Field Guide to Evil

  • 2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Announces First Films – Opens with KNIFE + HEART

    [caption id="attachment_31470" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]KNIFE + HEART 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. 2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Poster 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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  • 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival Launches First Wave of Films

    [caption id="attachment_28777" align="aligncenter" width="913"]Parallel 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.

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  • 2018 SXSW Festival to Close with Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” + Midnighters, Shorts, VR Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_25762" align="aligncenter" width="1329"]Isle of Dogs Isle of Dogs[/caption] The North American premiere of Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs will close the 2018 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals. The film tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture. The film features an all star cast including Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe, Mari Natsuki, Fisher Stevens, Nijiro Murakami, Liev Schreiber, and Courtney B. Vance. The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals also announced the remainder of its Film Festival program, including the Midnighters, Shorts, Virtual Cinema, Music Video, Title Sequence and new Independent Episodic lineup, plus late-addition Features for the 25th edition of the Festival, running March 9-18, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

    FEATURES

    MIDNIGHTERS

    Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – ten provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious. Ajin: Demi-Human Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro, Screenwriter: Kouji Seko Endless battle between human being and immortal demi-human “Ajin”. A stunning, strikingly original action masterpiece! Cast: Takeru Satoh, Go Ayano, Tetsuji Tamayama, Yu Shirota, Yudai Chiba, Rina Kawaei, Minami Hamabe (North American Premiere) Blood Fest Director/Screenwriter: Owen Egerton In Blood Fest, fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. Cast: Robbie Kay, Jacob Batalon, Seychelle Gabriel, Tate Donovan, Barbara Dunkelman, Nick Rutherford, Zachary Levi (World Premiere) Untitled Blumhouse-Bazelevs Film Director/Screenwriter: Stephen Susco A 20-something finds a cache of hidden files on his new laptop and is thrust into the deep waters of the dark web. From the makers of Unfriended, this thriller unravels in real-time, entirely on a computer screen. A warning for the digital age. Cast: Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Conor del Rio, Stephanie Nogueras, Savira Windyani (World Premiere) Field Guide to Evil (Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Poland, Turkey, U.S.) Directors: Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Peter Strickland, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Calvin Reeder, Ashim Ahluwalia, Yannis Veslemes They are known as dark folklore. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories and others laid the foundation for what we now call the horror genre. (World Premiere) Ghost Stories (United Kingdom) Directors/Screenwriters: Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman An arch skeptic debunker of the supernatural embarks upon a terror filled quest when he stumbles across a long lost file containing details of three cases of inexplicable ‘hauntings’. Adapted from the Olivier Award Winning hit stage play. Cast: Martin Freeman, Alex Lawther, Jill Halfpenny, Andy Nyman, Paul Whitehouse(North American Premiere) Hereditary Director/Screenwriter: Ari Aster When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Cast: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Ann Dowd, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro A Prayer Before Dawn (United States, France) Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, Screenwriters: Jonathan Hirschbein, Nick Saltrese Based on the international best-seller, A Prayer Before Dawn is the true story of Billy Moore, a troubled young British boxer sent to one of Thailand’s most notorious jails. Cast: Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringar, Panya Yimmumphai, Nicolas Shake (North American Premiere) The Ranger Director: Jenn Wexler, Screenwriters: Jenn Wexler, Giaco Furino Teen punks, on the run from the cops and hiding out in the woods, come up against the local authority—an unhinged park ranger with an axe to grind. Cast: Chloë Levine, Granit Lahu, Jeremy Pope, Bubba Weiler, Amanda Grace Benitez, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden (World Premiere) Upgrade Director/Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell In a utopian near-future when technology controls everything, a technophobe avenges his wife’s murder and his own paralysis-causing injury with the help of an experimental computer chip implant – STEM – that turns out to have a mind of its own. Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie (World Premiere) What Keeps You Alive (Canada) Director: Colin Minihan, Screenwriters: Colin Minihan, Brittany Allen Majestic mountains, a still lake and venomous betrayals engulf a female married couple attempting to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Cast: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha Macisaac, Joey Klein, Charlotte Lindsay Marron(World Premiere)

    HEADLINERS

    Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema. Isle of Dogs (United States, United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Wes Anderson Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his dog. Cast: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe, Mari Natsuki, Fisher Stevens, Nijiro Murakami, Liev Schreiber, Courtney B. Vance (North American Premiere)

    NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

    High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW. Brother’s Nest (Australia) Director: Clayton Jacobson, Screenwriter: Jaime Browne With their Mother dying of cancer, intent on changing her will to benefit her “new” husband before she dies, two brothers go to extreme and deadly lengths to protect their inheritance from being signed away before it’s too late. Cast: Shane Jacobson, Clayton Jacobson, Lynette Curran, Kim Gyngell, Sarah Snook (World Premiere) Galveston Director/Screenwriter: Melanie Laurent After surviving a setup by his criminal boss, a hitman rescues a young prostitute and flees with her to Galveston, Texas, where the two find strength in each other as dangerous pursuers and the shadows of their pasts follow close behind. Cast: Ben Foster, Elle Fanning, Beau Bridges, Adepero Aduye, Robert Aramayo, Lili Reinhart, Maria Valverde (World Premiere) Most Likely To Murder Director: Dan Gregor, Screenwriters: Dan Gregor, Doug Mand Billy, the coolest kid in high school, comes back to his hometown 15 years later to find he’s no longer cool and the girl he still has feelings for now dates the former town outcast. Billy becomes obsessed with proving the outcast is a murderer. Cast: Adam Pally, Rachel Bloom, Vincent Kartheiser, John Reynolds, Didi Conn, Ethan Phillips, Doug Mand, Hasan Minhaj, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Julia Goldani Telles(World Premiere)

    DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT

    Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW. They Live Here, Now Director/Screenwriter: Jason Outenreath Austin based refugee house, Casa Marianella, is one of the most prominent refugee houses in the United States, providing life saving services for thousands of immigrants each year. Meet the people who live here now. (World Premiere)

    EPISODIC

    Episodic tunes in to the explosion of exciting material on non-theatrical platforms, including serialized TV and beyond.

    24 BEATS PER SECOND

    Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians, with an emphasis on documentary. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (United Kingdom) Director/Screenwriter: Steve Sullivan The hilarious and bizarre story of Frank Sidebottom, the cult British comedian in a papier mâché head, and the secretive life of Chris Sievey, the artist trapped inside. (World Premiere) Hearts Beat Loud Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch A father and daughter become an unlikely song writing duo before she leaves for college. Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Blythe Danner, Sasha Lane

    GLOBAL

    A diverse selection of international filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries, premieres, festival favorites and more. Jeannette, The Childhood of Joan of Arc (France) Director/Screenwriter: Bruno Dumont France, 1425. In the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, the young Jeannette, at the still tender age of 8, looks after her sheep in the small village of Domremy. Cast: Lise Leplat Prudhomme, Jeanne Voisin, Lucile Gauthier, Victoria Lefebvre, Aline Charles

    FESTIVAL FAVORITES

    Acclaimed standouts and selected previous premieres from festivals around the world. Blindspotting Director: Carlos Lopez Estrada, Screenwriters: Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs Lifelong friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Oakland. Cast: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casa, Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones Science Fair Directors: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Screenwriters: Jeffrey Plunkett, Darren Foster, Cristina Costantini Nine high school students from around the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at the international science fair. Facing off against 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries, only one will be named Best in Fair. Sorry To Bother You Director/Screenwriter: Boots Riley In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe. Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover

    SPECIAL EVENTS

    Live soundtracks, cult re-issues and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected and unique one-off film events. Cartoon Network Screening at SXSW For the third year in a row, Cartoon Network presents a fun-filled family event open to all fans. Be among the first to watch upcoming adventure series, Craig of the Creek plus catch brand new episodes of favorite shows Ben 10 and Unikitty! And fans are in for a special treat with a never-before-seen look at Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, coming to theaters this summer. Doug Benson Master Pancake and Doug Loves Movies Podcast Doug Benson returns in the continuing tradition of our annual St. Patrick’s Day screening of the Leprechaun series. On March 17 we present Leprechaun 5: In The Hood, directed by Rob Spera. 20th CENTURY FOX PRESENTS ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL SXSW OPENING NIGHT PARTY For the first time ever, 20th Century Fox welcomes SXSW Platinum and Film badge holders to Iron City, the movie set where Alita: Battle Angel was filmed. SXSW Platinum and Film badge holders are invited to join the cast and filmmakers at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios for the 2018 SXSW Opening Night Party in celebration of the upcoming Alita: Battle Angel. Attendees will be picked up at the 5th Street side entrance of the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Austin by Alita: Battle Angelbranded shuttles and will be transported to the futuristic Iron City movie set. From 9:30 pm to 12:30 am on Friday March 9, guests will enjoy cocktails, bites from local food trucks and great music, all within an immersive film set, featuring props from the film.

    SHORTS PROGRAM

    NARRATIVE SHORTS

    A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. Allen Anders – Live at the Comedy Castle (circa 1987) Director: Laura Moss, Screenwriter: Tony Grayson Footage of Allen Anders famed 1987 performance at the Comedy Castle. (World Premiere) Are We Good Parents? Director: Bola Ogun, Screenwriters: Hailey Chavez, Bola Ogun When Lauren and Bill’s 14-year-old daughter says she’s going to her first dance with her classmate Ryan, they question their preconceived notions of her sexuality and their openness as parents. (World Premiere) The Big Day (United Kingdom) Director: Dawn Shadforth, Screenwriter: Kellie Smith Jess is super excited to attend her step-sister’s wedding and truly become part of the family, but after only recently finding out about her existence, her stepfamily are less than delighted about her presence on the big day. (World Premiere) Brian and Charles (United Kingdom) Director: Jim Archer, Screenwriters: David Earl, Chris Hayward A comedy about two friends who share a cottage in the English countryside. Brian is a poorly groomed, gravelly voiced farmer who struggles with depression and loneliness. Charles is a robot. Caroline Directors/Screenwriters: Logan George, Celine Held When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day. (World Premiere) Carro (Brazil, United States) Director/Screenwriter: Gustavo Rosa An undocumented Brazilian immigrant living in the Boston area decides to buy a car in an effort to better his life before returning home. (World Premiere) Emergency Director: Carey Williams, Screenwriter: K.D. Dávila Faced with an emergency, a group of young Black and Latino friends weigh the pros and cons of calling the police. Guilt (Mexico) Director/Screenwriter: Moisés Aisemberg Guilt is a direct window into the undeniable violence experienced by children today and the involuntary repression that they must undergo within a society that tolerates abuse. (World Premiere) Haven (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Kelly Fyffe-Marshall When a little girl finds solace in between her mother’s legs, biggest fears become reality. (North American Premiere) Intercourse (Sweden) Director/Screenwriter: Jonatan Etzler “I’ll give you 100 bucks” he suggests, and jokingly she agrees, and neither of them see the gravity of the situation. When a sexual boundary is crossed and the balance of power is shifted – what will happen to their peaceful and normal relationship? (North American Premiere) Jay-Z – ‘Moonlight’ Director/Screenwriter: Alan Yang The One Where No One’s Ready Kimchi Director/Screenwriter: Jackson Kiyoshi Segars As his family argues about his end-of-life care, an elderly Korean man reflects on his life with a stranger. (World Premiere) Kira Burning Director/Screenwriter: Laurel Akira Parmet Teenage Kira attempts to take revenge after a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex-best friend. (World Premiere) Krista Director: Danny Madden, Screenwriters: Danny Madden, Will Madden In a high school theater class, Krista uses her scene study as catharsis. (World Premiere) Men Don’t Whisper Director: Jordan Firstman, Screenwriters: Charles Rogers, Jordan FIrstman After being emasculated at a sales conference, gay couple Reese and Peyton set out to do the most masculine thing they can think of – sleep with some women. Pink Trailer Director: Mary Neely, Screenwriters: Macey Isaacs, Jenny Leiferman Best friends Lucy and Julie are spending their summer hiding from a terrorizing neighbor until Lucy runs out of her antidepressant, and they’re forced to fight for their lives. (North American Premiere) Shiva Baby (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Emma Seligman At a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy. (World Premiere) Tangles and Knots (Australia) Director/Screenwriter: Renée Marie Petropoulos An intimate, unique bond between mother and daughter becomes threatened when the mother helps her teenage daughter throw a party to impress new, more popular friends. The Things You Think I’m Thinking (Canada) Director: Sherren Lee, Screenwriter: Jesse LaVercombe A black male burn-survivor and amputee goes on a date with a regularly-abled man. Tooth and Nail Director: Sara Shaw, Screenwriters: Sara Shaw, Amanda Verwey A sister makes a bargain with her terminally ill brother. He agrees to let her use his sperm for future use with a partner if she comes out to her family that night. (World Premiere) We Forgot to Break Up (Canada) Director: Chandler Levack, Screenwriters: Steven McCarthy, Chandler Levack After a few years absence, Evan unexpectedly returns one night to face his now-famous former bandmates. The surprise reunion is bittersweet, in this intimate depiction of the knotty complexities of relating to old friends after everything has changed. (U.S. Premiere) We Win Director: Michael Stahl-David, Screenwriters: Ana Nogueira, Michael Stahl-David A happy couple’s relationship unravels during a game of “Mafia.” (World Premiere) Wren Boys (United Kingdom) Director: Harry Lighton, Screenwriters: Harry Lighton, John Fitzpatrick On the day after Christmas, a Catholic priest from Cork drives his nephew to prison.

    DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

    Slices of life from across the documentary spectrum. The Earth is Humming Director: Garrett Bradley In Japan, earthquake preparedness is a way of life—and a full-blown industry. (World Premiere) The Coffin Club (New Zealand) Director: Briar March, Screenwriter: Kim Harrop, Nick Ward, Briar March A group of rebellious, creative Kiwi seniors give death the finger, one crazy coffin at a time. (North American Premiere) Dead. Tissue. Love. (United Kingdom) Director: Natasha Austin-Green Dead. Tissue. Love. is an intimate experimental documentary exploring the character of a female necrophile, as she recounts her life experiences and sexual awakening. (U.S. Premiere) Death Metal Grandma Director: Leah Galant, Screenwriters: Sean Weiner, Leah Galant Death Metal Grandma follows 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, Inge Ginsberg, who has decided to break out as a singer of Death Metal music. (World Premiere) Lonesome Willcox Directors: Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright Willcox, Arizona is a country music town that isn’t what it used to be. The town’s only radio station has but one employee – a local pariah who lives in the studio, and has a complicated and difficult relationship with the music he plays every day. (World Premiere) My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes (Canada) Director: Charlie Tyrell, Screenwriters: Josef Beeby, Charlie Tyrell Filmmaker Charlie Tyrell seeks to better understand his emotionally distant late-father through the random objects he left behind, including a stack of tacky, 1980s VHS pornography. A Night at The Garden Director: Marshall Curry Months before the start of World War II, 22,000 Americans gathered in New York’s Madison Square Garden to rally in support of Nazism. On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi (Canada) Directors: Brandon Gross, Skyler Gross Ruth (Nani) and Roman (Popi) are Holocaust survivors married for 65 years. After six decades of marriage, a painful truth tests their enduring union. Brandon and Skyler Gross’ moving portrait of their grandparents raises more questions than it answers. (U.S. Premiere) Roadside Attraction Directors: Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas Palm Beach International Airport’s newest snowbird has become one of the fastest growing roadside attractions in the United States. Santa Ana Director: César Pesquera, Screenwriters: Kako Mendez, Christian Lopez, César Pesquera Part art-film, part documentary, Santa Ana aims to elucidate the link between evil and the famed Santa Ana winds, extremely dry down-slope winds in Southern California supposedly responsible for a tense, uneasy, wrathful mood among the people. Sister Hearts Director: Mohammad Gorjestani Maryam Uloho spent thirteen years in prison in Louisiana. After her release in 2013, she was homeless and lived as a squatter for over 2 years. This experience led her to discover her lifelong mission: To help incarcerated women re-enter society. (World Premiere) The Terrorist Hunter (Canada, United States) Director/Screenwriter: Ann Shin The Terrorist Hunter follows controversial spy Rita Katz, lauded by some for her work fighting terrorism, and criticized by others who say she creates terrorist plots where none exist. The film explores how fear and terror play out in our society. (World Premiere) Xavier Corbero: Portrait of an Artist in Winter (Spain, United Kingdom) Director: Nathalie Biancheri The first and last glimpse into the universe of iconic Spanish sculptor Xavier Corberó. A kaleidoscopic life and career that traversed a turbulent moment of Spanish history. (World Premiere)

    ANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION

    An assortment of stories told using traditional animation, computer-generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between. Abnie Oberfork: A Tale of Self-Preservation Director/Screenwriter: Shannon Fleming A 12-year-old girl pickles herself to escape the malaise of childhood. (World Premiere) Agua Viva Director/Screenwriter: Alexa Lim Haas A Chinese manicurist attempts to describe feelings she doesn’t have the words for in a language she does not speak. (World Premiere) Intimity (Switzerland) Director/Screenwriter: Elodie Dermange As she is showering, dressing, putting on her make-up, a woman bares her soul. She speaks of her fears, her complexes, and the process of accepting – even loving – herself. Jeom Director: Kangmin Kim A father and a son both have the same big birthmark on their butt. Believing that the two birthmarks are connected, the son scrubs his father’s birthmark to remove it – but he just can’t get rid of it. Manivald (Estonia) Director: Chintis Lundgren, Screenwriters: Chintis Lundgren, Draško Ivezić Tinged with typically absurdist Estonian humour, Manivald mixes the surreal and the heartfelt in its timely tale of an emotionally unnourished generation that continue to live with their parents well into their adult lives. Octane Director: Jeron Braxton A street race that reflects America’s genocidal history and the parallels between slavery and the private prison system. (World Premiere) People of Color Director: Raghav Arumugam An animated documentary about race and perception in America. (World Premiere) The Shivering Truth Directors: Vernon Chatman, Cat Solen, Screenwriter: Vernon Chatman An omnibus of painfully riotous daymares dripping with dream logic; a slate of emotional parables from the deepest caverns of your unconscious, lovingly animated in stop-motion. In other words, it is the Truth. Sog (Germany) Director: Jonatan Schwenk, Screenwriters: Jonatan Schwenk, Merlin Flügel The dystopic drama Sog is about the cruel efforts of a people of humanlike creatures to lash out viciously against a shoal of fish that had unintentionally entered their desolate land. Solar Walk (Denmark, Hungary) Director/Screenwriter: Réka Bucsi Solar Walk shows the a cosmic journey of individuals and their passion for creation, through the unique and playful texture of the animation craft itself. (U.S. Premiere) Undiscovered Director: Sara Litzenberger Sasquatch has always remained elusive in photos–but not for the reasons we think. (World Premiere) MIDNIGHT SHORTS Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity cravings. Asian Girls (Australia) Director/Screenwriter: Hyun Lee Chan is a Chinese factory worker who lives alone. Every night, she suffers from horrific nightmares involving the woman in the apartment next door, a Japanese office lady. (World Premiere) Brendan Maclean – ‘House of Air’ (United Kingdom) Directors: Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston An exploration of hanky codes and visual signifiers in 1970s San Francisco. Inspired by Hal Fischer’s Gay Semiotics, House of Air humorously investigates a clash between coded and explicit representations of gay sex. Crying Bitch (Japan) Director/Screenwriter: Reiki Tsuno Crying Bitch is a dark tale about a woman’s grudge, mixed with comedy, horror, and a homage to 80s cinema. A dark tale about a man who discovers his wife’s dark side after having an affair with a young girl. (U.S. Premiere) Hair Wolf Director/Screenwriter: Mariama Diallo In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture. (World Premiere) Lil Dicky – ‘Pillow Talking’ Director: Tony Yacenda, Screenwriters: Lil Dicky, Dave Burd A story about a man, a woman, and a brain. Long Distance Relationship (Brazil) Director/Screenwriter: Carolina Markowicz A brief story about a gentleman who’s obsessed about having sex with ETs. (U.S. Premiere) The Mangina Exit Director: Byron Brown, Screenwriters: Byron Brown, David James Ward Two people. Zero broken hearts. One harmless little mangina. (World Premiere) Milk (Canada) Director/Screenwriter: Santiago Menghini On a late night, a young teen goes into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Upon encountering his sleepless mother, he quickly realizes things are not as they seem. (World Premiere) Neverlanding. A Bad Thriller. (Belgium) Director/Screenwriter: Wim Reygaert A reclusive Michael Jackson impersonator dedicates his whole life to the perfection of his act. (North American Premiere) Perfect Town (Switzerland) Director/Screenwriter: Anais Voirol In search of perfection a city obeys to selection. A constant struggle. Trying and trying again. Where is the difference between endurance and madness? Who’s the daddy (Hong Kong) Director/Screenwriter: Wong Ping A journey finding my root of shame. (U.S. Premiere)

    TEXAS SHORTS

    An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state. An Uncertain Future Directors: Iliana Sosa, Chelsea Hernandez In Austin, Texas, two expectant mothers—one undocumented and one US citizen—must contend with increased ICE raids and mounting hostility towards immigrants under President Trump. Come & Take It Directors: Ellen Spiro, PJ Raval Come & Take It captures Jessica Jin’s transformation into one of America’s most inspired anti-gun violence leaders creating what some people are calling The Great Texas Dildo Revolt. (World Premiere) Don’t Be a Hero Director/Screenwriter: Pete Lee Lizzy Jo still lives with mom at 45 and battles her loneliness and boredom by robbing banks in the guise of a cowboy on her lunch break. After the adrenaline rush wears off, she still has to deal with her deeply unhappy life. Based on a true story. Ghosted Featuring Kamille – ‘Get Some’ Director/Screenwriter: Fidel Ruiz-Healy A story about youthful animalistic lust and how it presents itself under the glow of the full moon light. The answer is it’s messy and there is lots of biting. Heavy Chemistry Director/Screenwriter: Blair Rowan Feelings get complicated and oddly mutual amongst a trio of friends in Heavy Chemistry, a short comedy about love, friendship, attraction, hunger, lust, and other complex chemical reactions. (World Premiere) Maude Director/Screenwriter: Anna Margaret Hollyman Teeny thought it was just another routine babysitting job—until she’s shocked to meet the client. As the day goes on, Teeny decides to become the woman she had no idea she always wanted to be … until she gets caught. Nice Ass Director: Carlyn Hudson, Screenwriter: Jeff Whitaker After a failed date, Jake maintains a friendly connection with a part of Brooke no one saw coming. (World Premiere)

    TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS

    A preview of the next filmmaking generation, as Texas High Schoolers present shorts of 5 minutes or less. #RefugeesWelcome Director/Screenwriter: Ramiro Cantu In order to survive, a young Syrian woman leaves her home, family and country behind to seek refuge in the United States. The Art of War Director/Screenwriter: Cal Etcheverry There are only two realms in which rules are broken – art and war. This film explores the deontological ethics of war through the deep contrast of the utopian life of a painter and the chaotic life of a battle-bruised soldier. CCISD Strong Director: Sofia Rasmussen These are the stories of people who stepped up in the tough times after Hurricane Harvey and brought hope to the people who needed the support of their community in and around Clear Creek Independent School District. Confined Directors: The Zavitsanos Brothers When Myles is held at gunpoint in crime-ridden Baltimore, his life is forever changed… Contact Director/Screenwriter: Lindsay Wolf Contact follows two awkward teenagers on a movie date, struggling with whether or not to show their true feelings for each other through subtle physical contact. Escape Directors/Screenwriters: Jada Harbin, Karina Harchandani A 19-year-old drunk is triggered to drink when her boyfriend fails to keep his promise. A friend cleans her up and is her shoulder to cry on, maybe even more. Is it too good to be true? How You See Us Director/Screenwriter: Susannah Joffe How You See Us is my way of giving a voice to all the women who are done with being disrespected, and I hope it encourages men to rethink the over-sexualization of women in society. Hunned Effort Directors: Nicholas Luna, Alan Lawson High School Music Video for Alan Lawson’s Hunned Effort. Shot and edited by Nicholas Luna. Kopecke Director: C. Fears Koepcke is an experimental animation about the experience of a 17-year-old girl in 1971. Loveless Director/Screenwriter: Weston Bering A couple who meets at a masquerade ball is interrupted by another couple’s plan to heist them. Molly and Me Directors: Colton Vanlandingham, Collin Grant, Screenwriters: Sydney Sexton, Mary Patrello, Gaby Fernandez Party animal Bryce and sweet Molly meet each other at a party and decide to get to know each other better. They start to find out that neither one of them are who they seem. The Night I Lost My Favorite Jacket Director/Screenwriter: Jenna Krumerman A girl tells her friend about her Saturday night. She loses her favorite jacket and a little of herself while meeting new characters and trying to get by. Pursuit of a Dream Director/Screenwriter: Scott Larson A man working a dead end nine to five has to let go of his past in order to pursue his future. Pursuit: 21XX Director: Ben Phillips, Screenwriters: Ben Phillips, Billy Nguyen, Edward Nuno A cybernetically enhanced man must track down the criminal who stole his wallet by chasing the masked thief through a futuristic city, and will have to make the ultimate decision between what is right and wrong. Puzzle Pieces: Living Life on The Spectrum Director/Screenwriter: Georgia Puzzle Pieces: Living Life on The Spectrum explores children and teens that have autism spectrum disorder. Return Policy Directors: Demar Gunter, Victoria Hartson, Screenwriter: Demar Gunter In a dystopian future, where life holds monetary value, a family must make a tough decision. The Risk For Freedom (Vietnam) Director: Alex Le This documentary follows the early life of a Vietnamese immigrant, the director’s grandmother and her struggle to get to America. Roommate Director/Screenwriter: Jinho Rhee Everyone has roommate problems at one point; However, none is like the one Nayeon has to face. Silent Fist Directors: Jose Martinez, Nana Achempong, Screenwriters: Jose Martinez, Nana Achempon, and Brandon Mai A silent Buddhist prays for peace when a loud, angry boxer next door challenges him to enter the ring. What It Takes Director: Kourtney Williams This documentary was created to help express the point of view of a male gymnast. There’s a lot that goes into the sport of gymnastics and what it takes to be successful. The story takes you through 3 different perspectives to show their passion.

    INDEPENDENT EPISODICS

    Innovative and new independent web series, pilots and docs aimed squarely at the small screen. Beast Director/Screenwriter: Ben Strang When his father mysteriously goes missing at sea, a teenager rallies the help of his small fishing-island town to find him and figure out once and for all why people keep disappearing on Smith Island. (World Premiere) Cleansed Directors/Screenwriters: Flora Birnbaum, Sarah Scarlett Downing A jaded Los Angeles thirty-something goes on a magical juice cleanse to fix her life. (World Premiere) Everything is Okay: Robot Director: Adam Sacks, Screenwriter: Cirocco Dunlap A better you is just a click away. First World Problems Director/Screenwriter: X. Dean Lim Harold, an Asian-American, comes to realizes his family are apathetic douchebags. But when a mysterious crisis starts a ticking clock, he alienates them all to prove they’re more than Amazon, Audi and Autopay. The question is: can he be wrong? (World Premiere) Hold To Your Best Self Director/Screenwriter: Emily Hagins Over the course of a prom night, young adults tackle big questions concerning identity, relationships, self-esteem, and the future – their adolescent ideas and expectations are fundamentally challenged by high school coming to an end. (World Premiere) My Dead Ex Directors: Joe Lynch, Zoe Cassavetes, Screenwriter: Drew Hancock A little thing like death can’t stop these two teens from falling in love. Or maybe it can. (World Premiere) Night Owl (Canada) Directors: R. Miskin, Gillian Muller, Screenwriter: R. Miskin One Girl’s quest to face her fears, step outside her comfort zone and make some real friends!… in the middle of the night at a 24-hour grocery store. Well?… What do you do when you can’t sleep? (World Premiere) One Eye Small Director/Screenwriter: Jane Stiles Two female strangers become affectionate friends over the course of a frenetic evening in NYC. (World Premiere) Otis Director/Screenwriter: Alexander Etseyatse A young calm, mentally unstable man attempts to convince his new buddy that they don’t belong at a Psych ward by inciting an uprising while trying to win back the affection of his ex-fiancée and daughter. (World Premiere) Polar (Denmark, Greenland) Directors: Natalia Anna Ciepiel, Alexander Ohrt, Screenwriter: Morten Mortensen Terrorized by an unbearable sound a group of teenagers commit suicide in the habour of Nuuk. After being declared dead, Ivik, awakes again. As the phenomenon returns to haunt the young population of Nuuk, Ivik sets out to find the nature of the sound. (World Premiere) She’s the Ticket Director: Nadia Hallgren Five different women from around the country see Donald Trump get elected to the presidency on November 8th, 2016 and decide to do something about it. Run for office. Unspeakable Director: Milena Govich, Screenwriter: David Cornue A young woman in a desperate situation averts authorities by claiming to be a girl who disappeared years ago as a child. But when the missing girl’s family welcomes the impostor home, she’s forced to keep the deception alive or face the consequences. (World Premiere)

    MUSIC VIDEOS

    A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture. Aisha Badru – ‘Mind on Fire’ / Director/Screenwriter: Thoranna “Tota” Sigurdardottir Amanda Palmer & Edward Ka-Spel – ‘The Clock At The Back Of The Cage’(Australia) / Directors: Chris Bennett, Christy Flaws, Luke O’Connor The Blaze – ‘Territory’ / Director: The Blaze Capital Cities – ‘Vowels’ / Director/Screenwriter: Remy Cayuela CATHEDRALS – ‘Try To Fight’ / Director/Screenwriter: Jesse Fleece Chris Lake – ‘I Want You’ / Director/Screenwriter: NORTON COM TRUISE – ‘Propagation’ / Directors/Screenweriters: Karrie Crouse, Will Joines Cray – ‘Lotus’ / Director: Ariel Fisher, Screenwriters: Ariel Fisher and Cray Every Time I Die – ‘Map Change’ / Director: Kyle Thrash JAY-Z – ‘Smile’ / Director/Screenwriter: Miles Jay JIL – ‘All Your Words’ / Director: Anton Tammi Moses Sumney – ‘Doomed’ / Director: Allie Avital Oly. – ‘Growing Young’ (Poland) / Director: Katarzyna Sawicka Oren Lavie – ‘Second Hand Lovers’ (Israel) / Director/Screenwriter: Oren Lavie Peejay – ‘NA B YA’ (Republic of Korea) / Directors: Jinwoo Lee, Jungsu Lee POLO & PAN – ‘Coeur Croisé’ (France) / Director: PABLO MAESTRES salute – ‘Storm’ (United Kingdom) / Director: Raine Allen Miller The Shins – ‘Half A Million’ / Director: LAMAR+NIK siyyu – ‘stop us’ (United Kingdom) / Director: This is Felo Sue the Night – ‘Mind Dear’ (Netherlands) / Director: Thessa Meijer

    VIRTUAL CINEMA

    The immersive arts are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world. The 27 projects presented in our new Virtual Cinema emphasize storytelling, ingenuity and also showcase how other industries are embracing this new medium. Aeronaut Discover an ever-changing virtual landscape created by Viacom NEXT and Isobar (with Tilt Brush art by Danny Bittman), where a volumetric 3D model of two-time Grammy award winning artist Billy Corgan sings and plays the piano to his single Aeronaut. (World Premiere) The Atrium Director: Brian Solomon, Screenwriters: Brian Solomon, James Longmire The Atrium, Meow Wolf’s first mixed reality installation, builds on the story of the acclaimed immersive exhibition, House of Eternal Return. Voyage through the surreal lullaby of the multiverse — and unravel a mystery spanning multiple dimensions. (World Premiere) Awake: Episode One (Australia, United States) Director: Martin Taylor, Screenwriters: Martin Taylor, Mike Jones, Christian Cantamessa Harry is a prisoner in his own house, obsessed with discovering the truth behind a recurring dream and a cryptic message within it. The arrival of a new presence promises to save Harry from his darkness and unlock the potential of humanity’s future. (World Premiere) Beethoven’s Fifth (United Kingdom, United States) Director: Jessica Brillhart, Screenwriters: Jessica Brillhart, Esa-Pekka Salonen Journey into interstellar space with a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth by the Philharmonia Orchestra, London – conducted by Principal Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The film was inspired by content on Voyager’s Golden Record, launched by NASA in 1977. (U.S. Premiere) Chorus Director: Tyler Hurd Transform into fantastical female warriors in this social virtual reality experience. Six people can band together to battle evil in this epic journey of empowerment, all orchestrated to the song “Chorus” by Justice. (World Premiere) Dinner Party Director: Angel Manuel Soto, Screenwriters: Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler Dinner Party, the pilot episode for a true-life supernatural anthology series The Incident, is a 3D virtual reality experience based on the true story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who in 1961 reported the first known UFO abduction. Everything Flows (China, United States) Director: Yumeng Du Everything Flows is a VR film experience that presents time and space in an artistic way. It invites you to a journey of Director’s hometown, Wuhan, China. It is a mixture of painting, video capture, sounds, dreaming, memory, and reality. (World Premiere) The Evolution of Testicles (United States, Ireland, United Kingdom) Director: Ryan Hartsell A testicular romp through the evolution of man told via CGI, a giant testicle-shaped hot air balloon, and narrator Chris O’Dowd—all in the name of bringing awareness to male cancer prevention. (World Premiere) The Four Worlds (United States, Australia) Directors: Jonathan Zawada, Mark Pitchard The Four Worlds consists of four installations comprised of looping VR experiences augmented with extra sensory stimulation IRL. Each scene is a microcosm of a different environment, accompanied by an exquisite soundtrack by Mark Pritchard. (World Premiere) GFE Director: Michael Jacobs An immersive 360 experimental film that offers a first-person experience of going on a date with a sex worker. (World Premiere) Greenland Melting Directors: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña, Screenwriters: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña, Julia Cort, Caitlin Saks, Carla Borras NASA scientists are studying a troubling cause, Greenland is melting faster and faster. Using cutting edge VR technology, people can experience standing in front of a glacier, traveling underwater, and flying over some of the world’s stunning scenery. (North American Premiere) Hold The World (United Kingdom) Director: Dan Smith Hold the World (“HTW”) is a world-first interactive VR entertainment experience hosted by Sir David Attenborough at the London’s Natural History Museum. (North American Premiere) The Journey (United States, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, United Kingdom) Director: Charlotte Mikkelborg The Journey through childhood in three of the toughest environments on Earth. Our three children will take you on a sensory journey into their worlds – where not only sight and sound but taste, smell and touch immerse you in their past present and future. (World Premiere) Living With Jaguars (Canada) Directors: Patrick McGuire, Jeff Orlowski, Screenwriter: Kate Lunau Living With Jaguars is an interactive virtual reality film documenting wild jaguars in Brazil. Users explore the complex and interconnected perspectives of four key stakeholders: jaguars, ranchers, conservation researchers, and ecotourism operators. (World Premiere) MONO – Blackwater Director: Ben Wolstenholme, Screenwriters: Ben Wolstenholme, Felipe Marino, Anthony Brock MONO, the former assassin to the queen and legendary ape-man, returns from exile to save his daughter, and reluctantly, Mankind. (World Premiere) One Eighty (United States, India) Director: Eren Aksu One Eighty is the story of an Indian mother, Vijai Kumari, who spent 20 years behind bars, and her son, Kanhaiya Kumari, who was born in prison…and their quest to clear their names and live in freedom. (World Premiere) Parragirls Past, Present – unlocking institutional memories of ‘care’ (Australia) Directors: Media artists and Parragirls, Parragirls/Parramatta Female Factory Precinct Memory Project, Screenwriters: Bonney Djuric, Lily Hibberd, Jenny McNally Parragirls Past, Present is a deeply moving immersive experience presenting former residents’ contemporary visions of Parramatta Girls Home to unlock memories of institutional ‘care’ within the punitive Australian child welfare system. (North American Premiere) RONE (Australia) Director: Lester Francois A distinctive portrait in VR of street artist Rone, whose stunning large-scale portraits are often seen in forgotten spaces. A mix of 360′ video and a virtual art gallery to explore, RONE will draw you into the world of street art like never before. (North American Premiere) Sanctuaries of Silence Directors: Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee Sanctuaries of Silence is an immersive listening journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America. Space x Girl (Republic of Korea) Director: Minhyuk Che A story about a girl and her space. The girl has a special sense of feeling the heart of the space. One day the space of the girl begins a conversation. It is about her memories that she was not aware of. (World Premiere) Spheres: Songs of Spacetime Director/Screenwriter: Eliza McNitt Dive into the heart of a black hole and uncover the hidden songs of the cosmos. In this VR experience, the breakthrough discovery of gravitational waves transforms how we see the Universe. Fall into the darkness, and you will find the light. Summation of Force (Australia) Directors: Trent Parke, Narelle Autio, Matthew Bate, Screenwriters: Trent Parke, Narelle Autio In a moonlit suburban backyard, two brothers battle one another in an otherworldly game of cricket in this stunning black and white live-action study of the motion, physics, and psychology of sport. Created by photographers Trent Parke and Narelle Autio, in collaboration with filmmaker Matthew Bate, this VR artwork offers a cosmic, darkly beautiful, and dreamlike metaphor for life. Sun Ladies VR Directors: Celine Tricart, Christian Stephen In 2014, ISIS invaded Iraq and targeted the Yazidi community. The men were killed, and the women taken as sex slaves. Some of the ones who escaped decided to join the Kurdistan army and started a female-only fighting unit called the Sun Ladies. Tiniest Tremor Directors: Nicholas Manting Brewer, Megan Simon An emotionally immersive and visually poetic journey into the issue of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome through the story of a woman who suffered from substance abuse disorder to Opioids and her child. (World Premiere) Together Director: Terrence Malick Together is a VR experience about the power of human connection. The piece fuses dance and technology, putting the viewer in the middle of an emotional narrative about breaking down barriers and bringing people closer. (World Premiere) We’re Still Here Director: Jesse Ayala Aiden Short Cloud, a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggles to preserve and revive his heritage in a race against time. (World Premiere) Wonderful You VR (United Kingdom) Director: John Durrant Wonderful You VR, a Virtual Reality experience narrated by Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton, is a journey through the strange world of your developing senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. (North American Premiere)

    EXCELLENCE IN TITLE DESIGN

    Inspired by an essential part of the theatrical experience, these are works of art in their own right. The 21 sequences selected represent the very best and most original of the past year. Big Mouth / Company: Titmouse Inc. / Designer: Mike Roush Book of Henry / Company: Imaginary Forces / Creative Director: Alan Williams Britannia / Company: Me & the Bootmaker / Designer: Manija Emran Comtes de Barcelona (Counts of Barcelona) / Company: Freelance / Designer: J. A. Duran Counterpart / Company: Imaginary Forces / Creative Director: Karin Fong Dark / Company: Self employed / Designer: Lutz Lemke Divide / Company: Ringling College of Art and Design / Designer: Ioana Oprescu Exhalación / Company: Mordisco Films / Designer: Alberto Díaz López Godless / Company: Method Studios / Designer: John Likens Narcos Season 3 / Company: Digital Kitchen / Designer: Harshit Desai National Geographic Breakthrough / Company: Imaginary Forces / Creative Director: Karin Fong OFFF CDMX Opening titles / Company: Diecinueve36 / Designer: Maribel Martínez OFFF Barcelona 2017 / Company: Sailor Productions / Designer: Vallee Duhamel Orient City: Ronin & The Princess / Company: Spoke Lane Entertainment / Designer: Zsombor Huszka Paa Joe & The Lion / Company: Bottletop / Designer: Mark Pyper Semi Permanent Festival / Company: Framestore / Designer: Akira Thompson SOLO / Company: Plexus Post / Designer: Vijesh Rajan Taboo / Company: Method Studios / Designer: John Likens TEDx Sydney / Company: Substance / Designer: Scott Geersen ZARAH / Company: Bakery Films / Designers: Florian Meimberg, Izzy Acar Also, a special viewing of SXSW Gaming Awards Open 2017 / Company: Imaginary Forces / Designer: Jeremy Cox

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