min Two brothers reflect on memories, their upbringing, and family in their childhood home as they plot to kill their stepfather. What at first seems like a simple plan soon spirals out of control and into an abyss of mayhem and murder. Clayton Jacobsen’s pitch black comedy features rapid fire dialogue that is both rhythmic and increasingly ironic and bittersweet—feeling like a blend of the Coen brothers and Hitchcockian crime dramas of the golden age of cinema. Mega Time Squad New York Premiere Tim van Dammen | 2018 | New Zealand | 86min John (Anton Tennet) is down on his luck in small town Auckland and hoping to escape his loser life. When a strange Chinese artifact gives him the power to travel back in time, Johnny decides to face off against his drug dealer boss Shelton (Jonny Brugh of What We Do In The Shadows). The consequences of time travel are more dangerous than Johnny expects, and he very quickly realizes the price he may have to pay. Quick-witted dialogue coupled with heaps of charm and charisma make Tim van Dammen’s Kiwi-comedy a must see.Back to Castle: A Special Screening of THE TINGLER with live theatre
The Tingler Wednesday, Oct. 31 7pm at The Cherry Artspace William Castle | 1959 | USA | 82min When a pathologist (Vincent Price) discovers a creature that feeds and grows on fear, he quickly realizes the key to its defeat. He captures it to test his hypothesis. As the creature evolves in size and atrocity levels rise, the Doctor’s theories distill into one single urgent lesson: “please, do not panic, but scream!…. Scream for your lives.” This film’s just-wacky-enough execution of excruciatingly frightening ideas may just keep its viewers from requiring intensive therapy. Released the very same year as House on Haunted Hill, THE TINGLER reprises and intensifies the same camp horror theatricality and B-movie zeal from William Castle’s wild imagination. The delicate dissonance between Castle’s gimmicks and Vincent Price’s outstanding performance gets perfectly showcased in this triumphant return of the pioneering duo. Enjoy this one-time-only interactive event, created in partnership with our friends at The Cherry Artspace—true to William Castle’s innovative vision of an immersive 4-dimensional theatrical experience. Filmed in “Percepto!”Drunken Cinema:
In the gloriously raucous tradition of original midnight screenings that were a fundamentally participatory event, DRUNKEN CINEMA offers an experience that the modern multiplex can’t even fathom. With general, personal, secret, and prop rules clearly indicated on specially made cards, Drunken Cinema asks you to get involved in the action (Think The Rocky Horror Picture show or cult screenings of The Room).Vinegar Syndrome Presents:
Vinegar Syndrome is a film restoration and distribution company with a catalogue of hundreds of feature films, produced primarily between the 1960s and 1980s. With an ever growing archive we’re thrilled to team up to present two exhilarating entries for IF audiences to enjoy on the big screen once again. Raw Force Edward Murphy | 1982 | USA | 86min Ninjas and cannibal monks and zombies, OH MY! Martial arts students from the Burbank Kung Fu Club head out on a leisurely cruise, but when their ship drifts too close to a mysterious island, their vacation becomes a lot less relaxing. They’ve landed far from home on Warrior Island, a burial ground for shamed martial artists. And they are not alone. White supremacist sex traffickers have made camp on this lowly island chock full of secrets just waiting to be unearthed. Vinegar Syndrome’s 35mm scan of this gritty, seductive and totally bonkers film is filled to the brim with nudity, over-the-top action and enough ridiculous one-liners to satisfy even the most rambunctious cravings for sleaze. White Fire (Vivre pour Survivre) East Coast Premiere Jean-Marie Pallardy | 1985 | Turkey, France, UK | 101min When Bo was a child, a mysterious stranger sadistically murdered his parents. Only Bo and his sister Ingrid survived the bloodshed. Now, twenty years later, Bo and Ingrid are employees at a diamond mineshaft in the desert. The mischievous duo stumble upon the discovery of a legendary diamond, the “White Fire.” However, rapture for the diamond has provoked the angst of some short-tempered, not-so-nice villains. The quest to capture the most sought-out diamond in the world is afoot!Midnighters:
One Cut of the Dead Regional Premiere Shin’ichirô Ueda | 2017 | Japan | 96min When an ambitious but small-time commercial director (Takayuki Hamatsu) is hired for the arduous task of creating a single-take zombie film which is broadcast live, death and gore become the least of his on-set problems. Starting with the unbroken 37-minute final piece, One Cut of the Dead then goes back in time to show the story behind the making of the actual film—complete with trouble from divas, saké, broken equipment, and even diarrhea. A high-energy screamfest that turns heartwarming, this film knows exactly how to sell its scares. Girls With Balls East Coast Premiere Olivier Afonso | 2018 | France | 87min Girls volleyball team The Falcons find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere after their minivan breaks down. Little do they know they landed on the property of some degenerate redneck hunters. The hunt is on and thus begins a very long night where the girls must run for their lives and test their team spirit. But these young athletes may be more resourceful than the hunters give them credit for. Serve. Set. Spike. Kill! Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through the Gateway Chosen By the Holy Storsh Regional Premiere Vivieno Caldinelli | 2018 | USA | 96min A small-town couple (Kate Micucci and Sam Huntington) find the perfect apartment at an inconceivable price. But their idyllic life is disturbed by a parade of intruders that won’t stop breaking in to practice a strange cult ritual, all following the direction of their guru, the Holy Storsh (Taika Waititi). The final step? Suicide in the apartment bathtub. From the deranged mind of Spectrevision (Mandy, 2018; Bitch, 2017), this is pure comedy in the tradition of the grand guignol, with the hilarious Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty) as an out of his mind inspector—be ready to laugh out loud for 96 minutes straight in this comedy. Definitely… cult!GASP! The Horror! Shorts
Sometimes horror is a magical horned demon shooting fire at you. Sometimes it lives in your own home… Ithaca Fantastik is proud to present this selection of shorts that shows just how wide, wild, and inventive the realm of horror can be. Goodnight, Gracie, Dir. Stellan Kendrick (USA); The Day Mum Became A Monster, Dir. Josephine Hopkins (France); MILK, Dir. Santiago Menghini (Canada); MAW, Dir. Jasper Vrancken (Belgium); New Feelings, Dir. Anastasia Nechaeva (Russian Federation), Those Who Can Die, Dir. Charlotte Cayeux (France)WTFantastik! Shorts
Think you’ve seen everything the genre world has to offer? Think again. Our WTFantastiK! block challenges genre veterans with envelope-pushing, boundary- breaking shorts that must be seen to be believed. For adventurous audiences only! What’s That In The Ground?, Dir. Wally Chung (USA); The Story of Everything, Dir. Sharon A. Mooney (USA); Sweet Deceit, Dir. Shannon Jones (USA); Loathing, Dir. Franz Milec (Czech Republic); NewVHS, Dir. Spencer Starnes, Kevin R. Wright, Pete Clendenning, Jordan Paul Miles (USA); Mama’s Boy, Dir. Samantha Kolesnick (USA); MOTHER FUCKER, Dir. Nicholas Payn (USA); Entropia, Dir. Marinah Janello (USA)..Light+/-Dark Shorts
Tampon Monsters. Murderous Johnny Depp fans. Two dudes just trying to be cool. The LIGHT+/-DARK shorts block presents the comedy genre shorts that made us laugh, or made us cringe. BFF Girls, Dir. Brian Lonano (USA); Psycho Kino, Dir. Guillem Dols (Spain); Lunch Ladies, Dir. Clarissa Jacobson, J.M. Logan (USA), We Summoned A Demon, Dir. Chris McInroy (USA); Seafood Diet, Dir. Max Levine (USA); Beautiful Eyes, Dir. Rani Deigh Crowe (USA); Fetish, Dir David Lee Hess, Richard H. Perry (USA) The Eyeslicer Halloween Special ! Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell / 2018 / USA / 93min A comedy-horror anthology presented by internet rock stars The Eyeslicer. Taking viewers on a chaotic journey through the liminal space of the Halloween season, THE EYESLICER HALLOWEEN SPECIAL feels like an acid trip down the Halloween aisle at Party City.Shorts Accompanying a feature:
Death Metal Grandma, Dir. by Leah Galant (US); Ad Infinitum, Dir. Murat Çetinkaya (Turley); Payment, Dir. Ben Larned (USA); Special Day Teal Greyhaven (USA); Saturn Through The Telescope Didac Gimeno (Spain); Mannequins, Dir. David Malcolm (UK); Every Ghost Has An Orchestra, Dir. Shayna Connely (USA); TiCK, Dir. Ashlea Wessel (Canada); Riley Was Here, Dir. Jon Rhoads (USA); Smoke Grenade, Dir. Joe LaRocca (USA); Fontaineblues, Dir. Akim Gagnon (Canada)Fantastik VR:
Dinner Party Angel Manuel Soto, Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler / Puerto Rico, USA | 2018 | 13min Based on true events, this experience tells the story of Barney and Betty Hill, an interracial couple who in 1961 broke national news as the first reported extraterrestrial abduction in history. Trying to cope with the residual scars of their experience, they unexpectedly decide to seek out answers from an old tape recorder while hosting a dinner party. Meeting A Monster Gabriela Arp | USA | 2018 | 9min With a past steeped in hatred and prejudice, a former white supremacist journeys back in time and invites us to experience both the stereotypes and bigotry that lured her into the white power movement as well as the encounters that led her back out. Before she can help others change their ways, she must come to terms with a true monster: herself. We’re Still Here Jesse Ayala | USA | 2018 | 3 Minutes Struggling to preserve his cultural identity, an artist and historian from Boise, Idaho takes viewers on a journey to learn about what it means to be “Two Spirit”; a cultural term describing the fluidity of gender identity and sexuality with respect to traditional tribal roles across First Nations. Campfire Creepers Alexandre Aja | USA | 2018 | 12 minutes From master of horror Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha, Horns) comes an original anthology series that brings classic campfire stories to life in stunning virtual reality. Produced by Oculus and Future Lighthouse, Campfire Creepers invites viewers to join the fire circle at a summer camp called Camp Coyote as a group of kids take turns telling spooky tales. Inspired by cult classics like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, every episode of Campfire Creepers is a wild ride that will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure. Faoladh Declan Dowling | 2018 | Ireland | 6min This stereoscopic virtual reality film set in an isolated 9th century Irish village follows the perilous journey of young Celt Ruairi. Vikings have begun invading Ireland, and it’s only a matter of time before they reach his village. Take on role of the Faoladh, a wolf-like guardian spirit and protector of the children from the woods of ancient Ireland. It’s up to you to guide Ruairi to safety as he evades capture from a bullish young Viking named Snorre. Virtual Burly Becky Lane | 2018 | USA – Sneak Peek – Work in Progress It’s your own private show! A 3D, 360° recreation of historical burlesque styles from 1900—1970. Go on an entertaining and seductive journey through the evolution of burlesque, exploring its history and its impact on women’s sexual empowerment. Showcasing the artistry of burlesque dance troupe Whiskey Tango Sideshow, VIRTUAL BURLY is a combination of dance performances and interviews brought together to explore themes in women’s experience in this art form.Retrospective
The Wilding! The uncanny terror that only children can elicit. The uncanny terror of what goes missing—or reveals itself—in the dark spaces between generations. The uncanny terror that intergenerational misunderstandings unleash, again and again. The discord between old and young is a tension that is both as old as time and frighteningly contemporary and marks the theme of this year’s retrospective exploration. The Bad Seed Mervyn LeRoy | 1956 | USA | 129min Christine Penmark (Nancy Kelly) and her daughter Rhoda (Patty McCormack) feign perfection to their community. When the the death of a schoolboy who won a penmanship competition brings suspicion to Rhoda’s hand, Christine assumes the worst about her little girl. As tension builds between characters, the calming atmosphere of suburbia is no match for this unsettling family dynamic. Over-the-top performances and Oscar-nominated black-and-white cinematography keep the story reminiscent of its time. Based on a book by the same name, THE BAD SEED begs the question, what is worse: a remorseless homicidal preteen, or a mother who will do anything to hide her family shame? Who Can Kill a Child? (¿Quién Puede Matar a un Niño?) Narciso Ibáñez Serrador | 1976 | Spain | 112min In reality, war and famine wreck their devastating effects on the innocent in refugee camps and struggling countries. On a remote island, eerie children take matters into their own hands. When an English couple, Tom and Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome), make their way to the island on holiday, they are forced to ask themselves the titular question: Who can kill a child? Featuring a hypnotic score by Waldo de los Ríos, WHO CAN KILL A CHILD is an exploration of innate goodness and the lack thereof, and a violent confrontation between nature and nurture. Bloody Birthday Ed Hunt | 1981 | USA | 85min Three children are born during an eclipse. Because celestial patterns cause Saturn—which controls emotion—to be blocked, the children have no feelings. Void of all morality, the seemingly innocent youths create chaos in the town around them. In a film that epitomizes the grainy cult horror scene of the 1980s, BLOODY BIRTHDAY entertains, building its body count in a vicious cycle of birth, life, sex, cake, and murder—setting the standard for sociopathic spree-killing movie tykes for decades to come. Previously announced titles include… Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) Regional Premiere Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra | 2018 | Colombia | 125min In 1970s La Guaira, Colombia, an indigenous Wayuu family gets swept up in the newly-booming marijuana trade. When greed and passion overtake their tribe’s honor, their lives and ancestral traditions are forever fractured. Telling the original story of the inception of the drug trade between US and Colombia that led to the socio-political turmoil Colombia and South America at large face now. A Cannes audience was lucky to first experience the brilliant return of Gallego and Guerra—and now it’s our turn. Making 180° turns in both visual style and narrative form, Birds of Passage feels almost like a reimagining of Scarface by way of Scorsese rather than De Palma: Less rage, more characters, and an authentic, grounded-in-reality view of a drug cartel’s destruction of ancestral culture and strongly avoids the nauseating tendency to glamorize the subject matter (we’re looking at you, Netflix’s Narcos). Once again, Gallego and Guerra transcend their subject matter to tell a story that resonates well beyond the story itself, with some of the most powerful visuals we’ve seen this year. Black Mother Regional Premiere Khalik Allah | 2018 | USA | 77min The history of Jamaica is retold through the framework of the three trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy. This heartfelt look at Jamaican identity transcends its documentary form to offer an unusual and unique exploration of humanity. A collage of faces from different generations draws us in as the spoken stories of multiple individuals lead us through the mesmerizing rhythm of personal and national histories. Khalik Allah has done it again. After his mesmerising documentary, Field Niggas (2015)—an observational piece of art as well as political statement—he treats us with one of the most compelling motion pictures of 2018. Pure hybrid between narrative and documentary, switching between digital, Bolex, and Super 8 footage as Allah explores the home country of his own mother, you will be changed after experiencing BLACK MOTHER. THIS is Pure Cinema, period. Chained for Life Regional Premiere Aaron Schimberg | 2018 | USA | 91min Mabel, a beautiful actress, is cast as the lead in a schlocky horror film where her co-star and most members of the supporting cast are actors with disabilities and physical differences. While she connects with her peers off-screen, building friendships (and more) as filming goes on Mabel begins to consider whether their treatment on set is exploitational. This film within a film brings up important questions of inclusion vs. exploitation. Are current standards of representation in modern film as equal as we would like to believe? Crisis Jung US Premiere Baptiste Gaubert and Jérémie Hoarau | 2018 | France | 70min Jung and Maria are sweethearts enjoying their blossoming love in an innocent world. But their starry-eyed paradise is imperiled when the malignant Little Jesus kidnaps Maria’s body to build his nefarious temple of pain! Jung’s heart is broken, and his quest to find love and inner peace in an apocalyptic hellscape begins. Along the way, he befriends a motley band of characters, each one searching for a way to survive in a landscape devoid of love. French animation team Bobbypills crafts a wholly original world, packed with inventive characters, absurd story twists and a wicked sense of humor. Diamantino Regional Premiere Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt | 2018 | Portugal | 92min Every time star footballer Diamantino makes a shot on goal, a pack of giant, happy, floppy dogs romps onto the pitch in a sparkly cloud. That is, until he misses the game-deciding penalty shot at the world cup. His groove is gone. The glittery pups are nowhere to be found. His career is over. Floundering, he falls prey to sinister forces dead set on turning him into a political mascot no matter the stakes. Always holding onto hope for a second chance, he is transported on a surreal and satirical journey through a dysfunctional modern landscape. Game Over (3615 code Père Noël) East Coast Premiere René Manzor | 1989 | France | 87min Thomas (Alain Lalanne), a French child prodigy obsessed with American action films, believes he will be the first kid to catch Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When a thief dressed as Santa shows up instead of the real deal, Thomas’s vengeance for his crushed childhood dream takes on epic proportions in this influential film. Long thought to be the inspiration for American Christmas classic, Home Alone, this darker, gorier, French-er take on hardcore home defense will delight elves and Scrooges alike. Knife + Heart (Un Couteau Dans Le Coeur) Regional Premiere Yann Gonzales | 2018 | France | 110min After Anne breaks up with her editor girlfriend, the 70s low-budget gay French porno they were shooting begins to take an… artistic turn. The sensual film becomes a real-life erotic thriller that begins when one of the stars is brutally murdered and Anne can’t seem to out-maneuver the chaos that ensues. This sophomore film from Yann Gonzales is a fresh yet highly referential take on Giallo. The setting brings a new twist to the Italian crime genre while allowing Gonzales to express his deep love for an industry France never shied away from. This Cannes 2018 official selection is a hidden gem. Keep an Eye Out! (Au Poste!) East Coast Premiere Quentin Dupieux | 2018 | France | 73min When Louis Fugain (Grégoire Ludig) trips over a dead body in front of his condo, his first impulse is to report it to the police. That’s what any good, logical citizen would do, right? Too bad he quickly realizes he’s made a terrible mistake. The obsessive Captain Buron’s (Benoît Poelvoorde) gut tells him Fugain knows more than he’s letting on, and will gleefully grill him until he cracks. The seemingly never-ending interrogation takes absurd turns, soaked in dark humor and bloody fun. It’s a twisted ride all the way to the end. Love Me Not East Coast Premiere Alexandros Avranas | 2018 | Greece, France | 99min An infertile, upper-middle-class couple hires a young woman as a surrogate and all three move into a remote villa. When the women begin to bond, the husband becomes envious, and an unfortunate chain of events turns the table on the already dysfunctional new family dynamic. With a similar approach to his compatriot Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of the Sacred Deer), but without the absurd twist, Avranas’s blunt but spot-on view of an increasingly selfish society creates an unsettling piece that resonates far beyond the confinement of this home. Peepoodo & the Super Fuck Friends Balak and Bobbypills 2018 France An educative series for children over 18 years old, Super Fuck Friends explores sexuality without taboos and in all its forms. An episodic romp of positive sexuality, unrestrained and totally without prejudices, culminates in one single message: tolerance. Ithaca Fantastik proudly presents this florilege of episodes intertwined in the Bobbypills Super program! Piercing Regional Premiere Nicolas Pesce | 2018 | USA | 81min Reed (Christopher Abbott) takes off from wife, baby, and idyllic life for a very important business trip. He’s been preparing for some time now, but there’s one small problem- the business he has in mind is murder! All set with his plan to commit the perfect crime, Reed finds his target in the mysterious call girl Jackie (Mia Wasikowska) who ends up being anything but a victim. Director Nicolas Pesce takes a 180° turn in style from The Eyes of My Mother (2016) to tackle a dark comedy punctuated with colorful art deco visuals. An adaptation of Murakami’s eponymous novel, Piercing goes from laughter to shock in a heartbeat while remaining pleasing to the eyes—a tour de force few directors can achieve. Vermin Alexis Beaumont | 2018 | France | 81min A young praying mantis follows in his father’s many footsteps and moves to the big city to become a police officer. A greenhorn from the country, young Reggie is totally unequipped for the dangers and temptations of city life. But when he’s assigned a partner with a history of drinking and bad police work, the sparks fly and both characters get more than they bargained for. Director Alexis Beaumont’s work with French animation team Bobbypills is reminiscent of buddy cop films taken to their extreme absurd paroxysm. Violence Voyager Regional Premiere Ujicha | 2018 | Japan | 83min Bobby and Akkun set out for an end-of-school celebration in the mountains where they discover a seemingly abandoned amusement park where the owner greets them and offers them free tickets. Against their better judgement, they accept. Three words for you – Ujicha is back! After impressing us with The Burning Buddha Man (2013) the rad insanity of his animation and storytelling reach a peak with this new opus. As always, Ujicha includes some important hidden messages about the world in which we live. Like a sinfully delicious cake, the layers are what make this film a Fantastik winner of our hearts.
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2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Announces First Films – Opens with KNIFE + HEART
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KNIFE + HEART[/caption]
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival returns October 11th to 18th in venues across Brooklyn, New York, and announced the first wave of horror films along with the brand new HEAD TRIP block spotlighting films that push the boundaries and expectations of the horror genre.
Yann Gonzalez’s ravishing, Cannes selected slasher KNIFE + HEART opens and Perry Blackshear’s latest concludes the festival week with his haunting and intimate sophomore feature THE RUSALKA as part of the new Head Trip program.
Knife + Heart (NY Premiere)
France, Mexico, Switzerland | 2018 | 100 Min | Dir. Yann Gonzalez
Known for productions like ANAL FURY and HOMOCIDAL, successful gay porn producer Anne (Renowned French actress and model Vanessa Paradis) takes her skin flicks as seriously as the most greatness-minded auteur would his or her own prestige dramas. But Anne isn’t the only one who’s infatuated with her company’s films—one by one, and in an exceedingly brutal fashion, someone is butchering Anne’s actors. As she tracks down the killer, Anne begins recreating the murders as part of an elaborate new project, all while losing track of what’s real, who’s dead, and who’s next on the chopping block.
Shot on 35mm and featuring a killer retro score from M83, Yann Gonzalez’s KNIFE + HEART is an ultra-stylish and blood-soaked ode to ’70s-era De Palma, Argento, and Friedkin. The kills are impeccably staged and gruesome, the performances are campy and spot-on, and the whodunit twists are relentless. Take note, slasher and giallo fans: This will be your new obsession.
The Rusalka (North American Premiere)
USA | 2018 | 80 Min | Dir. Perry Blackshear
Looking for some peace and quiet, Tom rents out a small and isolated lakehouse, one marked by a local legend of a woman who, after drowning, haunts the surrounding woods and drowns anyone she encounters. That myth particularly intrigues Tom’s new neighbor, Al, who’s mourning the recent death of his boyfriend. Starting off rather friendly, Tom and Al’s rapport slowly changes as the former befriends a mysterious woman named Nina, for whom Al can’t shake his negative suspicions.
Back in 2015, Perry Blackshear turned heads with his creepy lo-fi breakout THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE; for his follow-up, the NY-based filmmaker reunites the same cast and tells a story that’s different in scope and tone yet just as subtly powerful. Equal parts supernatural romance and intimate tragedy, THE RUSALKA flips the conventions of star-crossed soul-mates fiction into a lyrical and genre-infused look at the darker side of love.
Writer/Director Perry Blackshear and Lead Actress Margaret Ying Drake in attendance.
This years decadent and deadly poster is designed by New York-based creative duo Kelsey and Rémy Bennett (aka The Bennett Sisters). About the design, the sisters say, “The photo stories we created for the poster design are an ode to the 1970s golden age of horror, inspired particularly by the 1973 Brian De Palma New York set psycho sexually voyerurist exploitation film Sisters, which starred the recently deceased actress Margot Kidder, an icon of 70s slasher genre.”
2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival First wave of Films, Events, and Frights
ANTRUM: The Deadliest Film Ever Made (World Premiere) USA | 2018 | 95 Min | Dir. Michael Laicini & David Amito There’s a reason why you haven’t seen ANTRUM: because you’d be dead. This occult-heavy horror film shot back in the ’70s focuses on a pair of young siblings who head into the woods to grieve over a dead pet and unwittingly discover a literal Hell on Earth. The film has achieved notoriety due to it’s troubled lifespan: A theater in Budapest screened it in 1988 and burned to the ground; several film festival programmers attempted to play it before mysteriously dying; and a violent and blood-drenched San Francisco riot followed a mid-’90s revival effort. Believed to be cursed, ANTRUM has since been untouched—until now. Bookending the original 35mm ANTRUM print with an all-new documentary about the film’s legend, filmmakers Michael Laicini and David Amito have packaged a truly singular viewing experience, one part catnip for film historians and a much bigger part experientially demonic cinema. Directors Michael Laicini & David Amito in attendance. BOO! (World Premiere) USA | 2018 | 91 Min | Dir. Luke Jaden Married with two kids, James and Elyse are struggling to keep it together. Along with the couple’s own rifts, their daughter, Morgan, is hiding her own suicidal thoughts, while younger son Caleb channels his suppressed emotions through troublingly macabre artwork. One night, their true test arrives: a strange Halloween game left on their doorstep that, legend has it, leaves a curse on those who choose not to play. Unfortunately, that’s the choice this family makes—and evil spirits of all kinds are ready to make them pay. Back in 2015, Detroit-raised teenage filmmaker Luke Jaden made waves with the proficiently made and brutal short KING RIPPLE, starring a then-unknown Lakeith Stanfield. Three years later, with BOO!, the now-22-year-old filmmaker has delivered on that potential, crafting a supernatural chiller that’s big in scope yet intimate in character. Leading up to a whopper of a spook-show climax, Jaden’s debut feature is the real deal. Director Luke Jaden in attendance. THE CANNIBAL CLUB (North American Premiere) Brazil | 2018 | 81 Minutes | Dir. Guto Parente Life is a dream for Octavio and Gilda. Residing on Brazil scenic waterfront coast, the rich-as-all-hell couple spends their non-work hours sipping fancy drinks, basking in the sun, and eating the finest of meats. The only problem? That’s human meat, pulled from the bodies of young, financially strapped victims that Gilda lures into their home. They’re part of a secret society of wealthy flesh-eaters, all of whom answer to a charismatic yet dangerous leader. And when Gilda starts getting cold feet about eating, well, cooked limbs, she and Octavio’s marriage, as well as their lives, are put in jeopardy. The goriest satire of 2018 so far, Brazilian up-and-comer Guto Parente’s THE CANNIBAL CLUB is the best kind of, pun intended, food for thought, a razor-sharp indictment of classism that’s also raucous and viscera-laden. Politically charged and gruesomely shocking, it’s proof that horror remains the best channel through which to bomb the hierarchical system. Field Guide To Evil (NY Premiere) Various Countries | 2018 | 117 Min | Dir. Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Peter Strickland, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Calvin Reeder, Ashim Ahluwalia, Yannis Veslemes No matter where you’re from, two things are universal: fear and death. To exemplify that in the most horror-minded way possible, the minds behind the ABCS OF DEATH films have assembled THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL, an anthology of eight shorts that explore nightmare-geared legends specific to the filmmaker’s own native country. The sights include an Austrian ghoul known as the Trud (via GOODNIGHT MOMMY directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala), a Polish heart-eating ritual (THE LURE’s Agnieszka Smoczynska), a Turkish djinn (BASKIN helmer Can Evrenol), and backwoods American mongoloids (THE RAMBLER’s Calvin Reeder). Keeping its culture-fueled mission at the forefront, THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL separates itself from the recent wave of horror omnibuses through its uniquely measured vibe. There are scares, for sure, but its segments thrive more on Gothic unease and patient folk-tale creepiness than any supercharged shocks. The result is one of the most ambitious, diverse, and altogether fascinating horror anthologies you’ll ever see. House of Sweat and Tears (East Coast Premiere) Spain | 2018 | 104 Min. | Dir. Sonia Escolano An older woman known only as “She” leads a religious cult using violent methods of control and forcing painful punishments unto her followers in order to prove their devotion. When a mysterious man arrives claiming to be the messiah, the followers are offered another way of life beyond the path of pain. A deadly struggle for power ensues as all hell breaks loose. Claustrophobic dread drips through the narrow halls and dim candlelit rooms of the HOUSE OF SWEAT AND TEARS while moments of brutal intensity are captured by cinematographer Pepe de la Rosa’s unforgiving close up frames. Director Sonia Escolano’s atmospheric horror show sneaks up on you and leaves you gripping your chest by its shocking conclusion. Luz (NY Premiere) Germany | 2018 | 70 Min. | Dir. Tilman Singer On an otherwise nondescript night, taxi driver Luz walks into a police station, claiming that she’s been assaulted. Nearby in a bar, a mysterious woman named Nora is working her magic on Dr. Rossini, recounting how her lover recently jumped out of a taxi. As both situations transpire, the connections between Luz and Nora set the stage for a demonic night from hell for those unfortunate souls who’ve encountered the two women on this particular evening. Mind-blowingly enough, Tilman Singer’s LUZ was made as a student thesis film and is the most audacious and flat-out impressive horror debut in years, a disorienting descent into madness that’s shot on 16mm and genuinely feels like an unearthed ‘70s movie somehow rediscovered and unleashed onto the genre scene. Think Lucio Fulci if he’d moved to Germany and totally lost his already deranged mind and you’ll just be scratching the surface of Singer’s incredibly assured breakthrough gem. Piercing (NY Premiere) USA | 2018 | 80 Min | Dir. Nicolas Pesce The stress of parenthood is seemingly too much for Reed (Christopher Abbott), who, as a soul-cleansing ritual, meticulously plans the perfect murder. But as his plan unfolds, he realizes that meticulous planning has nothing to do with execution as Reed’s cat-and-mouse game quickly becomes a visually arresting, strange, S&M-infused battle between he and a mysterious call girl named Jackie (Mia Wasikowska). Based on Ryū Murakami’s novel, Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore film (the follow-up to his 2016 black-and-white shocker THE EYES OF MY MOTHER) is a remarkably unusual experience, infused with colorful visuals and an intoxicating score. An Argento/De Palma homage hidden behind the facade of a dark comedy about stabbing, PIERCING cements Pesce as one of the boldest and brightest new directors in the genre. Tower. A Bright Day. (East Coast Premiere) Poland | 2018 | 106 Min. | Dir. Jagoda Szelc To celebrate her daughter’s Holy Communion, Mula invites her estranged and mentally unstable pagan sister Kaja to stay with her family. She condemns Kaja from being alone with the child and insists she must never find out the truth that Kaja is her actual birth mother. Tensions instantly flare among the family while an ominous sense of danger surrounds the home leaving Mula to wonder if her paranoia is unfounded or has she invited a terrible evil into her home. In her feature debut, Polish writer-director Jagoda Szelc crafts a spell-binding mystery with two commanding central performances by Anna Krotosca and Malgorzata Szczerbowska (Mula and Kaja, respectively). Their back and forth battle over the daughter crackles with urgency and dire desperation. Completely unpredictable and powerfully transfixing, TOWER. A BRIGHT DAY. is one of the more exciting genre discoveries in recent memory. WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS (NY Premiere) USA | 2018 | 91 Min | Dir. Andre Gower For a whole generation of genre fans, Fred Dekker’s 1987 horror-comedy THE MONSTER SQUAD is their very own THE GOONIES, a formative and beloved masterpiece of adolescence and Universal-Monster-inspired mayhem. THE MONSTER SQUAD’s 30-plus-year relevance isn’t just the benefactor of tireless nostalgia—it’s a genuinely great movie, treating its scares with an effective seriousness and treating its pre-teen hero characters without figurative kid gloves. Because of that, Dekker’s classic remains a fixture at repertory theaters and continues to both influence today’s filmmakers and be discovered by modern-day youngsters. Directed by MONSTER SQUAD star Andre Gower, WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS is the ultimate love letter to that late-’80s horror staple, collecting testimonials from lovers both famous and not and Gower’s old SQUAD collaborators. But it’s more than just fan service. As the best documentaries always do, WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS peels beneath its subject’s top layers and mines profound insights into something deeper: why horror is such a universal passion, especially for those who are young at heart.Head Trip Program
Cam USA | 2018 | 94 Min | Dir. Daniel Goldhaber After introducing shocking acts of self-mutilation to her performances, webcam girl Alice flies up the charts of FreeGirlsLive.com just like she’s always wanted. Before she can enjoy her newfound success, her account is stolen by someone who looks exactly like her and performs in an identical room yet is nowhere to be found. Inspired by writer Isa Mazzei’s experiences as a cam girl, CAM pulls back the veil on an industry that’s mystery is predicated on the separation between fantasy and reality, proving ripe cinematic ground for exploring obsession and paranoia. A modern erotic thriller with a fire lead performance from Madeline Brewer, Daniel Goldhaber’s feature debut details in disturbing fashion just how obsessed we may be with our online lives. Family (North American Premiere) Israel | 2017 | 100 Min | Dir. Veronica Kedar In their dilapidated living room, Lily positions herself between her motionless family members on the sofa as her camera snaps a picture. Arriving at her therapist’s home at night, she is disappointed to find that the only person home is her cold and insensitive daughter yet has no choice but to confide in her, instead. Lily is desperate to explain why she killed her family. Israeli triple threat talent Veronica Kedar writes, directs and stars in this intimate look into a scarily dysfunctional family. Using non-linear structure and even some musical genre elements, Lily’s traumatic past is parsed through creating a framework mimicking that of a truly screwed up therapy session, adding layer upon layer to an intricate and tragic character study of a murderess. Holiday (NY Premiere) Denmark | 2018 | 93 Min | Dir. Isabella Eklöf HOLIDAY explores the relationship between Sascha, a beautiful young woman and Michael, a successful drug lord as they’re on holiday with their friends in Turkey’s gorgeous Turquoise Coast. Upon first glance, the group appears to be having a fun and glamorous time in an idyllic seaside setting, until the true horrific nature of Michael is revealed. Swedish writer-director Isabella Eklöf’s unnerving debut was considered one of the darkest films at Sundance, as it examines the difficult topic of how some women stay with and protect their abusers.80’s Slash-A-Thon & New York Book Launch for Ad Nauseam, by celebrated horror journalist Michael Gingold
Featuring a 35th anniversary screening of cult-classic SLEEPAWAY CAMP Presented by Maker’s Mark The Burning USA | 1981 | 91 Minutes | Dir. Tony Maylam The rare slasher movie that features a “final boy,” this exceedingly mean-spirited and nihilistic knockout has everything you need from a stalk-and-kill body count movie. There’s an overnight kids’ camp in the woods, a young Holly Hunter and an even younger Jason Alexander, and what’s arguably the gnarliest sequence in slasher history: a ferocious and brutal multi-victim slaughter set on a raft and powered by bloody sheers. The Funhouse USA | 1981 | 96 Min | Dir. Tobe Hooper In between THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and POLTERGEIST, the iconic Tobe Hooper made this sorely underrated gem. Set largely within a seedy carnival, Hooper’s addition to the ’80s slasher canon has inventive circus-influenced murder scenes, sure, but its coolest contribution to the slice-and-dice sub-genre is its killer, a deformed madman who sports a Frankenstein’s monster mask and, when that mask is off, is basically a human tarantula with luscious blonde locks. My Bloody Valentine Canada | 1981 | 90 Min | Dir. George Mihalka In terms of slashers taking place around holidays, MY BLOODY VALENTINE comes second to only HALLOWEEN. The best Canadian slasher of all time, it’s a masterful blend of small-town whodunit paranoia and cavernous underground terror, with a crazed miner and his trusty pickaxe shredding through numerous victims after a local Valentine’s Day dance gets reinstated. Tough love, indeed. Sleepaway Camp (35th Anniversary Screening) USA | 1983 | 84 Min | Dir. Robert Hiltzik If you’ve never seen SLEEPAWAY CAMP before, you’re in for something special. To be more specific, we mean one of the most shocking endings in not only horror movie history, but cinema in general. Up until this classic slasher’s humdinger finale, it also happens to be an excellent and delightfully twisted murder mystery about a summer camp where kids are meeting the bad ends of knives, beehives, and hot curling irons. Michael Gingold’s Ad Nauseam NY Book Launch Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980s, a 1984 Publishing title presented by Toronto-based horror periodical Rue Morgue and edited by former Rue Morgue editor-in-chief Dave Alexander, will highlight a golden age of horror movie ads. The 248-page, full-color, hardbound book features more than 450 rare, vintage ads culled from Gingold’s personal archive. Growing up in the ’80s, the future Fangoria writer and editor would carefully cut out ads he saw in local newspapers, leaving him with a collection tracing horror movie history via both blockbusters and obscurities. Tying into our ‘80s Slash-A-Thon, our programmer-at-large, Michael Gingold will introduce each of the four marathon films with a special slideshow presentation of the upcoming book. The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies teams up with BHFF once again to bring you an event you’ll be dying to tune in for – Big Scares on the Small Screen: A Brief History of the Made for TV Horror Film! The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents Big Scares on the Small Screen: A Brief History of the Made for TV Horror Film With instructor Amanda Reyes Although rarely held in high regard by critics, the made for television horror film remains an intriguing artifact of network programming. Any subgenre was up for grabs, and the output was disparate, vast, and surprisingly subversive, often producing a collective memory (or trauma, depending) shared by millions of viewers. Join us for a retrospective on the golden age of the telefilm and beyond. This event will be hosted by Amanda Reyes, editor and co-author of Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999. The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is an international educational community that offers classes in horror film history and theory in London, New York and Los Angeles, as well as hosting special events worldwide.Jury
2018 FEATURES JURY
David Ninh (Director of Publicity, Kino Lorber) Elinor Lewy (Co-Director, Final Girls Berlin Film Festival) Jason Zinoman (Journalist, NY Times, Author, SHOCK VALUE)2018 HEAD TRIP FEATURES JURY
Caryn Coleman (Director of Programming/Special Projects, Nitehawk Cinema) Rebecca Pahle (Journalist, Film Journal International) Jasper Basch (President, Cartilage Films)2018 SHORTS JURY
Jenn Wexler (Director, Producer, Glass Eye Pix) Kyle Greenberg (Theatrical Marketing Manager, Gunpowder & Sky) Loren Hammonds (Senior Programmer, Tribeca Film Festival)
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Fantastic Fest 2018 Unleashes First Wave of Films Incl. World Premiere of World War II Horror-Thriller OVERLORD
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OVERLORD[/caption]
Fantastic Fest returns for its 14th year with more offbeat and brilliant cinema and revealed the first waves of films featured at the upcoming festival. Fantastic Fest will present the World Premiere of the bone-chilling World War II horror-thriller OVERLORD, produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, with director Julius Avery and stars Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbaek, John Magaro and Mathilde Ollivier in attendance. This exhilarating, nerve-shredding ride tells the story of American paratroopers dropped into occupied France on the eve of D-Day who discover a secret Nazi lab carrying out terrifying and bizarre supernatural experiments.
Fantastic Fest alumni return to the festival in a dual threat that promises to shock, awe and conquer audiences. First up APOSTLE sees Gareth Evans’ (THE RAID) take on the folk horror genre with Dan Stevens as a mysterious man infiltrating a sinister cult headed by Michael Sheen to rescue his sister with eye-gouging results. Then, Timo Tjahjanto pits Joe Taslim against Iko Uwais (THE RAID) in THE NIGHT COMES FOR US, an action thriller where the body count breaks new records in bone-crunching fights, venomous violence and dynamic destruction!
Fantastic Fest’s mission to bring the best of genre continues to flourish with a worldwide group of films headed to Austin for a celebration unlike any other. Leading the pack is returning comedic genius Quentin Dupieux (RUBBER) with his unexpected tale of a police interrogation during a murder investigation over the course of one night in the North American Premiere of KEEP AN EYE OUT. Director Alejandro Fadel’s cerebral Cannes shocker MURDER ME, MONSTER will also have its North American Premiere at the festival. Sensational shot-on-16mm psychotropic horror LUZ will be in Austin for its U.S. Premiere, and the thrilling Swedish independent blockbuster THE UNTHINKABLE will blast the audience with its European take on a nation-under-siege big-budget spectacle at its World Premiere.
Other Fantastic Fest highlights include a focus on global female genre filmmakers who are blasting through the silver screen with distinctive and brilliant features. From Ukraine, Marysia Nikitiuk explores the clash between old world values and young love in a visually charged fusion of genres in WHEN THE TREES FALL. Spain’s Sonia Escolano turns up the tension in her mesmerising treatise on religion, faith and belief in HOUSE OF SWEAT AND TEARS. Isabella Eklof brings her Sundance critical hit HOLIDAY to the fest all the way from Denmark. And finally, alumna Amanda Kramer makes an unforgettable mark with her distinctive debut LADYWORLD, a post-apocalyptic, daring probe into the darkest reaches of the teenage female mind.
Fantastic Fest turns its eye to South Korea and explores the Korean Quota Quickies, a period in the 1970s which saw filmmaking flourish despite stifling ideological censorship thanks to a quota system which required a strict number of local productions be made for each of the foreign films imported. Although most of these were rushed productions, clever directors used the system to their advantage to sneak strange and daring content past producers, directors and censors. Fantastic Fest is going to present two very rarely seen films from the period: BANGREUMYEON from director Kim Ki-Young, one of Park Chan-Wook’s directing idols, and QUIT YOUR LIFE from director Park Nou-Sik, who provided the literal roadmap for all Korean revenge movies to come.“To be able to highlight a period of Korean cinema that is largely unknown in North America is a brilliant opportunity to not only re-discover what shaped the modern Korean cinema we all know and love, but also a great way to tap into the sheer electric creative force running through the films as shaped by the strict authoritarian environment they were created in,” says FF Creative Director Evrim Ersoy. The festival will also bring the best of modern Korean cinema to the festival including Lee Chang-dong’s critical Cannes hit BURNING.
AGFA (the American Genre Film Archive) triumphantly returns to the festival with a trio of restorations all receiving the World Premiere treatment. ‘80s shot-on-video epic BLOOD LAKE is restored from the 1” master tapes and arrives alongside a double bill of I WAS A TEENAGE SERIAL KILLER and MARY JANE’S NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE, celebrating the punk riot grrrl feminist cinema of Sarah Jacobson, both in brand new 2K preservations. Plus the highly-anticipated World Premiere of MANIAC, restored lovingly from the once-thought-lost 16mm negatives into 4K; with director William Lusting in attendance!
A bizarre trio of animation from across the world arrives at the festival to showcase the most daring, dangerous and unique styles. From Japan and the demented mind of Ujicha comes VIOLENCE VOYAGER, a stop-motion cornucopia of mesmerising madness. From Chile, directing duo Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña’s breathtaking WOLF HOUSE, featuring perhaps the most inherently sinister and chilling story in any film this year. And finally, from Czech Republic and building on the great Czech puppet animation tradition arrives Aurel Klimt’s delightfully untrue but entertaining story of the first dog in space, LAIKA.
Fantastic Fest 2018 FIRST WAVE FILM LINEUP
APOSTLE United Kingdom, 2018 World Premiere, 129 min Director – Gareth Evans The year is 1905. Thomas Richardson travels to a remote island to rescue his sister after she’s kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult demanding a ransom for her safe return. It soon becomes clear that the cult will regret the day it baited this man, as he digs deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies upon which the commune is built. BAN GEUM-RYEON South Korea, 1981 Regional Premiere, 90 min Director – Kim Ki-young From Park Chan-wook’s idol comes a twisted tale of lecherous lords and murderous mistresses. Presented outside of Korea for only the second time, Kim Ki-young’s masterpiece BAN GEUM-RYEON is a lush smorgasbord from Korea’s most demented cinematic mind. AGFA and BLEEDING SKULL PRESENT: BLOOD LAKE USA, 1987 World Premiere of New Preservation, 82 min Director – Tim Boggs The finest vacation from hell ever captured on VHS, rescued from the original 1” master tapes! BURNING South Korea, 2018 Texas Premiere, 148 min Director – Lee Chang-dong Lee Chang-dong’s latest triumph weighs the delicate balance between creation and destruction as a writer runs into an old classmate who gets him caught up in a mystery bigger than both of them. CAM USA, 2018 US Premiere, 94 min Director – Daniel Goldhaber In Attendance – Writer/Producer Isa Mazzei Alice is a camgirl with principles. She doesn’t do public shows, she doesn’t tell her fans she loves them, and she doesn’t fake her orgasms. But when a mysterious lookalike takes over her channel, the rules no longer apply. DOG France, 2017 US Premiere, 87 min Director – Samuel Benchetrit A dark fable about loneliness, perfectly illustrated by Jacques Blanchot’s loss of humanity and slow transformation into a dog. Director Samuel Benchetrit shares a subtle commentary on our current world, and its social, interpersonal, and political issues. AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN USA, 2018 Texas Premiere, 108 min Director – Jim Hosking Fantastic Fest alumni director Jim Hosking (THE GREASY STRANGLER; RENEGADES) is back with a second feature as absurd, crazy, and funny as his first. Follow Lulu Danger’s very own revolution in a Lynch-meets-Waters run-down version of America. THE GUILTY Denmark, 2018 Austin Premiere, 85 min Director – Gustav Möller A horrific crime; an emergency responder struggling to stay off the edge; a kidnapping victim calling in for help. This is all we’re going to tell you about first-time feature filmmaker Gustav Möller’s unmissable and gripping debut thriller. HOLIDAY Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, 2018 Texas Premiere, 93 min Director – Isabella Eklöf The sun-drenched dream of the eponymous summer vacation has its dark side revealed in Isabella Eklöf’s powerful debut feature HOLIDAY, an unforgettable exploration of the fraught, brutal experience of young womanhood. HOUSE OF SWEAT AND TEARS Spain, 2018 World Premiere, 104 min Director – Sonia Escolano In Attendance – Director Sonia Escolano “She,” the leader of a violent cult, rules her flock with an iron fist to ensure they never stray from the path. But a series of events and a mysterious outsider threaten the pattern of their reality in this electrifying exploration of faith and belief. AGFA PRESENTS: I WAS A TEENAGE SERIAL KILLER USA, 1993 World Premiere of New Restoration, 27 min Director – Sarah Jacobson Sarah Jacobson’s punk-spirited DIY films combine B-movie aesthetics and riot grrrl feminism in brand new 2K preservations. KEEP AN EYE OUT France, 2018 North American Premiere, 73 min Director – Quentin Dupieux An absurd all-night interrogation set in a camp ‘70s police station, Quentin Dupieux’s latest opus, KEEP AN EYE OUT, is a celebration of his own brand of quirky, offbeat humor, performed by France’s most refreshing comedic talents. LADYWORLD USA, 2018 US Premiere, 93 min Director – Amanda Kramer In Attendance – Director Amanda Kramer and Actor/Co-Editor/Production Designer Noel David Taylor In Amanda Kramer’s daring low-budget debut LADYWORLD, a birthday party quickly devolves into chaos when a mysterious earthquake traps eight teenage girls alone in a house, challenging their friendships, identities, and eventually their grip on reality. LAIKA Czech Republic, 2017 Regional Premiere, 88 min Director – Aurel Klimt In Attendance – Director Aurel Klimt This is the story of Laïka the space dog who, unlike in real life, did not die aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957. In this bizarre and charming stop-motion musical, Laïka crashes on a peculiar planet where she meets new friends. LUZ Germany, 2018 US Premiere, 70 min Director – Tilman Singer In Attendance – Director Tilman Singer Luz enters a police station at night to report an assault. As the interrogation progresses, it becomes clear a demonic entity wants to possess her in this audacious, psychotropic horror film shot on 16mm. MADAM YANKELOVA’S FINE LITERATURE CLUB Israel, 2018 International Premiere, 90 min Director – Guilhad Emilio Schenker Desperate, aging, Sophie only needs to seduce one more handsome victim — excuse me, date — to become a worry-free Lordess in MADAM YANKELOVA’S FINE LITERATURE CLUB, Israeli director Guilhad Emilio Schenker’s delightfully twisted debut feature. MANIAC USA, 1980 World Premiere of New 4K Restoration, 88 min Director – William Lustig In Attendance – Director William Lustig The 4K restoration of grindhouse auteur Bill Lustig’s 1980 slasher landmark features splatter SFX artist Tom Savini’s gnarliest work, as well as one of horror’s finest, sweatiest performances from legendary character actor/co-writer Joe Spinell. AGFA PRESENTS: MARY JANE’S NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE USA, 1997 World Premiere of New Restoration, 98 min Director – Sarah Jacobson Sarah Jacobson’s punk-spirited DIY films combine B-movie aesthetics and riot grrrl feminism in brand new 2K preservations. MURDER ME, MONSTER Argentina, France, Chile, 2018 North American Premiere, 109 min Director – Alejandro Fadel Visual horror masterpiece MURDER ME, MONSTER lures you into the fascinating and opaque underworld of serial murder, supernatural obsession, metaphysical hallucinations, forbidden love — and one nightmarishly gross monster. THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Indonesia, 2018 World Premiere, 121 min Director – Timo Tjahjanto A former triad enforcer must protect a young girl while trying to escape his former gang, setting off a violent battle on the streets of Jakarta. THE NIGHT SHIFTER Brazil, 2018 US Premiere, 110 min Director – Dennison Ramalho An attendant at a busy morgue who can also converse with the dead puts his loved ones in peril using his forbidden knowledge for vengeance in Dennison Ramalho’s (NINJAS; ABCS OF DEATH 2) twisted and gleefully icky feature debut. ONE CUT OF THE DEAD Japan, 2018 Texas Premiere, 96 min Director – Shinichiro Ueda A filmmaker sets out to shoot a zombie film in an abandoned factory, but something is lurking on the outside. Is it a zombie apocalypse or just another shoot gone wrong? OPEN 24 HOURS USA, Serbia, 2018 North American Premiere, 100 min Director – Padraig Reynolds In Attendance – Director Padraig Reynolds A young woman who had previously set her serial killer boyfriend on fire is now seeking normalcy by getting a job working the overnight shift at a 24-hour convenience store, where things are most definitely not going to be normal. OVERLORD USA, 2018 World Premiere, TBD min Director – Julius Avery In Attendance – Director Julius Avery and cast including Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbaek, John Magaro, and Mathilde Ollivier In the upcoming WWII horror-thriller OVERLORD, a group of American paratroopers drop into Nazi-occupied France on the eve of D-Day. As they struggle to carry out their seemingly impossible mission, they discover a secret Nazi lab carrying out terrifying and bizarre supernatural experiments. PIERCING USA, 2018 Texas Premiere, 81 min Director – Nicolas Pesce From the twisted mind of Nicolas Pesce (THE EYES OF MY MOTHER) comes a provocative two-hander chamberpiece — a tense battle of wits and desire between prostitute and trick, predator and prey. QUIT YOUR LIFE South Korea, 1971 North American Premiere, 82 min Director – Park Nou-sik Presented in English for the first time, actor-director Park Nou-sik balances the scales of justice as he stalks around Korea with his noose of judgment in the relentless revenge drama QUIT YOUR LIFE. SCHOOL’S OUT France, 2018 North American Premiere, 103 min Director – Sébastien Marnier In this dread-soaked cerebral thriller, a handsome young substitute teacher gets in over his head when taking on a class of gifted students after their former teacher’s dramatic in-class suicide. TERRIFIED Argentina, 2017 US Premiere, 87 min Director – Demián Rugna In Attendance – Director Demián Rugna Strange things are going on in a Buenos Aires neighborhood. Demián Rugna’s constantly surprising and truly spine-chilling horror film has one goal: to scare the shit out of everyone. THE UNTHINKABLE Sweden, 2018 World Premiere, 129 min Director – Crazy Pictures Something unthinkable is happening in Sweden. It starts with a few isolated incidents but suddenly, it’s all over the country. There are some who were prepared and others who weren’t. Ready or not, things will go out with a bang! VIOLENCE VOYAGER Japan, 2018 Regional Premiere, 83 min Director – Ujicha En route to visit a friend in another village, two kids go looking for a fabled shortcut through the mountain. Instead, they stumble upon an amusement park called Violence Voyager, and that’s when everything goes to shit. WHEN THE TREES FALL Ukraine, Poland, Macedonia, 2018 North American Premiere, 88 min Director – Marysia Nikitiuk In Attendance – Director Marysia Nikitiuk Scar and Larysa are desperately in love and suffocating under the tradition and archaic demands of their Ukrainian village. When the frustrations of each finally detonate, their world and the lives of those surrounding them are tragically shattered. THE WOLF HOUSE Chile, 2018 North American Premiere, 73 min Directors – Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña In Attendance – Director Cristóbal León An animated tale, supposedly restored from the archives of a German colony by the Chilean government, THE WOLF HOUSE is the unsettling story of Maria, punished with a hundred nights alone in a cabin in the woods.
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Fantasia 2018 Awards – Daniel Roby’s JUST A BREATH AWAY Wins Best Film
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Just a Breath Away (Dans la brume)[/caption]
The Fantasia International Film Festival announced the award winners of the juried sections of its 22nd edition, with the festival’s Best Film Award going to Daniel Roby’s Paris-set science fiction adventure Just a Breath Away (Dans la brume), which opened Fantasia 2018 to massive acclaim and adoration. The epic apocalyptic thriller, which stars Romain Duris and Olga Kurylenko, sees The City of Lights covered in a deadly white fog that threatens the very existence of humanity.
THE CHEVAL NOIR AWARDS
BEST FILM: DANS LA BRUME (d. Daniel Roby) BEST DIRECTOR: Nosipho Dumisa (NUMBER 37) BEST SCREENPLAY: Isa Mazzei (CAM) BEST ACTOR: Joshua Burge (RELAXER) BEST ACTRESS: Kim Da-mi (THE WITCH PART 1: THE SUBVERSION) The Cheval Noir jury also awarded a special prize to Dennison Ramalho’s The Nightshifter, noting, “Marriage is hell in this daring combination of sub-genres and tones, creating a grisly original ghost story, fueled by revenge, infused with pitch-black comedy, and littered with assorted body parts.”NEW FLESH AWARD FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE
BEST FIRST FEATURE: CAM (d. Daniel Goldhaber) The New Flesh Jury calls Cam, “an ambitious, empowered project devoid of moral policing with respect to sex work, smartly told through visually vibrant storytelling. Cam captures the complexities and contradictions of curated identities on- and offline. This talented team embodies a collaborative spirit of next generation of genre filmmakers.” SPECIAL MENTION: AMIKO The jury calls Amiko, directed by 20-year-old filmmaker Yoko Yamanaka, “a new auteur voice with a DIY punk spirit delivered with a PURE punch.” SPECIAL MENTION: ONE CUT OF THE DEAD The jury also adds that Shinichirou Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead is, “a conceptually playful and brave film, willing to risk losing the audience knowing they will win them back in the end. And they do.”AQCC-CAMERA LUCIDA AWARD
WINNING FILM: MICROHABITAT (d. Jeon Go-Woon) Says the jury, “Microhabitat uses skilled criticism of consumer society, and offers a powerful portrait of a woman that is subtly both comedy and drama, all backed by elegant and controlled staging.”AXIS: SATOSHI KON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: PENGUIN HIGHWAY (d. Hiroyasu Ishida) Says the Axis jury, “For creating a beautifully written and designed story of love and friendship: a magical sci-fi love story for all ages that touched our hearts and minds, we present The Satoshi Kon Award to Penguin Highway.” SPECIAL MENTION: DA HU FA The jury adds, “This brilliantly crafted film defies description by being both funny and frightening, cute and horrific. It thrilled and mystified the jury and we would like to acknowledge for daring to be a genre blending political allegory. The special mention goes to Da Hu Fa.” BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: SIMBIOSIS CARNAL “This beautiful and playfully animated film is a nine minute master class in gender equality. It takes us on a sensual journey, brings us to a fantastic climax and shows us that images are more powerful than words. The Satoshi Kon Award for best animated short goes to Simbiosis Carnal.” SPECIAL MENTION: MAKE IT SOUL “With design inspired by African American folk art this is a beautiful story of soul searching where the protagonist learns to sacrifice his self interest for the greater good. The jury would like to give a special mention to Make it Soul.”INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION AWARD
BEST SHORT FILM: AURORE (d. Mael Le Mée) The Short Film Jury called Aurore, “an attention-grabbing, slick, surreal slide into the world of teenage sexual exploration and the beauty of the unfamiliar, accepting the otherworldly and finding beauty in what we don’t understand. Fantasia’s International Short Film Jury awards Aurore the title of Best Short Feature.” BEST DIRECTOR: SANTIAGO MENGHINI (MILK) “Fantasia’s jury for the International Short film competition awards Milk the title of Best Director due to Menghini’s masterful ability to capture universal moments of growth and maturity through a tense, haunting, and wholly purposeful coming of age vision of the childlike realization of a caretaker’s malicious intent.” BEST SCREENPLAY: TRAVIS BIBLE (EXIT STRATEGY) The jury calls Exit Strategy, “a well structured, tightly controlled script about human beings lack of control. Exit Strategy is a surprisingly touching look at the different languages of love and learning. This films offers concise character development and a thoughtful switch on a familiar narrative, showing us how to accept our fate. BEST ACTOR: FÉLIX GRENIER (FAUVE) “The jury was utterly impressed by Félix Grenier’s performance, this young up-and-comer’s raw and innate talent is displayed in such a confident and vulnerable manner that this exhilarating breakout star can only get better from here on out.” BEST ACTRESS: MANDA TOURÉ (PETIT AVARIE) The jury notes, “We were blown away by Manda Touré’s ability to deliver undeliverable dialogue and express internal monologue that is so unabashedly hyper psycho-sexual and casually cavalier, it translates as insanely appealing.” SPECIAL MENTION: HELLO, RAIN “The jury was impressed by this audacious deep dive into an individualistic and decadent world, in which a filmmaker could achieve such a bold and spiritually fueled universe where vibrant art direction reigns supreme and nothing is off limits.”THE BARRY CONVEX AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE
The jury for the 2018 Barry Convex Award for Best Canadian Feature or Co-Production awarded David Paradis’ Le Nid their top honor, for, “Its unconventional and disturbing narrative, its poignant revelations and a strong lead performance from actor Pierre-Luc Brillant that skillfully glides between deadpan humor, terror and pathos.”FANTASIA VIRTUAL REALITY JURY AWARD
The Fantasia VR Jury awarded the 2018 Fantasia VR Grand Prize to the film Dinner Party, directed by Angel Manuel Soto. Says the jury, “This film intelligently uses every aspect of the virtual reality experience to its advantage, and benefits from an intelligent script and a cast of actors who contribute to the overall offering. ” A special mention from the jury goes to Alexander Aja’s Campfire Creepers series – already at two episodes and showing great potential – which pays homage to the genre-film culture of the ’80s and ’90s, smartly transposed into a virtual reality experience.
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2018 Fantasia International Film Festival Launches First Wave of Films
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Parallel[/caption]
The Fantasia International Film Festival, celebrating its 22nd Anniversary in Montreal this summer, from July 12 to August 1, 2018, revealed the first wave of film titles, along with several special events. In addition to the festival, Frontières International Co-Production Market and Industry Rendez-Vous Weekend will be held July 19 to 22, 2018.
The festival’s full lineup of over 130 feature films will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia.
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF BLEACH HIGHLIGHTS A TRIO OF BLOCKBUSTER MASTERPIECES BY PROLIFIC DIRECTOR SHINSUKE SATO
The most anticipated Japanese film of 2018 will have its International Premiere at Fantasia 2018 and completely blow everyone’s minds! Adapted from one of the world’s most popular mangas, BLEACH is directed by Shinsuke Sato (GANTZ, LIBRARY WARS) and masterfully portrays the epic fight between Shinigamis (Soul Reapers) and monstrous lost souls called Hollows. BLEACH fans will shed tears of joy as they see teenager Ichigo Kurosaki (AS THE GODS WILL’s Sota Fukushi) slice his giant sword through superbly designed Hollows, while the uninitiated will be amazed by this action-packed fantasy loaded with young rising stars and state-of-the-art special effects. BLEACH has everything one hopes for in a summer blockbuster… and much more! Another crowd-pleasing powerhouse directed by Shinsuke Sato, INUYASHIKI, will set Fantasia 2018 on fire at its Canadian Premiere. The film reunites Sato with the universe of mangaka Hiroya Oku, creator of GANTZ, in a live-action adaptation that perfectly balances fast-paced action, humour, and bloody thrills! Winner of the Golden Raven at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, INUYASHIKI opposes a lovable bullied old man (comedian Noritake Kinashi) and a cold murderous student (RUROUNI KENSHIN’s Takeru Satoh), both turned into powerful cyborgs after a strange explosion. It’s a glorious, fun ride with far more depth than it seems. Lastly, to cap the festival’s celebration of Shinsuke Sato, Fantasia will be showcasing a special screening of the filmmaker’s celebrated 2015 instant-classic of the zombie sub-genre I AM A HERO, widely regarded as one of the best horror films in recent years. Acclaimed everywhere it was shown, the film won numerous awards, notably at SXSW, Sitges and Brussels, and it will soon be ravaging Montreal in its long-time-coming Quebec Premiere!FIVE FORCES OF FEAR COME TOGETHER FOR A TERRIFYING DOSE OF NIGHTMARE CINEMA
As part of Fantasia’s Opening Night events, the festival will unveil the World Premiere of Cinelou Films’ hotly-anticipated anthology NIGHTMARE CINEMA, featuring segments by Joe Dante (GREMLINS), Mick Garris (THE STAND), Alejandro Brugués (JUAN OF THE DEAD), Ryûhei Kitamura (VERSUS), and David Slade (30 DAYS OF NIGHT) with a cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Richard Chamberlain, Adam Godley, Belinda Balaski, Elizabeth Reaser, and Annabeth Gish. It’s always cause for celebration when the acclaimed “Masters of Horror” brew new creations, and seeing their energies distilled into a single feature film will all but make the universe explode.LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOE DANTE!
Fantasia will be presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to adored US genre legend Joe Dante, a man whose inspired filmography has touched generations of cinephiles. From PIRANHA, THE HOWLING, and the universally-beloved GREMLINS films to INNERSPACE, EXPLORERS, and his bold television work, Dante’s works are electric with witty personality and brim with innovative storytelling and a big-hearted affection for all things film. As Fantasia will be World Premiering his latest work with NIGHTMARE CINEMA, there couldn’t be a better time to honour the great man. Previous recipients of Fantasia’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Guillermo del Toro, Takashi Miike, Ken Russell, Tobe Hooper, Jean Rollin, Andrzej Zulawski, Mamoru Oshii, John Landis, José Mojica Marins, Larry Cohen, and Ray Harryhausen.THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB
In 2014, Fantasia World Premiered the cutting-edge independent horror breakout UNFRIENDED under its original title, CYBERNATURAL, to significant acclaim, leading to the film’s acquisition by Blumhouse and Universal. Now, four years later, the festival will showcase the International Premiere of UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB, a wholly unique – and deeply unsettling – standalone sequel that launched at SXSW this past March, as a special event screening on Friday, July 13th. UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB was written and directed by Stephen Susco and stars Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Stephanie Nogueras, Andrew Lees, Savira Windyani, and Connor Del Rio.BE THE WORLD’S FIRST TO GAZE UPON THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW
Andy Mitton, co-writer and co-director of WE GO ON and YELLOWBRICKROAD, goes solo this time as he continues his streak of staggeringly effective, character-driven supernatural horror. Stunningly scripted and performed, THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW (World Premiere) is a gripping paranormal chiller about a divorced father taking his 12-year-old son to rural Vermont to help him with a fixer-upper farmhouse – a farmhouse whose previous owner, however deceased she may be, has never left the premises. Produced by Richard W. King and starring Alex Draper, Arija Bareikis, Greg Naughton, and Charlie Tacker.THE RIVETING WORLD PREMIERE OF CAM WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY
Key among this year’s most exciting discoveries is Isa Mazzei and Danny Goldhaber’s CAM (World Premiere), a surrealistic thriller set in the world of webcam erotica in which an ambitious young camgirl (“The Handmaid Tale”’s Madeline Brewer) discovers that she’s inexplicably been replaced on her site with an exact replica of herself – a replica that knows personal things only she could know, and is considerably less guarded about privacy. The control that she has over her life, and the people in it, begins to break away. CAM is both an extraordinary genre vision and a milestone – the rare film about sex work written by a former sex worker. CAM brilliantly captures the anxieties and identity struggles of this unfairly judged field of work, with an approach that borders on the Lynchian. Produced by Blumhouse Pictures, Gunpowder & Sky, and Divide/Conquer, CAM also stars Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid, and Samantha Robinson.SIDES AND MOLECULES WILL SPLIT AT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF MEGA TIME SQUAD
Bursting with comic invention and absurdist scenarios, MEGA TIME SQUAD (World Premiere) is New Zealand writer/director Tim van Dammen’s oddball sophomore feature, a wildly entertaining sci-fi tale about a two-bit criminal stumbling upon an ancient time-travel device. Ridiculous happenings ensue. Starring Anton Tenet and a slew of familiar faces from the Kiwi genre scene, including WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS’ Jonny Brugh and DEATHGASM’s Milo Cawthorne!UDINE WINNER LAST CHILD INTRODUCES A BRILLIANT NEW FILMMAKER WHO WILL LEAVE HIS MARK ON KOREAN CINEMA
After Sung-cheol and Mi-sook lose their teenage boy, who drowns saving fellow student Ki-hyun, their lives collapse. When Sung-cheol takes Ki-hyun under his wing, things improve rapidly, but truth always rises to the surface, causing the dynamic between the trio of scorched souls to change drastically. Selected at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, LAST CHILD, which will have its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia, is probably the most powerful and poignant first feature film to come out of Korea since Lee Su-jin’s HAN GONG-JU. Thanks to beautiful performances by Choi Moo-seong (I SAW THE DEVIL), Kim Yeo-jin (PEPPERMINT CANDY) and Seong Yu-bin (ALONG WITH THE GODS), writer/director Shin Dong-seok’s masterpiece recently secured the coveted White Mulberry Award for Best Debut Film at the Udine Far East Film Festival.HOUSES ARE AS HAUNTED AS YOU MAKE THEM: THE WORLD PREMIERE OF OUR HOUSE
Fantasia will be channeling the World Premiere of the Canadian paranormal chiller OUR HOUSE, a tight, engrossing remake of the clever 2010 indie GHOST FROM THE MACHINE (itself having world premiered at Fantasia under its original title PHASMA EX MACHINA), directed by Anthony Scott Burns (HOLIDAYS) with a screenplay by Nathan Parker (MOON) and starring Thomas Mann, Nicola Peltz and Percy Hynes White.THE WORLD PREMIERE OF INDONESIA’S ASTONISHING WESTERN BUFFALO BOYS IS THE FIRST REVEAL OF FANTASIA 2018’S ACTION! SECTION
Genre producer Mike Wiluan (HEADSHOT, BEYOND SKYLINE, MACABRE) leaps into the director’s chair for this searing, screaming action epic set during the Dutch occupation of Indonesia. When all seems lost in a small town overrun by colonialist violence, two revenge-seeking brothers arrive, meting out bloody justice that leaps effortlessly between brutal Western gunslinging and stylized Eastern swordplay. Starring a gorgeous cast featuring HEADSHOT’s Sunny Pang and THE RAID 2’s Alex Abbad, BUFFALO BOYS (World Premiere) is a virtual who’s who of Indonesia’s finest action and stunt talent that will knock your skull through the back of the cinema.CAMERA LUCIDA UNVEILS UNDER THE SILVER LAKE, LUZ, MADELINE’S MADELINE, AND HANAGATAMI!
Fantasia’s CAMERA LUCIDA section, dedicated to experimental, boundary-pushing and auteur-driven works of genre cinema, is back for its ninth consecutive year, and proud to unveil its first four titles. Join the festival for a Special Screening of UNDER THE SILVER LAKE, David Robert Mitchell’s much-anticipated follow-up to IT FOLLOWS! Fresh off the Croisette, Mitchell’s latest is, much like his previous take on horror, a playful exercise in genre-bending; an L.A.-set, sun-soaked noir-comedy – starring Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough – in the venerable tradition of THE LONG GOODBYE, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and INHERENT VICE. Under the paving stones… the lake! Hot off its World Premiere at the 68th Berlinale, Fantasia welcomes Tilman Singer’s tectonic LUZ (North American Premiere). A first feature heralding a bold new talent in genre, LUZ recalls the best of ’70s arthouse and Euro-horror (Zulawski, Fulci, and even Fassbinder come to mind), without ever giving way to pastiche or citation. Instead, LUZ is a mise-en-scène tour-de-force; an experimental subversion of the familiar possession narrative by way of avant-garde theatre – even shot in scope on gorgeous 16mm! The section will also welcome back filmmaker-extraordinaire Josephine Decker (THOU WAST MILD AND LOVELY; Fantasia 2014), with her latest, deeply personal masterwork, MADELINE’S MADELINE (Canadian Premiere). An essential film about the search for one’s identity, the problematics of appropriation, cultural or otherwise, and the treacherous process of creating art from lived experience, Decker’s latest is an intensely gripping work, set in and around New York’s experimental theater scene, and unfolds in the mode of an edge-of-your-seat psychodrama. Much like her previous work, MADELINE’S MADELINE further blurs the boundaries between introspective arthouse and genre mechanics. Finally, the section is pleased to celebrate the great Nobuhiko Obayashi with the screening of his latest film, HANAGATAMI (Quebec Premiere). Diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer at the time of production (from which the filmmaker has since miraculously recovered), Obayashi has gone back to his first feature script, and directed a new film in the style, and with the vitality, of his beloved 1977 cult film HOUSE (HAUSU) – in what amounts here to an exaltedly stylized epic; a boldly experimental paean to youth, memory, and the resistance of the human spirit; and a dreamy narrative blending fantasy, horror, and melodrama at the brink of World War II. As of 2017, all titles selected in the Camera Lucida section are eligible for the Camera Lucida-AQCC prize, awarded by the Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma (Québec’s Critics Association), member of FIPRESCI.THE EVOLUTION OF ANIME CONTINUES IN FANTASIA’S AXIS SECTION
Japanese animation remains a key ingredient of Fantasia’s recipe, and the year’s most notable works again grace the programming of the festival’s Axis section. The first three films announced in the 2018 Axis lineup reflect the strength and variety of the anime genre at this time. Screenwriter Mari Okada (THE ANTHEM OF THE HEART) makes her directorial debut with the breathtaking MAQUIA: WHEN THE PROMISED FLOWER BLOOMS (Canadian Premiere). Okada’s gifts as a storyteller fortify this medieval fantasy escapade, adding rare emotional heft to the dazzling visuals, further enhanced by legendary composer Kenji Kawai (GHOST IN THE SHELL). Celebrated producer Genki Kawamura (THE BOY AND THE BEAST, YOUR NAME) has breathed life into yet another essential work of the current anime renaissance. Adapting a cult ’90s TV series by Shunji Iwai, FIREWORKS (Canadian Premiere) is a keenly rendered drama of adolescent romance with a fantastical, what-if twist. Following up his 2013 debut BURNING BUDDHA MAN, ultra-outré Japanese creator Ujicha returns to Fantasia with the equally bizarre and marvelous VIOLENCE VOYAGER (Canadian Premiere) – a very, very unusual amusement-park experience. Ujicha is the world’s leading (and probably only) practitioner of “gekimation,” in which hand-painted cardboard are manipulated and filmed live.RENEGADE FRENCH ANIMATORS BOBBYPILLS BREAK HEARTS, MINDS, AND BONES WITH CRISIS JUNG
Bobbypills is a renegade French animation studio whose web series fuse the flavours of Japanese anime and the Euro-American underground. Following their gloriously sleazy debut series VERMIN, Bobbypills will soon unleash Baptiste Gaubert and Jérémie Hoarau’s CRISIS JUNG (International Premiere), a tale of broken hearts, bent minds and bashed-out brains in a ravaged, savaged, sexed-up futureworld. Fantasia’s international premiere of CRISIS JUNG, in its entirety and in lustrous 4K, will mark a very rare opportunity to see this mobile-bound maelstrom of mayhem towering on the big screen.ADDITIONAL FIRST WAVE TITLES:
ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE UK – Dir: John McPhail A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash, and sing their way to survival, facing hellish snowmen, an undead Santa, and bloodthirsty elves in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. Official Selection: Fantastic Fest 2017. Winner: Midnight X-Treme Best Feature, Sitges 2017. Canadian Premiere. THE DARK Austria / Canada – Dir: Justin P. Lange An undead teenage girl befriends a blind boy that she meets in a forest she haunts and hunts in. Both have been victims of unimaginable abuse, and each finds solace in the other. There may be a chance of light at the end of their tunnel, but it will come with a body count. Official Selection: Tribeca Film Festival 2018, Fantaspoa 2018. Canadian Premiere. THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL Various – Dirs: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, Peter Strickland, Ashim Ahluwalia, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Calvin Reeder, Yannis Veslemes They are known as myths, lore, and folktales. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories laid the foundation for what we now know as the horror genre. This anthology film overflows with striking visions from Austria, Greece, India, Norway, Poland, Turkey, the UK, and the USA, each directed by their country’s leading genre auteurs. Official Selection: SXSW 2018.Canadian Premiere. KNUCKLEBALL Canada – Dir: Michael Peterson TURBO KID stars Munro Chambers and Michael Ironside headline this dead serious surprise from the director of LLOYD THE CONQUEROR. KNUCKLEBALL reminds you that there’s nothing quite like chilly Canadian landscapes filled with deadly intentions to bring a chill up your spine. Official Selection: Cinequest 2018, Calgary Underground Film Festival 2018. Quebec Premiere. THE OUTLAWS South Korea – Kang Yun-sung Anyone who saw TRAIN TO BUSAN remembers the huge, zombie-punching badass who stole the show – and now, Don Lee is back to kick more ass in this gritty action thriller! When a Korean-Chinese gang war lead by the cruel Jang Chen (POONGSAN’s Yoon Kye-sang) starts tearing his district apart, Detective Ma Seok-do must calm things down and protect his community – by redecorating rooms with gangsters faces! Extremely funny and entertaining, THE OUTLAWS is the ultimate gift for all 1990’s Stallone film fans! Official Selection, Dubai International Film Festival, Macao International Film Festival. Quebec Premiere. PARALLEL Canada/USA – Dir. Isaac Ezban From BRON Studios division The Realm comes the English language debut of award-winning Mexican science-fiction wunderkind Isaac Ezban (The Incident, The Similars), Parallel is a fantasy work without – well, let’s avoid the obvious title-derived pun! A clever sci-fi film that smashes through the multiverse, starring Aml Ameen, Martin Wallström, Georgia King, Mark O´Brien, and Kathleen Quinlan, featuring stunning visuals from cinematographer Karim Hussain… This year, get ready for a movie that is out of this universe! Official Selection: Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. North American Premiere. PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH USA/UK – Dirs: Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund Thomas Lennon, Udo Kier, Barbara Crampton, Nelson Franklin, and Charlene Yi star in this utterly crazy reimagining of Charles Band classic’s franchise about homicidal puppets created by a Nazi occultist. Filled with crazed gore, THE LITTLEST REICH is scripted with heaps of wit and cruelty by none other than BONE TOMAHAWK and BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 director S. Craig Zahler! Official Selection: Overlook Film Festival 2018, Fantaspoa 2018. Canadian Premiere. THE RANGER USA – Dir: Jenn Wexler The directorial debut of MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND producer Jenn Wexler (and a project born out of Frontieres, Fantasia’s co-production market), THE RANGER offers a modern take on survivalist horror that both celebrates and subverts slasher tropes – with equal parts humor, glitter, and gore – and a punk soundtrack to literally die for. Official Selection: SXSW 2018, Chattanooga Film Festival 2018, Fantaspoa 2018. Canadian Premiere. ROKUROKU: THE PROMISE OF THE WITCH Japan – Dir: Yudai Yamaguchi Those peculiar spirits of Japanese folklore, the yokai, are back on the big screen, but this time, with a creepy horrific twist! ROKUROKU is a delightful omnibus of episodic spook-outs from two luminaries of Japanese genre film, Yudai Yamaguchi (CROMARTIE HIGH) and Keita Amemiya (ZEIRAM). Official Selection: Busan International Film Festival 2017. Canadian Premiere. SATAN’S SLAVES Indonesia / South Korea – Dir. Joko Anwar A record-breaking box-office hit upon release, Joko Anwar’s affectionate remake of 1980’s PENGABDI SETAN is one of horror cinema’s recent triumphs: an atmospheric, expertly-shot roller-coaster ride of a haunted house film, inspired as much by Indonesian folklore as by retro genre classics. Official Selection: Rotterdam Film Festival 2018. Winner: Feature Jury Prize, Overlook Film Festival 2018. Canadian Premiere. SKATE KITCHEN USA – Dir. Crystal Moselle Documentary filmmaker Crystal Moselle’s fiction film debut following THE WOLFPACK is a superb girl-power anthem; a film beaming with raw authenticity, and mostly shot with non-actors. An empowering and uplifting counter-culture film described by some as a streetwise alternative to GIRLS, it follows a young woman’s drastic life changes when she meets the New York skate crew Skate Kitchen. Official Selection: Sundance 2018, Inside Out 2018. Quebec Premiere. TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID Mexico – Dir: Issa López A dark fairytale about a gang of children trying to survive the horrific violence of the cartels and the ghosts created every day by the drug war, TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID is the winner of 23 awards (and counting!) on the international festival circuit, and ranks among the great genre works of our time. Guillermo del Toro was so enraptured by it that he’s signed up to produce a film with its gifted director. Official Selection: Fantastic Fest 2017, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. Quebec Premiere. TREMBLE ALL YOU WANT Japan – Dir. Akiko Ohku The tale of quirky, 24-year-old Yoshiku’s ten-year crush on “Ishi” (her first), suddenly interrupted by “Ni” (second) provides the set-up for one of the most charming, psychologically resonant, and genuinely subversive romantic comedies in recent memory, based on Risa Wataya’s acclaimed 2010 novel. Winner: Audience Award, Tokyo International Film Festival 2017. Quebec Premiere. WILDERNESS: Part 1 and Part 2 Japan – Dir: Yoshiyuki Kishi In a near-future where Japanese society has collapsed and terrorist attacks frequently hit Tokyo, two drastically different men – cocky and aggressive Shinji and stuttering, shy Kenji – will try to find their place in this world through boxing. Widely considered one of the best Japanese films of 2017, WILDERNESS is a sensitive drama, beautifully depicting male friendship as a visceral sports drama in the tradition of RAGING BULL or CRYING FIST. Giving masterful performances, GINTAMA’s Masaki Suda was named Best Lead Actor at the Japan Academy Prizes and Yang Ik-june, who grabbed two awards at Fantasia 2009 for BREATHLESS, won Best Supporting Actor at the Asian Film Awards. Official Selection, Busan International Film Festival 2017. Canadian Premiere.