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).
Piercing
In this twisted love story, a man seeks out an unsuspecting stranger to help him purge the dark torments of his past. His plan goes awry when he encounters a woman with plans of her own. A playful psycho-thriller game of cat-and-mouse based on Ryu Murakami’s novel.
Directed by Nicolas Pesce
Starring Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, Wendell Pierce
Genre(s) Romance Film
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AFI FEST 2018 Announces Special Screenings, Cinema’s Legacy and Midnight Lineup
[caption id="attachment_27928" align="aligncenter" width="923"] 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).
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Ithaca Fantastik Reveals Final Wave of 2018 Films
[caption id="attachment_32097" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
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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7th Ithaca Fantastik Announces First Wave of FIlms – BIRDS OF PASSAGE, BLACK MOTHER, DIAMANTINO and More
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Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano)[/caption]
Ithaca Fantastik today announced the first wave of films for the 7th edition of 10-day festival of genre films, electrifying music and dynamic art, taking place October 26th to November 4th, 2018. Films include Quentin Dupieux’s newest work KEEP AN EYE OUT! (Au Poste!), an uproariously absurd piece of cinema as only the maker of the fondly remembered tire-on-a-rampage comedy RUBBER could deliver, and the Cannes critics week winner DIAMANTINO, directed by Abrantes and Schmidt, with its layers of magical realism and social commentary seen through the eyes of the titular character—a star footballer who sees giant fluffy puppies surrounded by a pink mist… but only when he’s ready to score!
Aaron Schimberg’s NYC indie festival fav CHAINED FOR LIFE challenges the perception of the viewer by creating a cinematic meta-reality where the notion of image and personality is blurred against the backdrop of a horror movie set. Kalik Allah’s BLACK MOTHER will takes you on an anthropological journey into Jamaica to reveal a tale that is truly larger than life. Following their academy award winning film EMBRACE THE SERPENT Gallego and Guerra are back with BIRDS OF PASSAGE (Pájaros de Verano), which depicts tribal life and the destruction of the social fabric of 1970s la Guaija, Colombia as the drug trade begins in South America.
A pitch perfect statement on our narcissistic Western society Alexandros Avranas’s LOVE ME NOT, on par with the best work from Lanthimos, but without the fluff, and we promise it will punch you in the guts with it’s foreboding and uncompromising premise. Incorporating similar visual language, Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore film PIERCING offers a colorful descent into the deranged mind that excites the senses while shocking the heart with its unflinching bleakness.
Yann Gonzales continues to awe and impress audiences with his formidable second feature KNIFE+HEART (shot on 35mm) is the ultimate modern-day Giallo with the alluring setting of the 70s Paris pornography scene. Similarly, Japanese ‘geki-mation’ pioneer Ujicha delivers more of his unique animation blend of child-like innocence and ultra-violence in his own highly stylized second film, VIOLENCE VOYAGER!
IF will also present three delightfully demented BobbyPills productions starting with the vibrant and utterly off-the-wall CRISIS JUNG, that takes audiences on an epic journey and feast of visual extravaganzas à la Fist of the North Star with a dash of smutty humour. BobbyPills scores again with VERMIN, an anthropomorphized buddy cop film with a stench of Peter jackson’s skin crawling musical freak fest MEET THE FEEBLES… What can go wrong? To add a charmingly irreverent cherry on top, viewers can revel in unrestrained positive sexuality with an exclusive look at Bobbypills’ new series, PEEPOODO AND THE SUPER FUCK FRIENDS—come to learn, and you won’t be disappointed! René Manzor’s glorious new transfer of GAME OVER (3615 Père Noël) rounds out our curation of crazy French cinema —an earlier, darker, take on the genius-child-defending-his-home holiday thriller that (adult) fans of Christmas classic Home Alone will devore with love!
Keep an Eye Out! (Au Poste!) East Coast Premiere
Quentin Dupieux / 2018 / France / 73min
When Fugain trips over a dead body in front of his condo, his first impulse is to report it to the police—as any good, logical citizen would. He quickly realizes his mistake when he learns that the obsessive Captain Buron will gleefully grill him until he cracks.
Black Mother Regional Premiere
Khalik Allah / 2018 / USA / 77min
The history of Jamaica retold through the framework of a woman’s pregnancy, Black Mother is a heartfelt look at Jamaican identity that transcends its documentary form to offer an unusual and unique exploration of humanity.
Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) Regional Premiere
Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra / 2018 / Colombia / 125min
In La Guija, Colombia in the 1970s, 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.
Chained for Life Regional Premiere
Aaron Schimberg / 2018 / USA / 91min
Freda is an actress cast as the lead in a schlocky horror film. Her co-star and much of the supporting cast are played by actors with disabilities. As she connects with her peers off-screen, she begins to consider if their treatment on set is exploitational and whether our current standards of representation in modern film are really 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 love is imperiled when the malignant Little Jesus kidnaps Maria’s body to build his nefarious temple of pain!
Diamantino Regional Premiere
Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt / 2018 / Portugal / 92min
After missing the penalty shot at the world cup final, footballer Diamantino’s career is over. Floundering, he falls prey to sinister forces offering him a job as a political mascot—shilling the promise to “make Portugal great again”. Hoping for a second chance, he is instead 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, a French kid 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 broken childhood dreams takes on epic proportions in this cornerstone film.
Knife + Heart (Un Couteau Dans Le Coeur) Regional Premiere
Yann Gonzales / 2018 / France / 110min
After producer Anne breaks up with her editor girlfriend, the late 70s low-budget gay French porno they were shooting begins to take an… artistic turn. The sensual film becomes a real-life erotic thriller when one of her adult film stars is brutally murdered. Anne and her sidekick, Archibald, can’t seem to out-maneuver the chaos that ensues.
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. The ladies start to bond, the husband becomes envious, and an unfortunate chain of events turns the table on the already dysfunctional new family dynamic.
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 an abandoned amusement park. Surprise! The owner greets them and conveniently offers them free tickets. Against their better judgement, they take him up on his offer.
Piercing Regional Premiere
Nicolas Pesce / 2018 / USA / 81min
Reed takes off from his idyllic life with his wife and baby for a very important business trip. But the business he has in mind is murder! All set with his plan to commit the perfect crime, Reed finds his victim in mysterious call girl Jackie…but Reed may have called the wrong person.
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 kid from the country, young Reggie is totally unequipped for the dangers and temptations of city life. But when Reggie is assigned a partner with a history of drinking and bad police work, the sparks fly and both characters get more than they bargained for.
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2018 Chicago International Film Festival Announces First Films – Boy Erased, Mr. Soul!, Shoplifters
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Boy Erased[/caption]
The Chicago International Film Festival announced the first 25 films that will be shown at the 54th edition running October 10 to 21, 2018. The Festival will feature more than 150 films from across the globe and bring legendary actors, master filmmakers, and exciting, emerging talents from around the world to Chicago.
Initial lineup includes highly anticipated titles including Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe; Elizabeth Chomko’s Chicago set feature debut What They Had starring Michael Shannon and Hilary Swank; Mike Leigh’s epic drama Peterloo and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters.
“We are very excited to be showcasing new films from some of the most impressive directors in the world, whether returning veterans, such as past Gold Hugo-winners Mike Leigh and Hirokazu Kore-eda, or up-and-coming filmmakers with distinctive visions,” said Plauché. “For the last several years, the Festival has been proud to present Best Picture winners The Shape of Water (2017), Moonlight (2016), and Spotlight (2015), and we look forward to sharing this year’s incredible slate of movies with our audiences.”
Birds of Passage
Pájaros de verano
Directors: Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra
Colombia, Mexico, Denmark
A Colombian Mean Streets, this gripping drama chronicles the rise of the drug trade and its cataclysmic impact on the local indigenous community. The Wayuu people had long held tight onto their traditions, living in close-knit tribes. When two friends begin selling marijuana to visiting Americans, however, their actions set in motion a series of events that pit factions against each other, inciting a cycle of avarice-inspired vengeance. Wayuunaiki, Spanish, and English with subtitles.
Border
Gräns
Director: Ali Abbasi
Sweden
Fantastic in every sense of the word, this idiosyncratic thriller centers on a Swedish customs officer with a special talent for detecting contraband who must ultimately choose between good and evil. This exciting, intelligent mix of romance, Nordic noir, social realism, and supernatural horror defies and subverts genre conventions and is destined to be a cult classic. Winner, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival. Swedish with subtitles.
Boy Erased
Director: Joel Edgerton
U.S.
Boy Erased tells the story of Jared (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program—or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity.
Cold War
Zimna wojna
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Poland
A passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatefully mismatched and yet condemned to each other. Set against the background of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times. Polish with subtitles.
Dogman
Director: Matteo Garrone
Italy
In a run-down Italian coastal town, Marcello, a gentle dog groomer, sees his life turned upside down when Simone, a brutish former boxer and ex-con, bullies him into becoming his criminal accomplice. But for how long can the “dogman” be subservient to his master before he bites back? From the acclaimed director of Gomorrah comes another unflinching urban western treading the fine line between civility and savagery. Italian with subtitles.
Friedkin Uncut
Director: Francesco Zippel
Italy
Oscar®-winning, Chicago-born director William Friedkin achieved fame with his 1973 horror blockbuster The Exorcist. But this illuminating documentary shows the director’s unwavering commitment to rawness and realism across his entire career, from The French Connection (1972) to Killer Joe (2011). Featuring interviews with Ellen Burstyn, Willem Dafoe, and Quentin Tarantino, among others, Friedkin Uncut reveals a savvy craftsman who is unapologetic about his no-nonsense approach to moviemaking.
Jumpman
Podbrosy
Director: Ivan I. Tverdovskiy
Russia, Ireland, Lithuania, France
An abandoned infant grows into a likeable lad with a rare disorder—he can feel no physical pain. When he becomes a teen, his feckless mother returns to his life to exploit his condition by enlisting him in an insurance fraud scam. A taut thriller, Jumpman puts an outsider at the center of a harsh indictment of corruption and hypocrisy in contemporary Russia. Russian with subtitles.
Mr. Soul!
Director: Melissa Haizlip
U.S.
The brainchild of pioneering producer Ellis Haizlip, SOUL! was the first ever national TV series made by and for African-Americans. The groundbreaking program aired from 1968 to 1973 and featured a dazzling array of guests from Stevie Wonder to Maya Angelou. Mr. Soul! takes viewers behind the scenes of the show, chronicling its inception and its struggles to stay on the air. It turns out the revolution really was televised.
Olympia
Director: Gregory Dixon
U.S.
Chicago writer-actor McKenzie Chinn stars as a struggling artist, navigating work and romance in the Windy City. When her boyfriend asks her to drop everything and move cross-country, she soon discovers that she might be the biggest obstacle to her own happiness. Featuring quirky animation and a revelatory central performance, Olympia is a sensitive and humorous look at the challenges of embracing adulthood.
The Other Story
Director: Avi Nesher
Israel
Family disputes and conspiracies take center stage in this lively drama, which even-handedly explores the divide between Israel’s secular Jews and the ultra-Orthodox from director Avi Nesher (The Matchmaker). Sasson Gabai (The Band’s Visit) plays a renowned psychologist and rationalist who falls out with his strong-willed granddaughter when she enters a Haredi community and plans to marry a musician previously known for his wild ways. Hebrew with subtitles.
Peterloo
Director: Mike Leigh
U.K.
An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, which saw British forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to protest rising levels of poverty and demand reform. Many were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. A defining moment in British democracy, the massacre also played a significant role in the founding of The Guardian newspaper.
Piercing
Director: Nicolas Pesce
U.S.
Pesce’s gleefully wicked S&M black comedy centers on Reed (Christopher Abbot), a new fatherlooking to channel his homicidal impulses away from his infant daughter. He heads to a hotel, hires an escort (Mia Wasikowska), then begins to rehearse her murder. But once she arrives, the balance of power shifts. Based on the novel by Ryu Murukami, Piercing’s incredibly dark premise constantly surprises—it might just be taken for a wildly subversive love story.
A Private War
Director: Matthew Heineman
U.S.
In a world where journalism is under attack, Marie Colvin (Academy Award®-nominee Rosamund Pike) is one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. Her mission to show the true cost of conflict leads her—along with renowned photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan)—to embark on the most dangerous assignment of their lives in the besieged Syrian city of Homs.
Rafiki
Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Kenya
A tender tale of forbidden first love told in an electric, colorful Afropop style, Rafiki tells the story of the tender but illegal and taboo romance between Kena, a skateboarding tomboy blessed with great grades and soccer skills, and Ziki, the charismatic daughter of a conservative local politician. When rumors begin to swirl about the nature of their relationship, the young lovers find themselves in great jeopardy. Swahili, English with subtitles.
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Ruben Brandt, a gyüjtö
Director: Milorad Krstic
Hungary
“Possess your problems to conquer them,” is the credo that psychotherapist Ruben Brandt preaches to his criminally-inclined clients in this stylish, animated thriller for adults. But when Brandt’s patients help him to apply his own advice, he becomes “Ruben Brandt, Collector,” ringleader of a gang responsible for the theft of 13 of the world’s most famous paintings. This entertaining romp literally puts the “art” into “arthouse.”
Shoplifters
Manbiki kazoku
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japan
The winner of Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or, centers on an eccentric troupe of miscreants who take in a neglected five-year-old. Despite their strained circumstances, the tight-knit unit of petty thieves and social outcasts comes together to raise the girl. But how long can this unconventional family survive against the normalizing forces around them? From the Japanese master of humanism comes another affecting and astute film about people living on the margins. Japanese with subtitles.
Sorry Angel
Plaire, aimer et courir vite
Director: Christophe Honoré
France
It’s 1993. Jacques is a successful, novelist from Paris living with what was still a terminal diagnosis of HIV positive. Arthur is an open-minded student ready to embrace life. They meet in Rennes and fall in love, but navigating an intergenerational romance has its challenges. Honoré (Love Songs) chronicles their lives, together and apart, with nuance and subtlety, allowing their love story to unfold in patient, novelistic fashion. French with subtitles.
Transit
Director: Christian Petzold
Germany
In this Kafkaesque cinematic puzzle, a man is trapped in limbo as he tries to flee fascistoccupied France. Hoping to escape to Mexico, Georg poses as a dead author but becomes stuck in Marseilles. There, he encounters a woman searching for her missing husband—the
man whose identity he has assumed. Petzold’s surreal film merges past, present and future in its trenchant exploration of the plight of refugees. German with subtitles.
United Skates
Directors: Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown
U.S.
A rousing chronicle of roller-skating’s pivotal role in African-American communities, United Skates careens around the country, offering an intimate look at a lively subculture that’s under threat. Facing discriminatory policies and building closures, committed skaters from around the country—including Chicago’s own Buddy Love—fight to preserve a space for people to come together and express themselves in sliding, bouncing, snapping glory.
What They Had
Director: Elizabeth Chomko
U.S.
From first-time writer/director Elizabeth Chomko, What They Had centers on a family in crisis. Bridget (Hilary Swank) returns home to Chicago at her brother’s (Michael Shannon) urging to deal with her ailing mother (Blythe Danner) and her father’s (Robert Forster) reluctance to let go of their life together.
SHORTS
Accidence Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson Canada A grisly murder on an apartment balcony becomes a small piece in a frenzied puzzle of strange occurrences. Accident, MD Director: Dan Rybicky U.S. A survey of attitudes about America’s healthcare crisis filmed in the small town of Accident, Maryland. Optimism Director: Deborah Stratman U.S. A portrait of Dawson City Canada’s far North that reveals a rich history of a town looking for gold while enveloped in shadow. Solar Walk Director: Réka Bucsi Denmark A sumptuously animated cosmic journey through space, time, and creation. Tourneur Director: Yalda Afsah Germany A foam-filled ring in the south of France becomes the site of an absurd spectacle as young men face off against a bull.
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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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1st North Bend Film Festival Is Ready, Unveils Lineup, SHIRKERS is Centerpiece Film
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Shirkers[/caption]
The North Bend Film Festival is right around the corner and yesterday announced the full line-up for its inaugural edition, including Cinema Vista and Something Strange feature and short film programs. In addition to the films, the weekend of August 23rd to the 26th will be rich with events that embrace the town of North Bend, once the original shooting location for David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, such as a special Twin Peaks Tour, a scenic mountainside hike (offering attendees a rare chance for excursion!), and ‘Damn Fine Coffee’ mixers to kick off the mornings just right.
Cinema Vista offers a spectrum of vanguard cinema with centerpiece screening SHIRKERS and retro screening of the iconic Pacific Northwest queer feature MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO.
Centerpiece Film
Shirkers (Washington Premiere)
USA | 2018 | 96 Min | Dir. Sandi Tan
Cinema-loving teenager Sandi Tan and two friends had a big idea in 1992: They’d shoot their own super-low-budget assassin thriller on their native streets of Singapore, along with help from an American mentor named Georges. Then, one day, Georges disappeared along with all of their work. Twenty-five years later, Tan has turned her investigation into Georges’ motives, using newly recovered footage and firsthand accounts, into one of 2018’s best documentaries, an autobiography turned love letter to filmmaking dreams, especially those that have gone unfulfilled.
My Name is Myeisha
USA | 2018 | 84 Min | Dir. Gus Krieger
A bold and visionary musical unlike anything on screen today, Gus Krieger’s MY NAME IS MYEISHA blends hip-hop, beat-boxing, dance and spoken word lyricism to tell the heartbreaking story of a teenage girl killed by police while she sat unconscious in a locked car. It’s essential filmmaking in a dynamic and energetic combination of storytelling methods precisely executed from beginning to end.
Sarah Plays A Werewolf (West Coast Premiere)
Switzerland/Germany | 2017 | 86 Min | Dir. Katharina Wyss
Off the stage, 17-year-old Sarah drifts through her community in anonymity. But on her high school’s theater’s stage? The shy girl unleashes torrents of fiery passion, stemming from personal secrets mostly involving her unpleasant home life. As Sarah falls deeper into her performances, though, her loneliness intensifies, causing the troubled teenager to lose herself in multiple ways. Drenched in an overriding sense of despair, Swiss filmmaker Katharina Wyss’ devastating feature-length debut is a coming-of-age stunner.
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
USA | 1991 | 104 Min | Dir. Gus Van Sant
Set in the 1990’s runaway-dominated streets of the Pacific Northwest and loosely based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV, this seminal film by Gus Van Sant (GOOD WILL HUNTING, MILK) tells the tale of a narcoleptic street kid named Mike (River Phoenix) who befriends a fellow hustler (Keanu Reeves) on his journey to find his estranged mother. Film presented in collaboration with Three Dollar Bill Cinema
Closing Night Film
Anna and the Apocalypse (West Coast Premiere)
United Kingdom | 2018 | 92 Min | Dir. John McPhail
For Anna and her friends, high school graduation can’t come soon enough. Unfortunately for them, they must face a horde of yuletide undead creatures before passing on to adulthood. A zombie apocalypse-Christmas-comedy-musical (yes, you read that right), “Anna” is a salute to a genre you didn’t think you needed, while keeping you on the edge of your seat with its hilarity and heart.
Piercing (Pacific Northwest Premiere)
USA | 2018 | 81 Min | Dir. Nicolas Pesce
After kissing his wife and baby goodbye for a seemingly normal business trip, Reed (Christopher Abbott) checks himself into a hotel room to accomplish something he’s always dreamed of: the perfect murder. As his sinister plans unfold, he soon realizes he might be in over his head with a mysteriously unhinged call girl named Jackie (Mia Wasikowska).
Relaxer (Washington Premiere)
USA | 2018 | 91 Minutes | Dir. Joel Potrykus
Joel Potrykus’ latest film follows an obsessive couch potato slacker taking on his most epic challenge yet: to beat the impossible final level of PAC-MAN without ever leaving the couch. His desperate quest is fraught with gross-out humor and darkly comedic perils as all sense of time is lost and takes a turn towards downright mania in a satisfyingly exhilarating conclusion.
Don’t Leave Home (Pacific Northwest Premiere)
USA | 2018 | 86 Min | Dir. Michael Tully
For her latest exhibition, American artist Melanie Thomas is focused on an old Irish myth surrounding Father Alistair Burke, whose portrait of an 8-year-old Siobhan led to the little girl’s unexplained disappearance. After receiving an invite from the enigmatic Burke to visit him in Ireland, Melanie finds that reality and myth aren’t mutually exclusive. Drenched in classical Euro-horror dread and other strange flourishes, writer-director Michael Tully’s genre hybrid is a delightfully unnerving head trip. Director Michael Tully in attendance. Screening presented by Snoqualmie Valley Real Estate.
Time Share (Washington Premiere)
Mexico/Netherlands | 2018 | 96 Minutes | Dir. Sebastian Hoffman
A father’s holiday from Hell begins when a clerical mix-up forces his family to share their vacation home with another family. But lurking beneath the paradise resort is a shady organization with designs far worse than double bookings. Director Sebastian Hoffman’s psychological thriller expertly juxtaposes terror and surrealist comedy through weaving stories of the family man and a beaten down employee setting out for revenge from within. Screening presented by Snoqualmie Valley Real Estate.
Billy (North American Premiere)
Netherlands | 2018 | 90 Min | Dir. Theo Maassen
Ventriloquist Gerard de Groot and his puppet Billy have been inseparable for the last ten years. Until the moment they fall in love with different women and Gerard decides to take a break from his wild dummy. Easier said than done. Theo Maassen’s promising debut is a sharp tragic comedy mixing raunchy humor and deep thoughts about a career as an artist.
CINEMA VISTA SHORTS BLOCK
Boundaries are made to be pushed. This visionary group of shorts showcases the work of some of today’s most innovative and forward-thinking filmmakers. Across all genres, these films represent the vanguard of cinema with stories of life, death, justice and injustice, monsters both real and imagined, and the horror and beauty that reside inside the human heart. At times tragic, fantastical, terrifying, rousing, but always exhilarating, these shorts are at the forefront of filmmaking. MOBIUS, dir. Sam Kuhn In the wake of her lover’s death, a high school student comes to terms with her suburban malaise in this dreamlike and TWIN-PEAKS-esque dose of small-town oddness. BIOPHILIA, dir. Marina Michelson Rachel and her boyfriend, a pair of Brooklynites, decide to try their hand at farming. But when a sheep dies on their watch, Rachel must make a tough decision. EUPHORIA, dir. Wynter Rhys Too focused on his adoring followers and eager paparazzi, a famous artist constantly neglects his 6-year-old daughter. His rabid fan base is ready to change that. JOUSKA, dir. Wynter Rhys A man’s dark past and guilt-ridden thoughts come to a head as he navigates a nightmare land that’s like ALICE IN WONDERLAND laced with PCP. BAILAORA, dir. Rubin Stein Clearing out bodies on the streets of a war-torn Spain, a group of soldiers encounter a young dancer whose moves have an effect beyond explanation. THE DAY MUM BECAME A MONSTER, dir. Joséphine Hopkins Divorces are extremely tough on all children, but especially for young Candice. As if being abandoned by her father isn’t hard enough, her mother begins exhibiting some very troubling new behavior.SOMETHING STRANGE SHORTS BLOCK
Sometimes stories are told to make sense of a nonsensical world, to impose logic on life’s confusion. Sometimes stories celebrate this bewilderment, utilizing the strange and unexpected instead of explaining it. These surreal short films feature superheroes, tampon monsters, vengeful robots, hungry forests, ghastly futures and purgatorial loops. Collected together, this block captivates as much as it challenges convention. END TIMES, dir. Bobby Miller After randomly stumbling across a dying squirrel in a public park, a man’s day goes from odd to WTF in this delightfully morbid comedy from the director of THE CLEANSE. LOVELY LEGS, dir. Abby Thompson In an isolated forest, a young man is ready to finally part ways with his female sex robot. As they say, though, it’s always hard to say goodbye. OVUM, dir. Cidney Hue Undergoing a mind-altering medical procedure, a woman is forced to make the toughest decision of her life. A FOREST, dir. Thomas Geffrier Ready to keep the good times going, Marie leaves a party with a couple en route to a hot threesome. She’ll soon wish that she’d have just gone home alone. CIRCLE, dir. Martin Melnick Loosely based on the myth of Eurydice, this off-kilter, genre-bending allegory follows a woman whose past traumas send on a fateful and dangerous trip through Purgatory. ALLEN ANDERS: LIVE AT THE COMEDY CASTLE – CIRCA 1987, dir. Laura Moss During an infamous on-stage performance in 1987 at New York City’s Comedy Castle, stand-up comic Allen Anders lost his mind. This is the uncovered footage. BFF GIRLS, dir. Brian Lonano A trio of nerdy American girls transform into powerful and fearless Japanese superheroes in order to take down a villainous tampon monster. A coming-of-age tale like none other.JURY
FEATURES JURY: Cinema Vista Program
Haleigh Foutch Horror Editor, Collider Matt Ralston Producer, LOVE AND SAUCERS Vanessa Meyer Programming Manager, FrontièresFEATURES JURY: Something Strange Program
Shannon McGrew Owner, Nightmarish Conjurings Nick Bruno, Programmer, Portland Int’l Film FestivalSHORTS JURY
William Day Frank Producer, PSYCHOPATHS, MODEL HOME Ryan Oliver Journalist, The Playlist Emily Von Seele Journalist, Bloody DisgustingVR JURY:
Dumeetha Luthra Founder, Take Pause VR Jesse Damiani Journalist, VR Scout, ForbesPreviously announced titles for 2018 include:
Profile (West Coast Premiere) Cyprus, Russian Federation, UK, USA | 2018 | 103 Min | Dir. Timur Bekmambetov Amy, a struggling freelance journalist looking for her next big story, pitches her editor on investigating the recruitment of European women by ISIS. Pretending to be recently converted to Islam and using an alias, she creates an incriminating Facebook profile where she begins to like and share posts themed around Islamic extremism. It doesn’t take long for Bilel, a Jihad fighter in Syria, to set his eyes on this seemingly vulnerable prey. Black Mother (Pacific Northwest Premiere) USA | 2018 | 77 Min | Dir. Khalik Allah Powerfully hypnotic and formally singular, filmmaker/photographer Khalik Allah’s second feature is documentary storytelling at its boldest. Fueled by reflective voiceovers and dreamlike visuals, presented in digital, Super 8mm and black-and-white Bolex, BLACK MOTHER transports the viewer into a Jamaica populated by clergymen and prostitutes. The result is an examination of religion, sex, and national identity that’s one truly unforgettable cinematic meditation. Braid (West Coast Premiere) USA | 2018 | 82 Min | Dir. Mitzi Peirone Two fugitive women elude capture and seek refuge at the estate of their rich and very much psychotic childhood friend where they enter a terror fueled game of make believe. A candy color, hallucinogen-fueled lunacy binge, writer-director Mitzi Peirone’s feature debut takes you on an entrancing journey of insanity through its gorgeously framed imagery, vibrant palette and cryptic narrative riddles. Model Home (World Premiere) USA | 2018 | 82 Minutes | Dir. Patrick Cunningham For a Latina single mother and her imaginative young son, being allowed to live in a dream house rent free seems too good to be true. As the mother’s obsessive and unstable mental state emerges, so too does living the American Dream devolve into a waking nightmare. Director Patrick Cunningham’s fascinating debut is a horrifying singular vision that speaks to Hispanic American identity.
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Fantasia Completes 22nd Edition Lineup, Closes with MANDY Starring Nicolas Cage
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Mandy[/caption]
Fantasia International Film Festival dropped the final wave of 2018 announcements including the North American Premieres of Takashi Miike’s LAPLACE’S WITCH and Erick Zonca’s BLACK TIDE, the International Premiere of Joel Potrykus’ RELAXER, and the Canadian Premiere of Nicolas Pesce’s PIERCING.
With the final wave of programming, the 2018 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup of over 125 features and 220 shorts, featuring the premieres of more than 100 cutting-edge visions from across the world.
Fantasia’s 22nd edition will close with the Canadian Premiere of the thunderously-acclaimed MANDY (Official Closing Film), Panos Cosmatos’ long awaited sophomore feature following the stunning BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW. The film makes its first screening in the country after transfixing audiences at Sundance and Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight. Starring an especially strong Nicolas Cage in a performance that seethes with internalized rage, MANDY also features a shredding experimental electronic score from the late Jóhann Jóhannsson that works hypnotically with the film’s pacing and imagery to create a dreamy mood of near-death intoxication. MANDY is a pounding, bleeding act of cinema that’s as singular as it is sensational.
BIG BROTHER (World Premiere)
Mixed martial arts meet high-school intrigue, with Hong Kong superhero Donnie Yen (ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY) at the blackboard! The closing night festivities of Fantasia 2018 will begin with the World Premiere of BIG BROTHER, which sees Yen reuniting with action director Kenji Tanigaki (GOD OF WAR, Fantasia 2017) and delivering an exhilarating, scholastic twist on the martial arts film. Having collaborated on the fight scenes in WU XIA (aka DRAGON, Fantasia 2011) and LEGEND OF THE FIST: RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN, Yen and Tanigaki once again land a bone-breaking bull’s-eye with BIG BROTHER.NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF LAPLACE’S WITCH
Everyone knows the tight bond that has united Takashi Miike and Fantasia for over two decades, and the festival is honoured to continue the tradition with the North American Premiere of his spellbinding new murder mystery LAPLACE’S WITCH! Of course, in Miike’s hands, things quickly veer into the unexpected when a geochemistry professor investigating a double murder case meets a young mathematics genius with an almost supernatural level of knowledge. Crafting gorgeous imagery, stunning locations, and stellar special effects, Miike and his star-studded cast bring us down an unexpected path where the mystic and reality collide. Long-time Miike fans, as well as those just now learning of his work, will not be disappointed!A MASTER CLASS WITH TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV – AND THE CANADIAN PREMIERE OF PROFILE
Fantasia audiences were the first in the world to see UNFRIENDED when it launched at the festival under its original title, CYBERNATURAL. Producer Timur Bekmambetov pioneered its innovative, immersive storytelling approach – dubbed “Screenlife” – which brilliantly captures the way we communicate online. This year, Fantasia will showcase a trio of Screenlife features, each landing with an uncommon impact that’s wholly unique, and tells a very different kind of story. In addition to the previously-announced SEARCHING (Canadian Premiere) and UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB (International Premiere), the festival is proud to showcase the Canadian launch of PROFILE, a riveting award-winner at Berlinale and SXSW, about a journalist catfishing an ISIS recruiter, based on the non-fiction bestseller “In the Skin of a Jihadist”. On July 17, Bekmambetov will conduct a multimedia master class event specifically centered around the inception and production methodologies of this brilliant storytelling approach.PUNK SAMURAI SLASH DOWN SLICES ITS WAY TO A NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE!
Japanese punk rocker Ko Machida’s 2004 maniacally meta novel rips up the silver screen in Gakuryu Ishii’s PUNK SAMURAI SLASH DOWN (North American Premiere). Loaded with loopy weirdness and jolts of anachronistic rock ’n’ roll energy, the cinematic adaptation by Ishii (formerly Sogo) is just as colourful, anarchic, and irreverent as you’d expect, given his bona fides as a key instigator of Japan’s punk film eruption of the 1980s. Collaborating here with screenwriter Kankuro Kudo (of TOO YOUNG TO DIE! fame), the film’s all-star cast includes Go Ayano (AJIN: DEMI HUMAN), Shota Sometani (PARASYTE), Jun Kunimura (ATTACK ON TITAN), Etsushi Toyokawa (20TH CENTURY BOYS), and Tadanobu Asano (KASANE).SWIM OUT TO THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF BLACK TIDE
Adapted from Dror Mishani’s novel “The Missing File”, BLACK TIDE is a taut, methodical crime thriller told with quasi-Fincheresque precision by co-writer/director Erick Zonca (JULIA). Actor Romain Duris is fascinating and Sandrine Kiberlain is heartbreaking, but it’s Vincent Cassel who blows us away with his electrifying performance as an alcoholic cop, whose unkempt hair and beard reflect his tormented, equally-tousled soul. Obsessed with his case like a beast gnawing on a bone, this man-on-the-edge is determined to uncover the truth, no matter how horrible it ends up being.A HELLISHLY SPECIAL SCREENING OF L’INFERNO (1911), LIVE-SCORED BY GOBLIN’S MAURIZIO GUARINI
Fantasia presents a special screening of Italy’s first genre film (which also happens to be the world’s oldest surviving feature), the spectacularly surreal 1911 masterpiece L’INFERNO. Loosely based on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and influenced by Gustave Doré’s illustrations, the film was directed by Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, and Giuseppe de Liguoro, working with more than 150 cast and crew members over a period of three years. For the film’s 107th anniversary, Fantasia will present a special screening of L’INFERNO with a live-score performance by none other than Maurizio Guarini of Goblin – the legendary band responsible for of some of Italian horror cinema’s most cherished musical scores!GET LAZY WITH RELAXER’S INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE!
Y2K is right around the corner, and Cam (David Dastmalchian) has just given his younger brother Abbie (Joshua Burge) the dopest challenge ever: to beat Johnny Mitchell’s infamous Pac-Man high score without ever getting off the couch! Not once! Not even to pee, eat, or drink! SLACKER by way of THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (with a hint of BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD), Joel Potrykus’ (BUZZARD, THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK) latest is a closed-room, mise-en-scène tour-de-force that transforms a gamer’s crummy apartment into a space of unlimited potential. A true punk film, RELAXER is at once indescribable, demanding, and completely insolent, encapsulating the best (and the worst) of ’90s pop culture in one experiential trip.BRING THE BEST MEMORIES OF YOUR FAVORITE PETS – AND PLENTY OF TISSUES – FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE TRAVELING CAT CHRONICLES
Kind-hearted Satoru (BLEACH’s Sota Fukushi) has been living happily with his cat Nana after rescuing it from a car accident. Despite the bond that unites them, Satoru’s new engagement forces them go on a road trip across Japan to find Nana a new owner. Following the Fantasia 2016 hit IF CATS DISAPPEARED FROM THE WORLD, Japan has provided a new, extremely efficient tear-jerker about man’s other best friend… with just a hint of fantasy. In THE TRAVELING CAT CHRONICLES (World Premiere), we can hear animals talk, which brings on great humour, heart, and a whole lot of tears. A beautiful tale of friendship and faithfulness, THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES provides a heartfelt lesson in life for the whole family.THE WORLD PREMIERE OF LIFECHANGER
Drew has the ability to transport from body to body, and his desire to reconnect with the woman he loves will ultimately prove to be the undoing of many – perhaps even Drew himself. The latest from Canadian genre vet Justin McConnell, LIFECHANGER is exactly the kind of smart and efficient genre piece that Fantasia takes pride in introducing to audiences. It’s a film that’s fresh, surprising, and alive, anchored by terrific performances from Lora Burke (POOR AGNES) and Jack Foley. LIFECHANGER is an excellent reminder that all great horror is also one part tragedy, and it’s that element that will help audiences remember this one long after they’ve left the theatre.CANADIAN PREMIERE OF TERRIFIED
Gifted Argentinean filmmaker Demián Rugna has single-handedly transformed his nation’s cinema with this genuinely terrifying paranormal nightmare that starts with a bloody bang and never lets go. Electric with the pure, raw kind of intense horror that makes your entire body ache with fear and adrenaline, TERRIFIED won accolades at Mar del Plata and has been, well, terrifying audiences everywhere from Sitges and Brussels to Brazil’s Fantaspoa. Prepare yourself, because Fantasia’s Canadian premiere is sure to elicit screams that will be heard a continent away.MEET AN ALTOGETHER NEW KIND OF EXORCIST IN ROOM LAUNDERING
In Japan, law requires landlords to divulge tragic passings to their next tenants – but that same law fails to specify just how many subsequent renters one needs to inform! Thus, Miko Yagumo (Elaiza Ikeda, of THE MANY FACES OF ITO), a shy and antisocial young girl, is a “room launderer”: a transitory occupant, with the ability to see the spirits of the deceased. With ROOM LAUNDERING (North American Premiere), first-time filmmaker Kenji Katagiri proves himself to be one to watch out for – perfectly juggling quirky comedy and supernatural drama. This gem co-stars veteran, fan-favourite actor Joe Odagiri (ADRIFT IN TOKYO, MR. GO, AIR DOLL) and Kiyohiko Shibukawa (LOWLIFE LOVE and PUNK SAMURAI SLASH DOWN),THE CAMERA LUCIDA SECTION UNVEILS ITS FINAL THREE TITLES!
Fantasia’s Camera Lucida section, dedicated to experimental, boundary-pushing and auteur-driven works on the borders of genre cinema, unveils its final three Canadian premieres: Blue is the colour of Mia, a 15-year-old with an odd new thirst. With BLUE MY MIND, Swiss filmmaker Lisa Brühlmann offers a masterful, fresh take on the horrific degeneration of a teenager’s anatomy, cleverly entwined with classic fairytale storytelling pitched somewhere between recent genre hits such as THE LURE and RAW. When the price of cigarettes goes up, thirty-something Miso embraces homelessness and sees it as an occasion to reconnect with old friends. MICROHABITAT, Jeon Go-woon’s surprising first feature, subtly reinvents the conventions of slacker cinema. From one social environment to the next, a complex, tragi-comic portrait of South Korean society emerges – its class consciousness, the ambitions that drive it, and the characters that populate it. When Reed (Christopher Abbott) meets Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), he realizes his meticulous night of murder isn’t going to go as planned. A cruel cat-and-mouse game is turned on its head, as writer-director Nicolas Pesce returns to Fantasia with PIERCING, a dark, twisted comedy about death and desire, adapted from Ryu Murakami’s novel (AUDITION).Full Camera Lucida line-up:
Being Natural, dir. Tadashi Nagayama (International Premiere); Blue My Mind, dir. Lisa Brülhmann (Canadian Premiere); Chained for Life, dir. Aaron Schimberg (International Premiere); Hanagatami, dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi (Québec Premiere); Luz, dir. Tilman Singer (North American Premiere); Madeline’s Madeline, dir. Josephine Decker (Canadian Premiere); Microhabitat, dir. Jeon Go-woon (Canadian Premiere); Piercing, dir. Nicolas Pesce (Canadian Premiere); Under the Silver Lake, dir. David Robert Mitchell (North American Premiere) All titles will compete for the AQCC-Camera Lucida prize, awarded by a jury of critics from the Québec’s Critics Association (AQCC), member of the FIPRESCI.CHINA’S ANIMATED DA HU FA IS A RAMBUNCTIOUS, REBELLIOUS FIND!
A formidable fighter discovers a hidden town where dread, violence, and corruption pervade in Chinese animator Busifan’s DA HU FA (North American Premiere), presented in eye-popping 3D at Fantasia. A wonderfully unusual and defiant work of rambunctious, rebellious fantasy animation, this beautifully-animated adventure has been largely unseen outside of China until now.IT’S A LITERAL FACE-OFF AS KASANE COMES TO NORTH AMERICA
Kasane must live with a face deformed by a giant scar, even though she is blessed with impressive performing skills. Nina is an arrogant actress who looks divine but is completely talentless. With the power of a magic tube of lipstick, they will change faces to create the ultimate actress. An adaptation of the popular manga, KASANE is a remarkably effective psychological thriller mixed with dark fantasy that forces us to confront our own superficiality regarding appearances – all without stuffing the lesson down our throat. A brilliant adaptation of mangaka Daruma Matsuura’s unique work, KASANE stars Kyoko Yoshine (the PRINCESS JELLYFISH series) and Tao Tsuchiya (RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO), while Tadanobu Asano (THOR) shines as the Machiavellian architect of their pact.NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF TORNADO GIRL
After vowing to copy the coolest man he knows – real-life grungy hipster pop star Tamio Okuda – Koroki wins the admiration of his colleagues, but attracts the attention of Akari (Kiko Mizuhara), the publicist for a fashion brand who’s turned her sex appeal into a weapon of mass-distraction. Director Hitoshi One (BAKUMAN), who already amazed audiences in the rom-com genre with the MTV style musical hybrid LOVE STRIKES!, hits a bullseye again with TORNADO GIRL (North American Premiere), a cutting-edge romance that’s actually romantic, paired with surreal comedy that’s actually funny! With an amazing cast lead by the convincing duo Satoshi Tsumabuki (FOR LOVE’S SAKE) and Kiko Mizuhara (ATTACK ON TITAN), this one is sure to win audiences’ hearts.ADDITIONAL TITLES IN FANTASIA 2018’S FINAL WAVE INCLUDE:
1987: WHEN THE DAY COMES South Korea – Dir: Jang Joon-hwan Based on true events leading to the establishment of South Korea’s democracy, 1987: WHEN THE DAY COMES is the logical follow-up to the impactful A TAXI DRIVER. With its enthralling narrative, masterful performances, the colossal power of its subject matter and the masterful approach to its direction, 1987 qualifies as one of the best features of the year. Black Dragon Audience Award, Udine Far East Film Festival 2018. AJIN: DEMI-HUMAN Japan – Dir: Katsuyuki Motohiro AJIN: DEMI-HUMAN marks the first live-action adaptation of Gamon Sakurai’s popular manga series. Director Katsuyuki Motohiro (BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN) gives us a rock solid adaptation that delivers on wild action but doesn’t forget to put its likeable characters in the forefront and give them something to fight for. Action fans will find much to like, while aficionados of the manga and anime it’s based upon will come out smiling. Official Selection: SXSW 2018. Canadian Premiere. ARIZONA USA – Dir: Jonathan Watson Sonny (Danny McBride) lives in Arizona, and he’s a totally cool guy. He’s definitely NOT a murderer. Set against the middle-class destruction of the 2009 housing crisis, Jonathan Watson’s feature debut co-stars Rosemarie DeWitt and Luke Wilson, and plays out like the pitch black comedy we always wanted John Carpenter to make but never got. Official Selection: Sundance 2018. Canadian Premiere. BELIEVER South Korea – Dir: Lee Hae-young Six years ago, Johnnie To gave us the impressive DRUG WAR. Now, Korean filmmaker Lee Hae-young (FOXY FESTIVAL) delivers a tense and effective remake, teaming up with the woman behind many of Park Chan-wook’s recent works, Chung Seo-kyung (THIRST). Together, they approach this re-imagining from a different angle, and manage to surpass the original material. The biggest difference between the two films is the way they develop their characters, allowing some of the strongest Korean actors to sink their teeth into the film’s deliciously over-the-top roles. BELIEVER is remarkable and entertaining, beginning to end. Quebec Premiere. BODIED USA – Dir: Joseph Kahn Produced by Eminem, written by popular Toronto battle rapper Kid Twist, and directed by music video icon Joseph Kahn (TORQUE; the unforgettable DETENTION, seen at Fantasia 2011), BODIED is a triumphant satire of today’s social and political climate, in which nothing and everything can be perceived offensively if that’s what one is looking for. Deftly walking on such eggshells, Kahn has assembled an outrageously hilarious ideological rollercoaster that grapples with race, cultural appropriation, and academia, forcing its spectators to confront their own assumptions with the ferocity of a rapper slinging insults in an opponent’s face. Official Selection: TIFF 2017, Sundance 2018, Paris International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. Quebec Premiere. BODY MELT (New 2K Restoration from Vinegar Syndrome) Australia – Dir: Philip Brophy In the sleepy suburban community of Pebbles Court, residents have been receiving free samples of a new diet pill, which has been developed to help the body achieve ultimate health. However, as the townspeople eagerly gobble them down, they begin to experience some unexpected side effects. It turns out these pills transform their users into hallucinating mutants, and their bodies disintegrate, grow tentacles, explode, and melt! A gore-and-slime-filled gross-out classic from the final days of the Ozsploitation era, Philip Brophy’s BODY MELT is a truly outrageous and satirical horror comedy, proudly presented in a brand new 2K restoration! CHAMPION South Korea – Dir: Kim Yong-wan Mark, a Korean raised in the U.S, is a former arm-wrestling champion. When a friend with tendencies for scams brings him back to Korea for a tournament, he’s confronted with the family who gave him in adoption. Anyone thinking that producing an arm-wrestling sports drama is not a genius idea should wait until they experience funny, exciting, and poignant film. CHAMPION succeeds at everything it does – and the phenomenal performance by Don Lee (TRAIN TO BUSAN) is the reason it wins at every level! Quebec Premiere. CINDERELLA THE CAT Italy – Dirs: Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri, and Dario Sansone Murder, mayhem, melodrama, and musical numbers make fine bedfellows in Studio Rai’s CINDERELLA THE CAT, an animated noir-stained revisiting of the famous fairy tale, executed with flair and enhanced by a soundtrack of Neapolitan cabaret cool. Official Selection: Annecy 2018. Canadian Premiere. COLD SKIN France/UK – Dir: Xavier Gens Struggling for survival in the Antarctic, a weather surveyor (Ray Stevenson) must choose between a madman and a legion of creatures he does not fully understand. COLD SKIN feels fresh from the pages of H.P. Lovecraft in its portrayal of the period, the monsters that populate it, and the paranoia and tension between its characters. The film’s creatures are both terrifying and astoundingly dynamic in their realism – but what less would one expect from the director of THE DIVIDE, FRONTIERE(S), and HITMAN?! Official Selection: Frightfest Glasgow 2018, Morbido 2018. Canadian Premiere. DESTINY: THE TALE OF KAMAKURA Japan – Dir: Takashi Yamazaki Ghosts, goblins… even a charming local death god? For newlywed Akiko, the town of Kamakura will take some time getting used to. DESTINY is an enchanting, romantic fantasy adventure from director and visual effects wizard Takashi Yamazaki (PARASYTE). Don’t miss the otherworldly night market that’s a treat tailor-made for fans of Guillermo del Toro! Official Selection: Hawaii International Film Festival. Quebec Premiere. DETECTIVE DEE: THE FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS China/Hong Kong – Dir: Tsui Hark Pop cinema potentate and HK master Tsui Hark returns with latest installment of the ever-popular Detective Dee series. Set in China’s Tang Dynasty era – a time of worldliness and wonders – THE FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS explodes with action, innovation, inspiration, and utter delirium. A series of mysterious incidents have disrupted the city and China’s most famous detective must prove his innocence from Empress Wu – played by award winning actress Carina Lau (2046, ASHES OF TIME). Quebec Premiere. FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH – Restored 35mm Print Hong Kong – Dir: Walter Chung FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH (aka KING BOXER) is the classic action masterpiece that kick-started the kung fu craze in the West months before ENTER THE DRAGON. A shameless favourite among aficionados (most notably Quentin Tarantino, who used one of the film’s most iconic musical cues in KILL BILL), this lovable, ridiculous actioner about two competing kung fu schools has been beautifully restored as a 35mm print just in time to celebrate its 45th anniversary! THE FORTRESS South Korea – Dir: Hwang Dong-hyuk Versatile award-winning director Hwang Dong-hyuk (MISS GRANNY) now tackles the epic tragedy, revisiting a major episode in Korean history. Flawlessly photographed and informed by rigorous attention to historical detail, Hwang’s THE FORTRESS boasts numerous high-profile names, notably Kim Yoon-seok (THE CHASER) and Lee Byung-hun (I SAW THE DEVIL). Winner of the Best Screenplay, Blue Dragon Film Awards 2017. GASTON LAGAFFE France – Dir: Pierre-François Martin-Laval Bringing André Franquin’s iconic, episodic comic book to the screen has long proved to be quite the challenge, but Pierre-François Martin-Laval has skillfully adapted the material to the screen. Transposing the beloved books into the world of online commerce, the film still features Gaston, Prunelle, and Mr. de Mesmaeker, as well as favorites Mademoiselle Jeanne, Officer Longtarin, Yves Lebrac, Jules-de-chez-Smith-en-face, Bertrand Labévue, the crazy cat, and the laughing seagull. Martin-Laval’s wild visuals have delivered a delightful, unpretentious film that’s only goal is to make the entire family laugh. North American Premiere. GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM South Korea – Dir: Jeong Beom-sik When a YouTuber brings a group of young volunteers in for a livestream at Gonjiam‘s Namyang Mental Hospital (a real-life location, selected by CNN as “One of the Freakiest Places on the Planet”), they get way more than what his ad-based revenue stream was worth. The second-highest-grossing Korean horror movie of all time (right after A TALE OF TWO SISTERS), this found-footage scare fest lives up to its immense hype! Quebec Premiere. HEAVY TRIP Finland/Norway/Belgium – Dirs: Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren Crack out the corpse paint and make an offering to Odin, because here comes the funny-as-hellfire Finnish rock ’n’ road saga that made its SXSW crowd shriek like damned souls! Rock video and TV veterans Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren’s debut feature is the feel-good, follow-that-dream, underdog rock comedy for the blast-beat bunch. Being Scandinavian, the humour in HEAVY TRIP is dry and sharp – and the black metal riffage absolutely shreds. Official Selection: Cinepocalypse 2018. Canadian Premiere. LAUGHING UNDER THE CLOUDS Japan – Dir: Katsuyuki Motohiro In Restoration-era Japan, the three Kumo brothers stand guard against the return of the mythical dragon Orochi. Whirlwind thrills, eye-popping art direction, poignant drama, and swashbuckling adventure abound in this manga adaptation! Audiences who adored RUROUNI KENSHIN won’t want to miss out this one! Quebec Premiere. MY SON France – Dir: Christian Carion Writer-director Christian Carion (JOYEUX NOËL) and cowriter Laure Irrmann offer up an intense thriller in the vein of PRISONERS, featuring a desperate protagonist who is ready to do anything – including torturing people and risking his own life – to get his boy back. Frenetically shot and edited, MY SON keeps its audience breathless until its final frame. Canadian Premiere. NEOMANILA The Philippines – Dir. Mikhail Red Following the award-winning BIRDSHOT, director Mikhail Red unveils a neo-noir that brilliantly combines social realism and a dystopian reality to better comprehend the phenomenon of extrajudicial killings. Winner: Audience Choice Award and Best Artistic Achievement, Quezon City International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere. THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD France – Dir: Dominique Rocher Sam wakes up to discover that Paris has been overrun by a zombified populace. This alt-zombie entry explores what it means to be human, and how to salvage it when all around you are no longer living. A project born from Frontières, Fantasia’s International Co-Production Market, THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD has been devouring fest audiences from Rotterdam to Tribeca. Canadian Premiere. RIVER’S EDGE Japan – Dir. Isao Yukisada Adapted from Kyoko Okazaki’s (HELTER SKELTER) cult manga of the same name, director Yukisada’s latest is a chilling 1990s-set coming-of-age drama, forged in the darkness of Tokyo’s industrial suburbs. Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere. A ROUGH DRAFT Russia – Dir: Sergey Mokritskiy Kirill has watched his life vanish. A mysterious cabal has enlisted him as an inter-dimensional gatekeeper, opening the doors to a myriad of possible Moscows. With director Sergey Mokritskiy (BATTLE FOR SEVASTOPOL) at the helm and the writer behind NIGHT WATCH cleverly penning, it’s a given that every frame is an eyeful and every turn more twisted than the last. Canadian Premiere. THE SAINT BERNARD SYNDICATE Denmark – Dir: Mads Brügger After making his mark with satirical documentaries RED CHAPEL and THE AMBASSADOR (Fantasia 2011), Mads Brügger returns with his first scripted feature, the very droll and very wry THE SAINT BERNARD SYNDICATE – one part travelogue, and another part nightmare for anyone looking to make their mark in a country they know next to nothing about. Winner: Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Tribeca Film Festival 2018. Canadian Premiere. THE SCYTHIAN Russia – Dir: Rustam Mosafir A Christian Russian and his pagan captive/guide journey into ever more mysterious lands, and come face-to-face strange and sinister sights, and sudden, savage violence. THE SCYTHIAN is an epic historical action-fantasy that’s as beautiful as it is brutal. Official Selection: Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. North American Premiere. TOKYO VAMPIRE HOTEL Japan – Dir: Sion Sono Two vampire clans battle over mortal human livestock. Swerving from massive gun orgies to gaudy scenes of baroque excess, TOKYO VAMPIRE HOTEL is a confetti cannon full of blood squibs aimed at your face, courtesy of Fantasia fave Sion Sono. Imagine Sono in the style of Yoshihiro Nishimura, with massive bloodshed, wild colors, and sumptuous art direction. Are you in? Official Selection: Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2017, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2017. Quebec Premiere. TRUE FICTION South Korea – Dir: Kim Jin-mook An arrogant aspiring mayor visits the second home of his in-laws to hide his corrupt congressman stepfather’s secret funds. Unfortunately, his encounter with wise locals – and the digging of his own hole – might just ruin his career. Starting like a hilarious black comedy and turning into a dark psychological thriller, TRUE FICTION is a true gem filled with sharp dialogue delivered with surgical precision. With this impressive debut feature, writer/director Kim Jin-mook establishes himself as one of the most interesting new voices in Korean Cinema. Best Screenplay Award, Directors’ Week Program, Fantasporto International Film Festival 2018. Canadian Premiere. UNITY OF HEROES China/Hong Kong – Dir: Lin Zhen-Hao Legendary Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-Hung strikes back with a vengeance after a 20-year hiatus – and is played once again by mainstay Vincent Zhao (TRUE LEGEND)! UNITY OF HEROES keeps its action and plot moving at breakneck speed, all while retaining an irreverent humour in the spirit of the original ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA films. North American Premiere. V.I.P South Korea – Dir: Park Hoon-jung After directing the swaggering gangster epic NEW WORLD and the swaggering man-vs-beast epic THE TIGER, the screenwriter behind Ryoo Seung-wan’s THE UNJUST and Kim Jee-woon’s I SAW THE DEVIL abandons his swagger to go very, very dark. V.I.P. will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and on the tips of their toes! Official Selection: AFI Fest 2017 – Midnight London East Asia Film Festival 2017, Filmasia Film Festival 2017. Quebec Premiere. WHAT A MAN WANTS South Korea – Dir: Lee Byeong-heon From the get-go, the stellar jazz score of this edgy yet lively romantic comedy about cheating calls to mind the mood of Woody Allen. Throughout, the film delights in witty dialogue, unexpected plot twists and playful touches. With its stellar cast including Shin Ha-kyun (THE VILLAINESS), Lee Sung-min (THE SPY GONE NORTH), and Jang Young-nam (I HAVE A DATE WITH SPRING), WHAT A MAN WANTS is a wonderful adult dramedy about eternal children. Official Selection: New York Asian Film Festival 2018. Quebec Premiere. WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE Canada – Dir: Colin Minihan An intensely smart, ferocity-fueled LGBT survival thriller that smashes conventions while dropping its audience off unexpected cliffs, WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE is built upon an eviscerating pair of performances from Brittany Allen and Hannah Emily Anderson. Writer/Director Colin Minihan (IT STAINS THE SANDS RED) has made one of the most gripping thrillers of the year, one that asks the unsettling question of what you would do if the person you trusted most unconditionally suddenly turned against you. Official Selection: Overlook Film Festival 2018, SXSW 2018, Sydney Film Festival 2018. Quebec Premiere.SPECIAL LIVE EVENTS AT FANTASIA 2018
Mick Garris’ POST MORTEM Live Podcast Event – The NIGHTMARE CINEMA Special In celebration of NIGHTMARE CINEMA’s World Premiere at Fantasia, celebrated filmmaker Mick Garris (THE STAND, SLEEPWALKERS) will host a special live recording of his popular podcast, Post Mortem, dedicated to the highly-anticipated anthology and its directors – of which he is one. Joining him onstage will be Joe Dante (THE HOWLING, GREMLINS), Ryûhei Kitamura (VERSUS, DOWNRANGE), Alejandro Brugués (JUAN OF THE DEAD, ABCs OF DEATH 2) and Fantasia programmer/former Fangoria magazine editor Tony Timpone The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in association with Fantasia and Frontières Presents MICHAEL IRONSIDE: LIVE IN CONVERSATION Moderated by Heather Buckley In recognition of Fantasia’s screening of KNUCKLEBALL, a project birthed from its Frontières International Co-Production Market, The Miskatonic Institute is proud to present a career talk with one of the most iconic character actors of our time, and a true legend of the genre film world. Over the course of an hour-long illustrated discussion of key films, directors, and collaborators in his life, Ironside will discuss his many film roles – which include work with David Cronenberg, Claude Jutra, Jean-Claude Lord, Tony Scott, Walter Hill, James Glickenhaus, Paul Verhoeven, RKSS, and more – his origins and approach to acting, how he captures his characters, and his command of voice and physicality. Michael Gingold’s AD NAUSEAM: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980’s Film critic Michael Gingold has been writing about genre cinema for over 30 years. Growing up in New York in the 1980s, his obsession with scary movies led him to take scissors to local newspapers to cut out and collect ads for just about every horror film he came across: mainstream, indie, arthouse, or grindhouse. Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares From the 1980s is a year-by-year deep dive into the critic’s personal collection. Within its pages you’ll see rare alternate art for Gremlins, Child’s Play, The Blob remake and entries in the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises. You’ll be taken back to the era of the double bill, with notices for Aliens, The Fly, Drive-in Massacre, Driller Killer, Night of the Living Dead, and The Three Stooges (!?!). For this special Fantasia book launch event, Michael Gingold will be conducting a slideshow presentation illustrating highlights from his collection, highlighted with his own personal recollections and commentary.FANTASIA 2018’s JURIES
CHEVAL NOIR COMPETITION Fantasia’s flagship juried competition, a 14-film global selection of varied genre works from new and established, groundbreaking and unconventional auteurs. Fantasia’s 2018 Cheval Noir jury is comprised of: Jury President: Tim Matheson Actor, Director, Producer Abraham Castillo Flores Head Programmer, Morbido Film Festival E.L. Katz Filmmaker, Screenwriter Phil Nobile Jr. Editor-in-Chief, Fangoria magazine Victoria Sanchez Mandryk Actor, Screenwriter, Producer Stéphanie Trépanier Producer; Distribution Director, Métropole Films Distribution 2018 CHEVAL NOIR COMPETITION TITLES BIG BROTHER – Hong Kong / China – Dir: Kam Ka-Wai BLEACH – Japan – Dir: Shinsuke Sato CAM – USA – Dir: Daniel Goldhaber DANS LA BRUME (Just a Breath Away) – France/Canada – Dir: Daniel Roby FLEUVE NOIR (Black Tide) – France – Dir: Erick Zonca INUYASHIKI – Japan – Dir: Shinsuke Sato LAPLACE’S WITCH – Japan – Dir: Takashi Miike LOUDER! CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SINGIN’, WIMP! – Japan – Dir: Satoshi Miki THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT – USA – Dir: Robert Krzykowski NUMBER 37 – South Africa – Dir: Nosipho Dumisa THE NIGHTSHIFTER – Brazil – Dir: Dennison Ramalho RELAXER – USA – Dir: Joel Potrykus SATAN’S SLAVES – Indonesia – Dir: Joko Anwar WITCH PART 1: THE SUBVERSION – South Korea – Dir: Park Hoon-jung FIRST FEATURE JURY FOR NEW FLESH AWARD Jury President: Ségolène Roederer General Manager, Québec Cinéma; Former Executive Director of the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois Neil Calderone Founder, Chicago Cinema Society Liane Cunje Co-Founder, INIODYMUS, International Programming Associate, TIFF; Former Production Coordinator, Arrow Video Ezra Winton Co-Founder and Director of Programming, Cinema Politica Joe Yanick Co-President, Yellow Veil Pictures; Assistant Director of Festival and Non-Theatrical Bookings, Visit Films INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION JURY Jury President: Jacqueline Castel Filmmaker, Curator, Archivist Kalyn Corrigan Critic, Collider, Bloody Disgusting, Birth. Movies. Death, ComingSoon James Fler Managing Partner, Raven Banner Entertainment 2018 International Short Film Competition Titles AURORE – France – Dir: Mael Le Mée BE MY GUEST – Canada – Dir: David Jermyn BEURRE NOIR – Canada – Dir: Jimmy G. Pettigrew BLOOM – Australia – Dir: Kieran Wheeler CLEAN BLOOD – USA – Dir: Jordan Michael Blake CRYING BITCH – Japan – Dir: Reiki Tsuno THE DAY MY MOTHER BECAME A MONSTER – France – Dir: Josephine Darcy Hopkins END TIMES – USA – Dir: Bobby Miller EXIT STRATEGY – USA – Dir: Travis Bible FAUVE – Canada – Dir: Jérémy Comte THE FLAPPING OF THE HUMMINGBIRD – Spain – Dir: Meritxell A. Valls HELLO, RAIN – Nigeria – Dir: C.J. “Fiery” Obasi THE INVADERS – Spain – Dir: Mateo Márquez LUCY’S TALE – USA – Dir: Chelsea Lupkin MILK – Canada – Dir: Santiago Menghini NOSE NOSE NOSE EYES! – South Korea – Dir: Jiwon Moon THE OLD WOMAN WHO HID HER FEAR UNDER THE STAIRS – UK – Dir: Faye Jackson PETITE AVARIE – France – Dir: Manon Alirol and Léo Hardt PUPPET MASTER – Finland – Dir: Hannah Bergholm RILEY WAS HERE – USA – Dir: Mike Marrero and Jonathan Rhoads SPIN – France – Dir: Léticia Belliccini THEY WAIT FOR US – UK – Dir: George Thomson and Lukas Schrank AXIS ANIMATION JURY FOR SATOSHI KON AWARD Jury President: Torill Kove Animation Director, Illustrator Lorraine Carpentier Artist, Teacher Marc Tessier Publisher, Writer, Photographer, Teacher Sarah Mercey Animator, Actress THE BARRY CONVEX AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE Administered by SPECTACULAR OPTICAL, with support from the Paul A. Ray Memorial Fund 2018 Barry Convex Jury Kier-La Janisse Author, Critic, Founder of Spectacular Optical Shelagh Rowan-Legg Critic, filmmaker, Festival Programmer (FrightFest) Michael Kronish Executive Producer Nora McHenny Arrow Video, technical advisor for INIODYMUS VR JURY Patrick Senécal Author, Screenwriter Patrick Boivin Filmmaker Gerard Lewis Screenwriter SÉQUENCE JURY Donato Totaro Critic, Teacher Pascal Grenier Critic Jules Couturier Critic
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Edinburgh International Film Festival Reveals Full 2018 Program incl. World Premiere of THE PARTING GLASS
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THE PARTING GLASS[/caption]
Artistic Director Mark Adams today unveiled details of the program for the upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), taking place next month between 20 June to 1 July. This year the Festival will screen around 121 new features, including 21 world premieres, from 48 countries across the globe.
Highlights include the long-anticipated Disney-Pixar animation INCREDIBLES 2, Q&A and IN PERSON events with guests including the award-winning English writer and director David Hare, the much-loved Welsh comedian Rob Brydon and star of the compelling Gothic drama THE SECRET OF MARROWBONE, actor George MacKay, as well as the Opening and Closing Gala premieres of the previously announced PUZZLE and SWIMMING WITH MEN. This year’s People’s Gala will be the World Premiere of Stephen Moyer’s directorial debut, THE PARTING GLASS, starring Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, Denis O’Hare, Anna Paquin (who also produces), Rhys Ifans and Ed Asner.
Mark Adams, EIFF Artistic Director, said: “EIFF prides itself on offering films and events that entertain, challenge, provoke, illuminate and excite and 2018 is no exception! From the best of up-and-coming British filmmakers to striking new cinema from around the world, we offer something for everyone: from rare access to filmmakers, live events to experience and the opportunity to see films that may never appear in the country again. We remain one of the world’s most venerable and acclaimed film festivals and are delighted to be able to offer audiences the chance to see some of the most exciting and innovative new film talent, in a setting steeped in history.”
This year’s BEST OF BRITISH strand includes exclusive world premieres of Simon Fellows’ thriller STEEL COUNTRY, featuring a captivating performance from Andrew Scott as Donald, a truck driver turned detective; comedy classic OLD BOYS starring Alex Lawther; the debut feature of writer-director Tom Beard, TWO FOR JOY, a powerful coming-of-age drama starring Samantha Morton and Billie Piper; oddball comedy-drama EATEN BY LIONS; striking debut from writer and director Adam Morse, LUCID, starring Billy Zane and Sadie Frost; Jamie Adams’ British comedy SONGBIRD, featuring Cobie Smulders and Haifaa al-Mansour’s MARY SHELLEY, with Elle Fanning taking on the role of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. Audiences can also look forward to a special screening of Mandie Fletcher’s delightfully fun rom-com PATRICK.
This year the AMERICAN DREAMS strand will offer audiences the chance to delve deep into some of the very best new films from American independent cinema including: UNICORN STORE, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson in which she stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Joan Cusack; the heart-warming HEARTS BEAT LOUD starring Nick Offerman; glossy noir thriller, TERMINAL, starring and produced by Margot Robbie; the engaging comedy HUMOR ME from Sam Hoffman, starring Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould; IDEAL HOME in which Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan play a bickering gay couple who find themselves thrust into parenthood; 1980s set spy thriller starring Jon Hamm, THE NEGOTIATOR; and PAPILLON, starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek.
The EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES strand, supported by James and Morag Anderson, will feature a wonderful selection of new films that are powerfully visionary and passionate about storytelling. Notable features include touching drama NEVER LEAVE ME highlighting how young Syrian lives have been affected by war; freewheeling Euro romp TULIPANI: LOVE, HONOUR AND A BICYCLE; actor-turned-director Mélanie Laurent’s fourth feature DIVING, the thought-provoking WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY by writer-director Iram Haq; the wonderfully weird CHARLIE AND HANNAH’S GRAND NIGHT OUT; French ensemble comedy C’EST LA VIE! and the brooding and atmospheric drama THE SECRET OF MARROWBONE starring George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth and Matthew Stagg.
This year’s WORLD PERSPECTIVES strand offers audiences a fascinating snapshot of developing world-cinema themes and styles from talented filmmakers from around the world. Highlights include acclaimed epic Chinese drama AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL; award-winning South American drama THE HEIRESSES; powerful political drama NO. 1 CHUNG YING STREET; GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY, an unflinching but darkly funny tale of a Chinese mother and daughter and Brazilian comedy LOVELING. For lovers of the land down under there’s also raucous Aussie comedy FLAMMABLE CHILDREN (SWINGING SAFARI) starring native icons Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce; THE BUTTERFLY TREE starring Melissa George and Ben Elton’s THREE SUMMERS starring Robert Sheehan and set at an Australian folk music festival.
This year’s EIFF program features a diverse selection of new DOCUMENTARIES which reflect the ability of documentary film to inspire and challenge audiences. There is a strong musical theme that runs through this year’s films from WHITNEY, the much-anticipated documentary about the life and times of superstar Whitney Houston; GEORGE MICHAEL: FREEDOM – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT narrated by George Michael himself and ALMOST FASHIONABLE: A FILM ABOUT TRAVIS directed by Scottish lead-singer Fran Healy. Audiences will be inspired by the creativity of Orson Welles in Mark Cousins’ THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES; HAL, a film portrait of the acclaimed 1970s director Hal Ashby; LIFE AFTER FLASH, a fascinating exploration into the life of actor Sam J. Jones the topical POSTCARDS FROM THE 48% will also screen followed by a Q&A with director David Wilkinson, who travelled the UK to meet people from all sides of the BREXIT debate.
As the sun sets, audiences will be able to journey into the dark and often downright strange side of cinema, with a selection of genre-busting edge-of-your-seat gems including: the gloriously grisly psychosexual romp PIERCING starring Mia Wasikowska; the world premieres of Matthew Holness’ POSSUM and SOLIS staring Steven Ogg as an astronaut who finds himself trapped in an escape pod heading toward the sun; dark and bloody period drama THE MOST ASSASSINATED WOMAN IN THE WORLD and the futuristic WHITE CHAMBER starring Shauna Macdonald.
The country focus for the Festival’s 72nd edition will be Canada and is supported by Telefilm Canada. FOCUS ON CANADA will allow audiences to take a cinematic tour of the country and its culture, offering insight as well as entertainment, from filmmakers new and already established. Selected by EIFF’s 2018 Young programrs are also a range of titles that explore the experiences of First Nations youth including INDIAN HORSE in which a young boy becomes a star ice-hockey player and KAYAK TO KLEMTU where a determined young girl, played by the charismatic Ta’kaiya Blaney, sets off to kayak the Inside Passage in British Colombia. The strand will also showcase a number of shorts in SPOTLIGHT ON CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN SHORT FILMS, a powerful combination of short fiction, documentary and animated films that focus on the central social, political and ethical issues prevalent within contemporary Canada.
Audiences are also invited to attend a number of talks in the Festival’s free lecture stand, Reel Talk, including: INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES: FEMALE DIRECTORS IN AMERICAN CINEMA that will shine a spotlight on the acclaimed and ground-breaking female directors who shaped American cinema; Frank Cogliano and David Silkenat of the University of Edinburgh will record a live episode of their show Whiskey Rebellion, offering context for the history of paranoia in American politics and film, before answering questions from the audience in PARANOIA AND POLITICS IN AMERICAN FILM and FROM ROMERO TO GET OUT, OR: HOW HORROR HELPED WAKE ME UP TO THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE which will explore the power and importance of the horror genre.
Audiences can look forward to four programs of short animation as part of the Festival’s dedicated ANIMATION strand, supported by Emperor and the Culture & Business Fund Scotland. The McLaren Award for Best New British Animation will return once again with two varied programs showcasing some of the most highly-anticipated new short animations from the UK and there will also be a special retrospective of unique talent Elizabeth Hobbs, the award-winning indie animator running as part of Anim18, a celebration of British animation taking place across the UK.
The world of experimental film is once again uncovered in the Festival’s ever-popular BLACK BOX strand. A selection of short and feature-length films that push the boundaries of visual communication will screen including the world premiere of PIG FILM, taking a look at the future of film, and a range of experimental short films from Canada that foreground the material properties of 16mm. Also, as part of this year’s FOCUS ON CANADA, the BLACK BOX strand will feature a special screening of short films by Joyce Wieland.
This year’s EIFF SHORTS will offer a thrilling showcase of the finest brand-new short films from across the globe including DREAM IMAGES; OPTICS; RESISTANT BODIES; SPECTRES; FIRECRACKER, celebrating the vibrant state of UK shorts; KALEIDOSCOPE drawn from the thriving Scottish short film scene and THE YOUNG & THE WILD, handpicked by the EIFF Young programrs. New in 2018 will be the inaugural NEW VISIONS program, introducing glowing new voices aged 14-25 from across Scotland to submit their newest works to EIFF’s newly developed short film competition for young people.
A number of special events will take place throughout the Festival including JAWS in Concert, a screening of Steven Spielberg’s seminal blockbuster with John Williams’ iconic score played live by the RSNO,a screening of the much-loved LOCAL HERO followed by a Q&A with writer director Bill Forsyth in conversation with Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh’s Artistic Director, David Greig as well as an early preview of the upcoming season of the popular BBC Alba series BANNAN. Prior to the Festival on 27 May audiences will also have the chance to experience the vampire underworld in EIFF PLAY: BLADE, an immersive cinema experience built around a screening of the trailblazing comic-book adaptation of BLADE, in partnership with Hidden Door andThe List, in collaboration with New Media Scotland, and supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown. Continuing RETROSPECTIVE LIVE! – MONTEREY POP, DA Pennebaker’s brilliant concert film, will be played as if it were a real live gig as part of Summerhall’s brand new 10-day series, Southern Exposure.
Specially selected to showcase the very best in world cinema for younger audiences and the young at heart, FILM FEST JUNIOR boasts two UK Premieres, VITELLO and ZOMBILLENIUM as well as an exclusive preview of PRINCESS EMMY. As previously announced, the Festival’s expanded youth strand, The Young & the Wild will offer a range of masterclasses offering careers advice for filmmakers aged 15-25 years old, along with events and screenings for schools, as part of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018 celebrations and supported by Baillie Gifford. The 2018 EIFF Young programrs, a group of 15-19 year olds who have curated their own shorts strand, The Young & the Wild, have also selected a number of films within this year’s program which are badged accordingly in the Festival brochure.
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First 26 Films Revealed for 2018 Sydney Film Festival
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Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist[/caption]
The Sydney Film Festival has revealed a sneak peek of 26 new films to be featured in this year’s 65th edition of the festival, taking place from June 6th to 17th, 2018; and a new Festival location: HOYTS Entertainment Quarter.
Leading the titles is Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist. The film is a fascinating profile of revolutionary fashion designer and punk icon Vivienne Westwood from UK model-turned filmmaker Lorna Tucker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYmFcAegH4
Also topping the list is the winner of Venice Film Festival’s 2017 Grand Jury Prize, Foxtrot, from award-winning Israeli director Samuel Maoz; and 2018 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award winner, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, featuring rising stars Chloë Grace Moretz (Carrie), Sasha Lane (American Honey) and Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant).
Two Oscar winners will also present their latest works: Sebastián Lelio’s (A Fantastic Woman, SFF 2017) Disobedience starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, and Debra Granik’s (Winter’s Bone) Leave No Trace featuring young New Zealand actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.
Bold psychosexual thriller, Piercing, starring Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (Madame Bovary, SFF 2015), and spine-tingling British chiller Ghost Stories starring Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), kicks off the 2018 Festival’s Freak Me Out program.
Anchor and Hope also delivers more star power with Natalia Tena (Harry Potter) and Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones) alongside her mother, Golden Globe nominee Geraldine Chaplin (Chaplin), in the second feature by award-winning Spanish director Carlos Marques-Marcet (10.000 Km).
Closer to home, Australian journalist Travis Beard’s fascinating documentary RocKabul examines Afghanistan’s first metal band District Unknown, and I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story, is a coming-of-age documentary about the intense love of boybands, from The Beatles to One Direction.
Maya the Bee: The Honey Games is a new family adventure – voiced by an all-star Australian cast including Richard Roxburgh, The Umbilical Brothers’ Dave Collins and Shane Dundas, and Justine Clarke (ABC’s Play School) – from Australian animation veteran Noel Cleary (Blinky Bill).
An exhilarating debut feature from Australian director Jason Raftopoulos, West of Sunshine, starring Damien Hill (Pawno) alongside his real life step-son Ty Perham, and Kat Stewart (Offspring), will also screen in 2018.
Favorites selected from the international festival circuit include: Sundance 2018 Special Jury Prize winner, Genesis 2.0, a documentary following scientific efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth in an Arctic spin on Jurassic Park; and Berlinale Silver Bear winner, Mug, from renowned Polish filmmaker Małgorzata Szumowska.
Also highly anticipated are Oscar-nominated films: The Breadwinner and The Insult. The Breadwinner was nominated for Best Animated Feature and produced by a team of Academy Award winners including Angelina Jolie and animation studio Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea – SFF 2015). Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri’s potent legal thriller The Insult was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.
Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee American Animals stars a cast of young Hollywood talent including Evan Peters (American Horror Story) and Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer).
The brand-new digital restoration, from the National Film and Sound Archive, of iconic Australian Oscar nominated film My Brilliant Career (1979) – from acclaimed director Gillian Armstrong and featuring Judy Davis in her movie debut – will revive this multiple award winner for new audiences.
Sydney Film Festival’s documentary program will again deliver the most exciting true stories about people, places, enterprises and phenomena from Australia and around the globe.
The Festival opens a window into the lives of extraordinary young people, from Chef Flynn, about prodigy chef Flynn McGarry who became one of the world’s top chefs at just 13 years old, to students finding innovative ways to tackle the most complex environmental issues facing humanity today in Inventing Tomorrow.
A light is shone in dangerous places, from the murder that made true crime an American obsession in Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders, to the life of a veteran Kurdish soldier deactivating landmines in Iraq using only a pen knife in The Deminer, to The Long Season, an intimate record of daily life for women in a Syrian refugee camp.
The Festival also features heart-warming fly-on-the-wall glimpses into personal places, such as the family castle of Spanish director Gustavo Salmeron’s eccentric mother in Lots of Kids, A Monkey and A Castle. And the roly-poly lives of five guide puppies as they train for the ultimate canine career in Pick of the Litter – also screening in Sydney Film Festival’s brand new Screen Day Out program, developed for high school students.
Interracial love, religious cults, Thai high society, and an appetite for raw offal complete a preview of the Festival’s more avant-garde works, with classic noir Samui Song from Thai auteur Pen-ek Rataranuang (Last Life In the Universe).
DOCUMENTARIES
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Flynn McGarry appears in Chef Flynn by Cameron Yates[/caption]
CHEF FLYNN
What makes a great chef? Follow teenage culinary sensation Flynn McGarry’s rapid ascent from the home kitchen to the cover of New York Times Magazine.
Bored with his mom’s dinners, and inspired by television cooking shows, young Flynn decided to take over the kitchen. At thirteen, he was serving multiple courses in his front room to friends and family, with his mother providing table service and complex equipment. As his menus became more ambitious and mouth-watering, Flynn ultimately attracted the attention of the media. It’s not all smooth sailing, however, as his talent is called into question in an online backlash. His adoring single mother, Meg, obsessively documented her son’s passion from childhood. It’s this intimate footage that offers a unique insight into the world of a culinary wunderkind, and the challenges he faces as he reaches adulthood.
COLD BLOODED: THE CLUTTER FAMILY MURDERS
A highly detailed reconstruction of the infamous Clutter family murders, which inspired Truman Capote’s bestseller In Cold Blood, directed by Oscar nominee Joe Berlinger.
In 1959, in a small town in Kansas, farmer Herbert Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and their teenage children, Nancy and Kenyon, were savagely murdered. Capote visited the town, interviewed the killers (Perry Smith and Richard Hickock) and subsequently wrote his highly influential work; considered the first book in the true crime genre. Director Joe Berlinger has a history of working in this realm, with films such as Paradise Lost (SFF 1996) on the West Memphis Three. He was curious to know what the relatives and townsfolk felt about the murders and the impact of Capote’s book. The resulting documentary is a fascinating reconstruction of the case, from the backgrounds of the victims and perpetrators, to the trial, Capote’s visit and beyond.
GENESIS 2.0
Winner of a Special Jury Award at Sundance, this striking documentary connects Siberian hunters of woolly mammoth remains with cutting edge 21st century cloning technology.
Scavengers on a remote Arctic island spend the summer digging for prized mammoth tusks to sell to the Chinese market. Whole and partial skeletons of these long-extinct animals can be found in the melting permafrost. It’s not just the tusks that are valued: pioneering scientists want hair, blood or skin, so the creature’s genome can be sequenced and the beast cloned. The locals believe it’s unlucky to touch the remains, and this sense of wrongdoing permeates the film as it shifts to the biotech world, where dogs are cloned and an entire population’s genetic data is mapped. Siberian co-director Maxim Arbugaev worked with director Christian Frei (War Photographer, SFF 2002) to capture these two worlds, the boggy landscape and clinical laboratory, to chilling effect.
I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY
The coming of age stories of four Melbourne women whose lives were changed forever by their love of boybands Backstreet Boys, One Direction, Take That and The Beatles.
Melbourne filmmakers Jessica Leski and Rita Walsh interviewed three generations of fangirls. The women are not, as you might expect, hysterical and hormonal teenagers. They are obsessive, sure, but also insightful and vulnerable. Their ages reflect the bands they adore: the oldest of the quartet being a fan of the Fab Four. The youngest, Elif, lives at home with parents, who fail to appreciate her One Direction devotion. Sydneysider and Take That fangirl Dara can’t understand her own obsession with heartthrob Gary Barlow. Loving a boyband has helped the women through difficult times, and shaped their relationships, faith, and sexuality. Ultimately though, they’ve all found joy in the fandom world.
INVENTING TOMORROW
Enterprising high school students from Indonesia, India, Mexico and Hawaii tackle environmental issues in their own backyard, as they prepare for the world’s largest science fair.
In Bangalore, Sahithi is developing an app to track toxic water levels in neighborhood lakes. Across the globe, in one of Mexico’s most industrial cities, Jesus, Jose and Fernando are exploring ways to improve air quality. Nuha is seeking a solution to the ocean pollution affecting her Indonesian island home, and Jared is investigating arsenic levels in the soil of Hawaii. Director Laura Nix follows these inspiring, innovative and community-minded students as they develop their presentations, finding optimistic experts and fellow enthusiasts along the way.
LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE
A hugely charming portrait of a Spanish family headed by an eccentric matriarch, whose teenage dreams for lots of kids, a monkey and a castle came true.
Julita’s newly-wed wish for many children rapidly came about, and surprisingly so did her more outrageous desires. But in her old age she, her husband and six children must face reality. Their rambling home must be sold, and horde of bric-a-brac (including her grandmother’s long-misplaced remains) squeezed into a modest apartment. Gustavo intercuts old and new footage to craft a loving (and multiple award-winning) portrait of his laid-back family and its history, which cuts across Spain’s recent past from the Civil War to the financial collapse. At its core is larger-than-life Julita; alternately questioning the premise of her youngest son’s film and swooping on treasured knickknacks.
PICK OF THE LITTER
We follow the two-year journey, from birth through training to graduation, of five cute but determined Labrador puppies, destined to become guide dogs for the blind.
At eight weeks old, a litter of puppies is distributed to volunteer ‘puppy raisers’ responsible for training and socializing the dogs. Some handlers are experienced and others nervous first-timers. The pups are an equally mixed bag – two girls, three boys, black and golden, rowdy and shy. They are evaluated throughout their growing years, before starting an intensive training course. We also meet two people with low vision, waiting patiently for a new dog. The film demonstrates the independence that guide dogs can provide as it delves into the dog-human affinity.
ROCKABUL
Australian musician, journalist and debut director Travis Beard chronicles Afghanistan’s only metal band as they take to the stage, risking their lives for rock music.
When Beard met District Unknown back in 2009, Kabul’s fiercely conservative and traditional community frowned upon music, and the underground party scene was for expats only. The four, later five, young Afghan men in the band could barely find instruments, let alone a rehearsal space. Practice sessions were interrupted by power cuts and exploding bombs. Nonetheless, the musicians persevered, excitedly performing their first gig to an audience as much at risk as the band themselves. But as their notoriety grew, Qasem, Pedram, Qais, Lemar and Yousef had to choose whether to stay or go, knuckle under or keep rockin’.
THE DEMINER
The Deminer is an edge-of-your-seat portrait of a bomb disposal expert in Iraq. Winner of a Jury Prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
Colonel Fakhir is committed to making his homeland a safer place for everyone, but he has very few tools to help in this hazardous task. He tackles booby traps and mines with a penknife and garden pliers, even his bare hands. Watching our hero stride into the danger zone is the stuff of action movies: the clock ticking, the mobile phone detonator primed. Fakhir shot much of the nerve-wracking footage himself. A Kurdish man serving in the Iraqi army and a loving father of eight, Fakhir’s successful ‘de- mining’ makes him an Al-Qaeda target. Despite this hefty threat, he doggedly continues, as his family waits in fear and pride.
THE LONG SEASON
Multi-award-winning filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich (Shape of the Moon, Position Among the Stars, SFF 2011) focuses his camera lens on life in a Syrian refugee camp.
Just across the border from Syria, Majdal Anjar in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley is a sprawling, ramshackle collection of shelters. Helmrich spent over a year there filming, with his female collaborator Ramia Suleiman, steadily gaining the trust of his subjects. The duo filmed mothers battling to keep their children fed, clothed and educated, bickering wives and husbands, and young women bemoaning their loss of freedom. With his trademark single shot technique (utilising fluid camera movements to shoot a scene in one take), Helmrich captures the resilience of the refugees with tenderness and compassion, particularly the womenfolk, as they face an uncertain future.
WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST
The wonderfully eccentric, endlessly inventive Vivienne Westwood is the reluctant star of this fabulous documentary.
The British fashion designer stomped into the limelight in ’70s London, when the Sex Pistols (managed by her then-husband Malcolm McLaren) sported her designs. Over the decades, Westwood’s aberrant focus has shifted from punk to eco-activism. Her working life, chaotic creative process and close collaboration with her third husband – the endlessly patient Andreas – is revealed through archival footage and interviews. Long shunned by the establishment, in 1992 she was awarded an OBE for services to fashion (true to form, she attended the Buckingham Palace ceremony knicker-less). Straight talking Dame Vivienne considers her history to be “so boring”, but in this she’s wrong: there’s loads to entertain in Lorna Tucker’s fine documentary.
FEATURES
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American Animals[/caption]
AMERICAN ANIMALS
Bart Layton’s (The Imposter, SFF 2012) first feature is a wildly entertaining docu-fiction hybrid about four young men who attempt one of the most audacious art-heists in history.
American Animals is an unbelievable but true story of four college students who are determined to transcend their boring middle class existence. They hatch a plot to pull off an incredible heist: stealing a number of incredibly valuable volumes from their college’s under-protected rare books collection. Using a great cast of young talents like Barry Keoghan and Blake Jenner, Layton’s brilliant strategy is to also incorporate the four actual subjects into the film. Older, and perhaps wiser, these four men reflect on their past misdeeds, frequently contradicting each other in their Rashomon-like testimonies. Quite unlike any other heist film, American Animals is an energetic, boundary-pushing thriller.
ANCHOR AND HOPE
A lesbian couple contemplate parenthood in a funny and free-wheeling comic drama by rising Spanish filmmaker Carlos Marques-Marcet.
Eva and Kat live a happy life in a houseboat on England’s Regent Canal, until the thorny question of parenthood comes up. Eva desperately wants to be a mother. Kat thinks procreation is narcissistic. But wait, perhaps there’s an answer. Kat’s lifelong bestie, Roger, is coming to visit. Could this randy womanizer be the ideal sperm donor? So begins a fresh and funny tale about love, friendship and the different ways in which modern families can take shape. This hugely entertaining slice of alternative life features wonderful performances by Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones), Natalia Tena and David Verdaguer. A delightful and insightful cameo by Oona’s real-life mother Geraldine Chaplin tops things off very nicely.
DISOBEDIENCE
Oscar-winner (A Fantastic Woman, SFF 2017) Sebastián Lelio’s new film is about the love affair between two women (Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams) in an Orthodox Jewish community.
Ronit (Weisz) is a New York-based photographer, long estranged from her rabbi father and her life in London. When the respected rabbi dies, Ronit returns to pay her respects and claim her inheritance. The welcome she receives is not exactly warm, and there’s poor news on the inheritance front too. Ronit is taken in by her childhood friend Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife Esti (McAdams). Ronit and Esti had a passionate affair when they were younger and the old attraction simmers, but soon desire comes up against duty and faith. Gloria (SFF 2013) and A Fantastic Woman showed that Lelio is a sensitive and perceptive chronicler of desire and sexuality. With Disobedience, he has made a delicate, emotional and rewarding film.
FOXTROT
Winner of the Venice Grand Jury Prize and eight Israeli Ophir Awards, Foxtrot is a thrillingly inventive, tragic and funny examination of Israeli military culture.
When Michael and Dafna are visited by army officials, who inform them of the death of their soldier son, the couple is devastated. Michael’s grief leads to anger and frustration, until a strange twist sets the narrative on its head, leading to a dizzying exploration of history and fate. Maoz won the Venice Golden Lion for his superb debut film, Lebanon (SFF 2010), set almost entirely in a tank. Here his view is more expansive, and Foxtrot zips back and forth in time and place, incorporating animation, music and an unforgettable dance sequence. Laced with irony and humor, and intellectually and viscerally powerful, Foxtrot is a meticulously crafted and beautifully acted film.
GHOST STORIES
Three terrifying tales unfold in this anthology by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen) and Andy Nyman (Dead Set). Martin Freeman features in this classy British chiller.
Three screaming cheers for the return of the British horror anthology! And what a grand return this is. Professor Philip Goodman is a professional debunker of psychics and all things paranormal. After exposing yet another fraud on the cheesy TV show he hosts, Goodman receives a package from an academic he once idolized. The contents propel Goodman into a series of investigations that force him to confront everything he doesn’t believe in. And it gets worse, much worse. Superbly evoking a drab gothic England of rising damp, peeling wallpaper, musty pubs and stale tobacco, Ghost Stories is a scary and wickedly clever fright fest that’ll give you a mountain of goosebumps. We dare you to enter this Vault of Horror!
LEAVE NO TRACE
Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone, SFF 2010) returns with a delicate drama about a father and daughter who are found by authorities after living off-grid in the wilderness for years.
Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), have lived in the Oregon wilderness for years, far from the prying eyes of authorities. They forage for food, and Will passes on survival skills to the smart and curious Tom. When the two are discovered, they’re removed from the park and placed under the care of social services. Adjustment to mainstream society proves difficult, particularly for the traumatized Will. Granik, who famously discovered Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone, has again found an actress of immense talent. New Zealander McKenzie delivers a spectacular portrayal of a loving daughter torn between her devotion to her father and her own desires. Leave No Trace is a film of great sensitivity and compassion.
MAYA THE BEE: THE HONEY GAMES
Maya the plucky bee returns in this charming animated adventure. A colorful tale of buzzy derringdo for kids aged three and up, directed by top Sydney animators.
Bubbly Maya (voiced by Coco Jack Gillies – Oddball, Mad Max: Fury Road) is set a challenge when she accidentally embarrasses the Empress of Buzztropolis. The little bee must win the prestigious Honey Games to save her hive’s honey harvest. With her best friend Willi (Benson Jack Anthony) beside her, she meets her ragtag team, including old friends Arnie and Barnie (David Collins and Shane Dundas of The Umbilical Brothers). She also encounters a jealous bee called Violet, who’s determined her team will come out on top. Maya eventually learns how to get the best from her insect crew, with a little advice from Flip (Richard Roxburgh) and his band, and Justine Clark as the wise Queen Bee.
MUG
A bitingly funny satire and Berlinale Grand Jury Prize winner; Poland’s first facial transplant patient awakes to find that – new face aside – it’s his community that’s changed, not him.
Jacek is a young man living in a Polish town who loves heavy metal, his girlfriend and his dog. While working on the construction of the tallest statue of Jesus in the world, Jacek is completely disfigured by a severe accident, requiring him to undergo a facial transplant. Surprisingly, Jacek emerges from the radical medical intervention unchanged in disposition – he’s still funny, optimistic and wishes to marry his girlfriend. But all around him, people have changed and Jacek finds himself an outsider in his own community. Director Szumowska is unsparing in her criticism of the hypocrisy in this religious town, and aided by striking cinematography depicting a deformed world, has created a hilarious, stirring film.
MY BRILLIANT CAREER
A brand-new digital restoration of Gillian Armstrong’s award-winning adaptation of Miles Franklin’s classic novel, featuring Judy Davis in her movie debut.
Set in late 19th century rural Australia, the film focuses on Sybylla (Davis), a headstrong woman determined to be a writer, who refuses to follow conventions. Armstrong’s 1979 film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, an Oscar and a Golden Globe award, and was awarded two BAFTAs (for Davis), and six AFI Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography for Don McAlpine). Predating Frances McDormand’s ‘Inclusion Rider’ speech by several decades, the film’s director, producers, scriptwriter, leading actor, production designer and costume designer were all women. Nearly 40 years on, Armstrong’s film has lost none of its relevance or screen power.
PIERCING
Nicolas Pesce follows his monochrome nightmare The Eyes of My Mother (SFF 2016) with a color-saturated tale of deviant desire and unspeakable urges starring Mia Wasikowska.
Reed is a seemingly ordinary husband and father. Except that he has an uncontrollable urge to kill. On a “business trip,” Reed checks into a hotel and calls an escort service. His plan to murder sex worker Jackie turns out to be anything but straightforward. Pesce’s lusciously filmed adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s 1994 novel delves into the darkest domains of human nature. Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska deliver outstanding performances as a perpetrator and victim whose notional roles reverse and reset multiple times during an extremely feverish night. Killer production design and a fabulous soundtrack of classic giallo tracks by Bruno Nicolai and legendary outfit Goblin complete the utterly compelling picture.
SAMUI SONG
Murder, marriage and religion are the ingredients of this juicy film noir by leading Thai filmmaker Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe, Headshot, SFF 2012).
There’s style to burn in this classy Thai riff on the eternal theme of a fed-up wife who wants her no good husband dead. Vi is an actress who’s sick of playing soap opera bitches and wants to make an indie arthouse film. Worse still, her abusive and impotent French hubby is blindly devoted to a sleazy cult guru known as the Holy One. The answer to all Vi’s problems seems to be Guy, a scuzzy hitman who desperately needs dough to pay his ailing mother’s medical bills. Naturally everything goes haywire but not in ways we might expect. Dotted with gallows humour, sharp social satire and surreal sequences that’ll keep you guessing, Samui Song is a hard-boiled and highly polished tale of unholy alliances.
THE BREADWINNER
Oscar-nominated animation about an 11-year-old Afghan girl, Parvana, who must pose as a boy to support her family when her father is unjustly jailed.
Adapted from the popular novel by Deborah Ellis, this portrait of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule is the powerful tale of a young girl who faces adversity with creativity and courage. Animated by a team of over 200 artists, it was produced by Ireland’s Cartoon Salon, the studio behind Oscar nominees The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. The Breadwinner is an unflinching indictment of a culture that oppresses women and girls. It is also an appeal for human rights and the power of imagination against tyranny.
THE INSULT
Ziad Doueiri’s (The Attack, SFF 2013) thrilling, Oscar-nominated legal drama explores festering historical, political and religious divisions in his native Lebanon.
When Palestinian Muslim foreman Yasser installs a new drainpipe on Lebanese Christian Tony’s balcony without his permission, Tony’s dislike of Palestinians leads to what appears to be a minor disagreement. But insults are hurled, and the situation soon escalates out of control. What begins with a petty argument leads to a highly publicized trial that captivates a nation, and also gives a range of people an opportunity to settle old scores. Doueiri masterfully takes this private clash of wills as a starting point to explore historic rifts amongst Lebanese communities, and the aftermath of the civil war. Intelligently using humor and pathos, The Insult is ultimately a plea for empathy, forgiveness and peace.
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST
Desiree Akhavan (Appropriate Behavior, SFF 2014) won the Sundance Grant Jury Prize for her latest film, a moving comedy-drama set in a “gay conversion” camp.
16-year-old Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass) is living with her born-again Evangelical aunt while secretly sleeping with the prom queen. When the girls are caught in the back of a car, Cameron is sent to God’s Promise, a Christian conversion therapy centre where teens are “cured” of their homosexual attractions. It’s in this surreal setting that she forms a close bond with two friends, Jane (Sasha Lane, American Honey) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck, The Revenant). Akhavan charmed SFF audiences with her hilarious debut Appropriate Behavior, in which she played a bisexual Persian woman concealing her true self from her family. She finds wit and poignancy again in this timely film about sexuality and self-acceptance.
WEST OF SUNSHINE
A working-class dad must settle a crippling debt in this punchy slice of Australian social realism. Jason Raftopoulos’ impressive first feature debuted at Venice Film Festival.
Jim’s a decent guy who works for a courier company. But he has one terrible problem that’s cost him his marriage. Jim’s gambling addiction has also left him $15,000 in debt to a loan shark. Full payment is due today – or else. Jim’s first thought is to place a big bet on a sure thing in race two at Ballarat. He has no plan B. It’s also school holidays, forcing Jim to take young son Alex around town in search of a solution – or a miracle. Marked by excellent performances and filmed in vibrant, little-seen Melbourne locations, West of Sunshine beautifully captures a father-son relationship and those moments in a child’s life when the adult world comes suddenly and sharply into focus.
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Sundance 2018: See New Poster for Nicolas Pesce’s PIERCING Starring Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska
Here is the poster for Piercing, written and directed by Nicolas Pesce, that World Premiere in the Midnight section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Piercing stars Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, and Wendell Pierce
Reed (Christopher Abbott) is going on a business trip. He kisses his wife and infant son goodbye, but in lieu of a suitcase filled with clothes, he’s packed a toothbrush and a murder kit. Everything is meticulously planned: check into a hotel and kill an unsuspecting victim. Only then will he rid himself of his devious impulses and continue to be a good husband and father. But Reed gets more than he bargained for with Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), an alluring call girl who arrives at his room. First, they relax and get in the mood, but when there’s an unexpected disruption, the balance of control begins to sway back and forth between the two. Is he seeing things? Who’s playing whom? Before the night is over, a feverish nightmare will unfold, and Reed and Jackie will seal their bond in blood.
Based on the critically acclaimed cult novel by Ryu Murakami, Director Nicolas Pesce (THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, Sundance 2016) blends psychological horror with comedy and stylish neo-noir, resulting in a sly take on the fantasy of escape and the hazards of modern romance.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Screenings:
World Premiere: Saturday, January 20th at 11:59pm (PC Library)
Public Screening #2: Sunday, January 21st at 8:30pm (Egyptian, PC)
Public Screening #3: Wednesday, January 24th at 8:30pm (The MARC)
Public Screening #4: Friday, January 26th at 11:59pm (Broadway 6, SLC)
Public Screening #5: Saturday, January 27th at 11:59pm (PC Library)
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Eight Films Selected for Hivos Tiger Competition at 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam
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Possessed[/caption]
Eight films have been selected for the Hivos Tiger Competition – seven world premieres and one international premiere, at the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Three of the films to world premiere in the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 were supported by the Hubert Bals Fund. Nervous Translation by Philippine filmmaker Shireen Seno (which was also selected for CineMart in 2014) is a sparkling and at times surreal film which quietly shows the politically unstable climate of the Philippines in 1987 as seen through the dreamy eyes of an eight-year-old girl.
The Reports on Sarah and Saleem by Muayad Alayan (also selected for BoostNL in 2016) is a story of the impossible affair between a Jewish woman and a Palestinian man which attracts the attention of security services, and was supported by the Hubert Bals Fund in 2017. And Sultry, Brazilian filmmaker Marina Meliande’s combination of social realist drama and body horror, recounts the struggle of a young lawyer in the oppressive heat of Rio de Janeiro against the all-encompassing influence of the Olympic Games on the city. This is the second time Meliande has been supported by the Hubert Bals Fund; in 2011 she co-directed Cannes entry The Joy (with Felipe Bragança).
The world premiere of the fascinating cinematic essay Possessed reflects on the ways humans obsessively search for connections in a digital age. For this film, the filmmakers from the Amsterdam-based Metahaven collaborated with Dutch graphic designer and documentary filmmaker Rob Schröder, who also has a connection to IFFR – his short films screened at IFFR in 1998 and 2000.
The Hivos Tiger Competition also includes Djon África, a first fiction by documentary filmmakers João Miller Guerra and Filipa Reis portraying the playful odyssey of a 25-year-old Portuguese Rastafarian in search of his father and his own identity; I Have a Date with Spring by South Korean director Baek Seungbin, a mysterious black comedy in which a filmmaker struggles with a script revolving around the hypothetical question of what to do on your last day on earth; andThe Widowed Witch by Chinese filmmaker Cai Chengjie, which is a complete re-edit of the -winning Chinese film Shaman and wryly details the life of an unfortunate woman who suddenly seems to possess magical powers. Finally, the competition includes the international premiere of the US film Piercing by Nicolas Pesce, a playful psycho thriller in which a sadomasochistic game of cat-and-mouse unfolds between a man and the call girl he planned to murder.
The prestigious Hivos Tiger Award includes a cash prize of €40,000, to be divided between filmmaker and producer. An international jury of five filmmakers and film professionals also chooses an exceptional artistic achievement within the Tiger selection to receive a Special Jury Award worth €10,000.
Festival Director Bero Beyer: “This year’s Tiger line-up features daring filmmakers who boldly venture into new territories. All of them combine relevant stories and themes – like Israeli/Palestinian relations as seen through the eyes of two lovers, the consequences of the Olympic Games in downtown Rio, or the concept of the imminent end of the world – with outspoken cinematic form.”
The jury for the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 consists of British filmmaker Anthea Kennedy (The View from Our House), Mexican producer Paula Astorga(La caridad), Dutch editor Job ter Burg (Elle), German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach (Western), and South Korean filmmaker Kim Kyungmook (Stateless Things). Both the Hivos Tiger Award and the Special Jury Award will be presented on Friday, February 2, 2018 during the Awards Ceremony.
Hivos Tiger Competition 2018
Djon África, João Miller Guerra/Filipa Reis, 2018, Portugal/Brazil, world premiere I Have a Date with Spring, Baek Seungbin, 2018, South Korea, world premiere Nervous Translation, Shireen Seno, 2018, Philippines, world premiere Piercing, Nicolas Pesce, 2018, USA, international premiere Possessed, Metahaven/Rob Schröder, 2018, Netherlands/Croatia, world premiere The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, Muayad Alayan, 2018, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico, world premiere Sultry, Marina Meliande, 2018, Brazil, world premiere The Widowed Witch, Cai Chengjie, 2018, China, world premiere