THE H-MAN
Japan – Dir. Ishiro Honda
Jellylike atomic goblins haunt the rainy Tokyo streets involving gangsters and cops! Director Ishiro Honda (GODZILLA) steps out of his comfort zone to yield a unique genre blending gem. Presented in glorious 35mm and preceded by a special career overview of the extraordinary cinematic master Ishiro Honda by Ed Godziszewski (co-author of Ishiro Honda – A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa).
HAVE A NICE DAY
China – Dir: Liu Jian
Liu Jian’s award-winning 2010 debut, PIERCING 1, marked him as China’s first world-class independent animator, and established an austere, understated visual style and caustic social commentary that has carried through to his latest. Making its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia 2017, Liu’s bold second feature, the Berlinale breakout HAVE A NICE DAY is a bitter, bitingly funny slice of low-key neo-noir, in which a memorable bunch of nobodies chase a bag of cash and strike hopeless bargains with fate.
THE HONOR FARM
USA – Dir. Karen Skloss
At the vanguard of young adult cinema, Karen Skloss’ fiction film debut is a dreamlike trip that masterfully subverts and manipulates the tropes of coming-of-age cinema, horror and psychedelic thrillers. Official Selection: SXSW 2017 (Midnighters). Director in Attendance.
HOUSE OF THE DISAPPEARED
South Korea – Dir. Lim Dae-woong
On loud stormy night, Mi-hee wakes up to find her dying husband in the basement and see her son disappear before her eyes. Many years later, she returns to this house to solve the mystery. International star Kim Yujin (the LOST series) shines in this creepy atmospheric remake of THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME (which Fantasia helped launch in 2015). Official Selection: Udine Far East Film Festival.
INDIANA
USA – Dir. Toni Comas
The feature debut of BAG BOY, LOVER BOY co-writer Toni Comas, this superb supernatural drama about spirit doctors in the American Midwest haunts with a seemingly simple story that unwinds with skilful complexity and compelling characters. Harkening back to a time when independent cinema meant regional cinema, the film makes Indiana itself its focus – the people who live there, the quiet lives they inhabit and the beliefs that drive them. Director in Attendance.
INFILTRATION
France – Dir:Robert Morin
Fantasia’s Camera Lucida section is back! Dedicated to the most original and singular visions, at the outer edges of genre cinema, it will close this year’s selection with the World Premiere of Robert Morin’s LE PROBLÈME D’INFILTRATION (INFILTRATION), also screening during the festival’s closing night on August 2, 2017. An experimental film and formal experiment only Morin could have made, LE PROBLÈME D’INFILTRATION (INFILTRATION) is a unique, angst-ridden portrait composed of a series of distinctive, surrealistic long takes, that brilliantly convey the existential crisis and downward spiral of Dr. Louis Richard (Christian Bégin), a plastic surgeon specializing in burn victims. A bold film that simultaneously evokes German Expressionist art and avant-garde video. See below for the rest of the Camera Lucida line-up. Director, Cast, and Crew in Attendance.
INNOCENT CURSE
Japan – Dir. Takashi Shimizu
A child’s scream pierces the quietude of a Japanese suburb – and the nightmare begins. A funhouse too atmospheric and scary to resist, from Japan’s living legend of horror, Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON, MAREBITO)! Official Selection: Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2017, Shanghai International Film Festival 2017.
IT’S ALIVE
USA – Dir. Larry Cohen
Repertory screening. After a trio of early-’70s blaxploitation films, writer/producer/director Larry Cohen made his first venture into horror with IT’S ALIVE, lacing its gruesome terrors (which somehow got away with a PG rating) with the social commentary and character eccentricities that would distinguish his future genre ventures. While staging vivid setpieces of the baby on the attack – the death of a milkman is especially memorable – Cohen also engages us with the conflicted Frank and determined Lenore, and builds further intrigue via the drug-company subplot, inspired by thousands of real-life cases of infant deformities due to the drug thalidomide in the 1950s and ’60s. The contributions of an up-and-coming specialist in the macabre (makeup effects creator Rick Baker) and a seasoned thriller veteran (composer Bernard Herrmann) help make IT’S ALIVE a powerful film that retains its resonance to this day.
JAILBREAK
Cambodia – Dir: Jimmy Henderson
Years ago, Thailand gave the world ONG BAK. Then Indonesia surprised us with THE RAID. This year, it’s Cambodia’s turn to redefine the limits of action cinema with spectacular stunts and breathtaking fights at an unrelenting, frenetic pace. Explosively directed by Jimmy Henderson, JAILBREAK highlights the beauty and the know-how of a national cinema worth discovering. Don’t miss this!
JAPANESE GIRLS NEVER DIE
Japan – Dir. Daigo Matsui
One day, Haruko Azumi (Yu Aoi) disappears and becomes a legend. A proudly experimental, kaleidoscopic and pop-art portrait of the female condition in Japan. Official Selection: Tokyo International Film Festival 2017, Rotterdam 2017, TIFF Next Wave Festival 2017.
JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE
Japan – Dir: Takashi Miike
Fantasia favorite Takashi Miike, who received a well deserved Lifetime Achievement Award last year, will once again please his hordes of Montreal fans with the exuberant JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE (North American Premiere), masterfully adapted from Hirohiko Kitakubo’s cult manga and featuring a stellar cast led by Kento Yamazaki.
JUNK HEAD
Japan – Dir: Takahide Hori
Artist, designer, sculptor and stop-motion animator Takahide Hori expands his 2103 cyber-horror short film into a full, independent feature, a biomechanical nightmare tempered with unexpected twists and deft wit – imagine Fraggle Rock through the eyes of H.R. Giger and Hieronymus Bosch. The Axis section’s strangest discovery of 2017!
KARMINA
Canada – Dir. Gabriel Pelletier
Repertory screening. A great success upon its release, KARMINA is one of the very first genre pictures fully marketed and distributed as such in Quebec. Karmina (Isabelle Cyr), a 140-year-old Transylvanian vampire, must flee her ancestors’ homeland after running out on her arranged marriage to the horrible Vlad. She finds refuge right here in Montreal, hiding out with her eccentric aunt, who introduces her to a secret potion that turns a vampire into a human for a few hours. Karmina then meets and falls desperately in love with a young musician named Philippe. But alas, Vlad soon lands at Mirabel, where he doesn’t waste time turning a customs agent into a vampire (a hilarious Gildor Roy). Together, they roam the streets of Montreal in search of the city’s beautiful vampire.
KEDI
Turkey / USA – Dir: Ceyda Torun
KEDI is not a documentary about housecats, or the stray cats that you sometimes encounter in your backyard. KEDI is a film about hundreds of thousands of cats who have wandered and prowled through the metropolis of Istanbul freely for thousands of years, crossing the lives of people indoors or out, in a unique way – animals living between the worlds of the wild and the tame. Cats and their kittens bring joy, and give human beings the opportunity to reflect on their place in life. In Istanbul, cats are mirrors of ourselves.
KILLING GROUND
Australia – Dir: Damien Power
A young couple (Harriet Dyer; Ian Medows) on a romantic getaway in the Australian wilderness encounter a dangerous pair of locals (Aaron Pedersen; Aaron Glenane) and a make deadly discovery in this inventively intense thriller that brings audiences back to the glory days of Aussie genre cinema and sun-drenched outback horror. Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival.
KILLS ON WHEELS
Hungary – Dir. Attila Till
A wheelchair-bound hitman is assisted by a pair of disabled teenage aspiring comic artists. One part crime genre piece, one part absorbing character study, and one part total original. It’s movies like this that Fantasia was created for. Winner: Roger Ebert Award, Chicago International Film Festival 2016; Best Feature and Best Actors, Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2016.
KING COHEN
USA – Dir: Steve Mitchell
This Summer, Fantasia will be saluting the groundbreaking work of independent American filmmaker Larry Cohen. Widely recognized as one of the godfathers of progressive, socially conscious genre cinema with such individualistic landmarks as the IT’S ALIVE films, BLACK CASEAR, Q, and THE STUFF, in addition to his distinctive screenwriting work for a plethora of other filmmakers, Cohen’s output has always been smart, character-driven, and boldly confrontational.Larry Cohen will be awarded before the World Premiere of Steve Mitchell’s KING COHEN, a phenomenal documentary about the filmmaker’s extraordinary history and work, that features appearances by Martin Scorsese, John Landis, Yaphet Kotto, J.J. Abrams, Fred Williamson, Rick Baker, Joe Dante, and Eric Bogosian, among many others.Celebrated actor Michael Moriarty, who has appeared in no fewer than seven features for Cohen, and appears prominently in KING COHEN, will be in attendance at the award ceremony.
KODOKU MEATBALL MACHINE
Japan – Dir: Yoshihiro Nishimura
People are turning into bizarre organic/mechanical creatures who terrorize the last survivors of a decimated, dome-covered Tokyo. Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE), Japan’s master of extreme make-up effects, is back with more of his gory creativity and his formidable capacity to create hellish – but funny – monsters. Official Selection: SXSW 2017, Night Visions 2017, The Overlook Film Festival 2017.
THE LAPLACE’S DEMON
Canada – Dir: Giordano Giulivi
It unfolds like an all-time great TWILIGHT ZONE episode directed by the three-headed offspring of Guy Maddin, Mario Bava, and Val Lewton! It will send you right over the edge with its unique mix of faux-vintage aesthetics, probabilistic science-fiction, and Gothic style. A total discovery, it beautifully balances pastiche, homage, and invention!
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Canada – Dir. Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko
What if we told you there is a way to build an artificial star on Earth? LET THERE BE LIGHT takes you to the outer limits of renewable energy, and the future of mankind: nuclear fusion. A must-see for the “sci-” and the “sci-fi” minded alike. Official Selection: SXSW 2017, Hot Docs 2017. Directors in Attendance.
LIBERATION DAY
Latvia-Norway-Slovenia – Dir. Ugis Olte and Morten Traavik
A chronicle of a surreal, subversive prank on a geopolitical scale as Slovenian industrial provocateurs Laibach become the first Western rock band to gig in the fortress state of North Korea. LIBERATION DAY captures many perfect moments of dark mirth and discomforting tension. But it also challenges our media-fed misconceptions with rare insights into North Korea. Official Slection: Trieste Film Festival 2017, Göteborg Film Festival 2017.
LITTLE AURORE’S TRAGEDY
Canada – Dir. Jan-Yves Bigras
Repertory screening. A little girl wittness the death of her mother- expressly killed through negligence by the woman supposedly nursing the invalid mother back to health. The coniving nurse in turn marries the child’s father thereby taking the dead woman’s place and becoming the little girl’s stepmother. After unwisely revealing to the stepmother that she knows the reason for her mother’s death; Arore is abused by her stepmother who hopes that in torturing the child she can keep her silent. The father, who is absent during the day farming the land, closes his eyes or refuses to believe his new wife is abusive when confronted by the sight of his miserable burnt and beaten child.
LITTLE HOURS
Canada – Dir. Jeff Baena
The triumphant return of writer/director Jeff Baena and star Aubrey Plaza (LIFE AFTER BETH, Fantasia 2014) is a hilarious take-off on Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” (inspired by one of the classic text’s lighter segments) and one of Fantasia 2017’s funniest films. Adding a modern sensibility to the legendary text, Baena and cast (all of them terrific) make THE LITTLE HOURS a smart comedy about rude, self-obsessed people (not an easy thing to do) and it also marks a welcome return the properly profane use of foul language to modern-day comedy. Helped immeasurably by real Italian locations and excellent widescreen lensing by Quyen Tran, THE LITTLE HOURS looks great, sounds ugly, but leaves the audience with a sense that they’ve just seen something delightfully crass and obnoxious. In other words, it’s the perfect Fantasia comedy. Enjoy it, fuckers!
LOVE AND OTHER CULTS
Japan – Dir. Eiji Uchida
An unexpected love story, and exploration of the seedy, unexplored corners of Japanese society and youthful regional reality – from cults to gangs to idols! Official Selection: Udine Far East Film Festival 2017, New York Asian Film Festival 2017.
LOWLIFE
USA – Dir: Ryan Prows
The lives of an addict, a Luchador, a cartel organ smuggler, and an ex-con collide in this wildly original crime/drama/blacker-than-black comedy/thriller that’s as informed by Mexican subcultures as it is by American cinema. A ferocious feature debut by Ryan Prows, LOWLIFE is one of the most gobsmacking crime film discoveries that we’ve come across in years. Beg, cheat, or steal to be at our World Premiere and witness the birth of an unforgettable instant classic.
LU OVER THE WALL
Japan – Dir: Yuasa Masaaki
Boy meets mermaid in this manic anime mash-up of Gothic folklore, wild fantasy, and feelgood teenage J-pop jams!
MADE IN HONG KONG (4K Restoration)
Hong Kong – Dir. Fruit Chan
Repertory screening. A gorgeous and essential 4K restoration of Fruit Chan’s youthful gangster classic, commissioned by the Udine Far East Film Festival to commemorate the 20 years of the Hong Kong handover. Winner: Best Picture Award, Hong Kong Film Awards 1998. Official Selection: Locarno International Film Festival 1997.
THE MAN WHO LAUGHS
USA – Dir: Paul Leni
Repertory screening. Following our past live performance events of METROPOLIS and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Gabriel Thibaudeau and Fantasia are re-teaming for a presentation of a unique cinematographic concert of Paul Leni’s 1928 classic THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, rightfully recognized as an early masterpiece of horror cinema. Thibaudeau’s original score for the film, which has been performed worldwide over the past 20 years, from Paris to São Paulo, Tokyo to New York, will be interpreted live by a nine-piece orchestra under the direction of the composer, featuring the Quatuor Molinari. Do not miss this true homage to silent cinema’s golden age!
THE MANSION
France – Dir. Tony T. Datis
A bunch of friends, live wires and web addicts, decide to celebrate the New Year in an isolated manor house with no coverage: a big first for them! But as soon as they arrive, strange occurrences disturb the festive atmosphere, and the party turns into a murderous nightmare. The feature debut from celebrated music video director Datis (Skrillex’s “Bangarang” and Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake”), LE MANOIR is a well-crafted horror/comedy that isn’t afraid of opening up incendiary floodgates, and is sure to leave no viewer indifferent. Plus, in a risky feat that completely works, Datis cast his film with YouTube stars. Come discover the immense talents of its web-based stars, who are fast on their way to conquering the big screen.
MAYHEM
USA – Dir: Joe Lynch
Amid a frightening viral outbreak that leaves the infected temporarily unable to control their impulses – and subsequently not criminally responsible for their behaviour – a lawyer (THE WALKING DEAD’s Steven Yeun) and shafted homeowner (Samara Weaving) fight to confront the top executives who wronged them. A cheerfully ferocious middle finger salute to cutthroat corporate culture. Official Selection: SXSW 2017.
M.F.A.
USA – Dir: Natalia Leite
After being sexually assaulted by a fellow classmate, an art student (Francesca Eastwood) becomes an avenging vigilante, refusing the vulnerability of victimization and exacting cold-blooded – and bloody – revenge. Official Selection SXSW 2017, Galway Film Fleadh 2017.
MIL MÁSCARAS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AND REPERTORY SCREENINGS
Mexico – Dir: varied
Luchador films hold a special place in Fantasia-goers hearts. In the early editions of the festival, screenings of numerous luchador films were held in front of sold out crowds at the 900-seat Imperial Theater. This year marks a very special occasion, as the fest will be graced by one of lucha libre’s most famous heroes, the legendary Mil Máscaras. With Blue Demon and El Santo, this legendary masked wrestler was part of a trio of athletes who, in the 60’s and early 70’s, turned this unique brand of Mexican superhero film into a worldwide phenomenon. Mil Máscaras will be awarded a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary career as a Mexican film icon and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. The award will be presented before the presentation of a double bill of two features starring Mil Máscaras: 1972’s LAS MOMIAS DE GUANAJUATO, arguably the most famous luchador film of all time (co-starring El Santo and Blue Demon), and AZTEC REVENGE, Aaron Crozier’s recently-produced American feature from writer Jeffrey Uhlmann, who will be in attendance.
MOHAWK
USA – Dir: Ted Geoghegan
Ted Geoghegan’s sophomore feature, following 2015’s acclaimed WE ARE STILL HERE, confronts audiences with a very different kind of horror: our collective history. Set in 1814, MOHAWK tells the white-knuckle tale of two young Mohawk warriors and their British lover pursued by murderous American military renegades Hell-bent on blind revenge, and features a striking ensemble cast that includes Kaniehtiio Horn, Eamon Farren, Ezra Buzzington, Jonathan Huber (WWE Superstar Luke Harper), and Noah Segan. History often hurts, but sometimes it hits hard enough to kill. World Premiere.
THE MOLE SONG: HONG KONG CAPRICCIO!
Japan – Dir: Takashi Miike
Beloved director Takashi Miike (AUDITION, ICHI THE KILLER) may have received a Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s edition of Fantasia, but he won’t stop delivering over the top crowd pleasers! Re-teaming with screenwriter Kankuro Kudo, who also directed last year’s Audience Award winner TOO YOUNG TO DIE!, Miike delivers a crazier and funnier sequel to THE MOLE SONG: SECRET AGENT REIJI loaded with unambiguous sex jokes, strange action scenes, crotch injuries and gorgeous set pieces. Actor Toma Ikuta (THE TOP SECRET: MURDER IN MIND) delivers an incredible physical performance in the role of the libidinous mole Reiji who is now tracked down by the police, the yakuza boss he work for, and a lethal Chinese gang. Miike is back in all his mischievous glory with the Canadian Premiere of THE MOLE SONG: HONG KONG CAPRICCIO!
MON MON MON MONSTERS
Taiwan – Dir: Giddens Ko
In a shabby Taipei neighborhood plagued by nocturnal killings, four teenage boys find trouble… and trouble finds them. A twisted coming-of-age film from the writer of MACHI ACTION and an impressive blend of genres, bouncing from comedy to horror in matters of seconds without ever making a mess. Official selection: Hong Kong International Film Festival 2017, Udine Far East Film Festival 2017, New York Asian Film Festival 2017.
MONEY’S MONEY
France – Dir: Géla Babluani
Georgian-born French filmmaker Géla Babluani created one of the most significant thrillers of the last 15 years with his enthralling debut, the classic 13 TZAMETI. Now, after a seven-year hiatus following that film’s 2010 US remake, he has returned with MONEY’S MONEY – a taut robbery thriller whose stellar cast includes Benoît Magimel, Olivier Rabourdin, Vincent Rottiers, and Féodor Atkine. Fantasia will proudly be showcasing the film’s World Premiere.
MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND
USA – Dir. Ana Asensio
An unbearably gripping drama that slowly transforms into a thriller depicting a dangerous, and unbearably tense 24-hour span in the life of an undocumented immigrant woman struggling in New York City. Winner: Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature, SXSW 2017. Official Selection: BAMCinemaFest 2017, Sydney Film Festival 2017. Director in Attendance.
MUMON: THE LAND OF STEALTH
Japan – Dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura
Despite his playful attitude, Mumon is the most dangerous ninja of his ruthless clan of assassins, but when his actions triggers an all out war with the samurais of Ise, he might finally meet his match. With an incredible cast led by J-pop band Arashi’s frontman Satoshi Ohno and the masterful direction of Fantasia favorite Yoshihiro Nakamura (FISH STORY), this breathtaking over the top action comedy will make you stealthily sneak back for more! Official Selection: Shanghai International Film Festival.
MUSEUM
Japan – Dir: Keishi Ohtomo
Fantasia favorite Keishi Ohtomo (the RUROUNI KENSHIN trilogy) is back with MUSEUM, based on Ryosuke Tomoe’s 2013 manga of the same name. It’s overworked cop vs. sadistic, frog-headed killer in this gruesome and deranged, horror-tinged thriller in the tradition of David Fincher’s SE7EN! Official Selection: Sitges 2016, Busan 2016.
MY FRIEND DAHMER
USA – Dir: Marc Meyers
Ross Lynch stars in the haunting, sad, funny, and true story of Jeffrey Dahmer in high school, based on Derf Backderf’s critically acclaimed 2012 graphic novel of the same name and Meyers’s own 2014 Black List script. Also starring Anne Heche, Dallas Roberts, and Vincent Kartheiser. Official Selection: Tribeca 2017.
NAPPING PRINCESS
Japan – Dir: Kenji Kamiyama
The divide between teenage Kokone’s fanciful reveries and the real world is crumbling in NAPPING PRINCESS, a sleek Japanese anime that blends steampunk fantasy and plugged-in techno-thrillers. From acclaimed director Kenji Kamiyama (GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC, CYBORG 009, and EDEN OF THE EAST).
NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL
Japan – Dir: Yuasa Masaaki
A wild jumble of characters and events that come together on one strange night in Kyoto, in a madcap, musical romantic comedy.
THE NIGHT OF THE VIRGIN
Spain – Dir: Roberto San Sebastián
The first time is often clumsy and awkward, but for Nico the virgin, it’s the beginning of an endless nightmare. An unmissable comedy/horror rollercoaster of blood and lust that features some of the most grotesquely imaginative grossouts we’ve seen in years. Official Selection: Fantaspoa 2017, FrightFest 2017.
THE NIGHT WATCHMEN
USA – Dir. Mitchell Altieri
Three inept night watchmen, aided by a young rookie and a fearless tabloid journalist, fight an epic battle to save their lives. A mistaken warehouse delivery unleashes a horde of hungry vampires, and these unlikely heroes must not only save themselves but also stop the scourge that threatens to take over the city of Baltimore. Winner: Best Horror Film, Garden State Film Festival 2017, Best Feature, New Jersey HorrorCon 2017. Director and Cast in Attendance.
NOMAD
Turkey – Dir. Emir Mavitan
There is a beauty and a cruelty to the more exotic terrains of Turkey, and each is captured in the rich cinematography of Emir Mavitan’s feature-film debut. Against this backdrop, Mavitan spins a spare and universal fable of struggle, strength and sacrifice. Mavitan’s 2013 short film RE-ERA was sleek, hard, near-future sci-fi, but NOMAD reaches for a something deeper and more mythic – an echo of a distant past, or a premonition of days to come. Either way, NOMAD speaks of the flame that passes from parent to child, and the inheriting of a world strewn with deep wounds – and a few precious seeds of hope.
NOVEMBER
Estonia – Dir. Rainer Sarnet
A deep dive into Estonian folklore, and a harsh, fascinating look at 19th-century pagan life, where spirits roam free, werewolves lurk, and souls are a valuable currency. Winner: Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film, Tribeca Film Festival 2017.
ORIGAMI
Canada – Dir: Patrick Demers
During one of his many Asian adventures, Patrick (François Arnaud), a visual artist who specializes in Chinese art, encounters a mysterious man who makes him discover his latent gift for time travel. Stunningly directed and compellingly intimate, ORIGAMI is a UFO on the landscape of Quebec cinema that succeeds in applying sci-fi genre markers to a primarily human story. World Premiere. Directors in Attendance.
OVERDRIVE
France – Dir. Antonio Negret
From the writers of WANTED and 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS comes an utterly bombastic actioner that runs on blood, sweat, and rocket fuel! Scott Eastwood and Ana de Armas (of the upcoming BLADE RUNNER 2049) star in this stunt-filled, explosive thriller set under the scorching sun of southern France. Director Antonio Negret has crafted a smart, sexy tale of car thieves on the run – and stuck its throttle at 4000 rpm!
PATTI CAKE$
USA – Dir: Geremy Jasper
A sensation on the 2017 festival circuit – first unveiled at Sundance, then swerving by SXSW, and recently closing the prestigious Director’s Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) section of the Cannes Film Festival – PATTI CAKE$ now stops at Fantasia for its Canadian Premiere! Starring the amazing newcomer Danielle Macdonald in the lead role of Patricia Dumbrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, this is a first feature film from acclaimed music video director Geremy Jasper. Reminiscent of films like LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, 8 MILE, and 2016 Fantasia discovery SOME FREAKS, PATTI CAKE$ is a brilliant cult classic in the making; an empowering outsider story told with unparalleled heart and conviction.
PLAN B
Germany – Dir. Ufuk Genc and Micheal Popescu
A trio of aspiring martial artists are blackmailed into criminal activity for the Berlin mob in this near-perfect actioner featuring spectacular fights, loads of laughs, and great chemistry from its hilarious stars. With PLAN B, Germany’s Ufuk Genc and Micheal Popescu prove they have the cinematic chops to stand alongside the world’s finest action directors. Directors in Attendance.
POOR AGNES
Canada – Dir. Navin Ramaswaran
Ambitious, cunning, and narcissistic, Agnes (Lora Burke) is a serial killer, hiding in plain sight within a rural town while defining her own systems of sport and romance. A uniquely peculiar suspense film with slow, thoughtful dialogue that moves between victimization and control as it delves into the subjective experience of a probable sociopath. POOR AGNES is a driven and endearing effort that doesn’t pander to audiences, and both Agnes and plot alike are utterly unpredictable. World Premiere. Director in Attendance.
PORK PIE
New Zealand – Dir: Matt Murphy
A trio of young misfits in pursuit of lost love race the length of the country in a stolen Mini Cooper S. Avoiding the law and with nothing to lose, they become folk heroes and most wanted criminals as they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a media frenzy and escalating police operation.
PREY
Netherlands – Dir. Dick Maas
From the legendary Dutch horror iconoclast who brought you THE LIFT, AMSTERDAMNED, DOWN, and SAINT comes this jaw-dropping horror thriller about a bloodthirsty lion stalking the streets (and metro trains!) of Amsterdam. Official Selection: Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2017, Overlook Film Festival 2017. Director in Attendance.
PUNK FU ZOMBIE
Canada – Dir: Gabriel Claveau
It’s no coincidence that PUNK FU ZOMBIE comes care of Douteux.org. Operating for over 10 years, Douteux.org is described as an organization focused on the preservation of cinematic and televised material that needs to be re-appraised. Their film revels in its minuscule budget and embraces its amateur status. Sort of a comedy-horror version of Wakaliwood production with a touch of Troma trashiness, the point is to tell a story, by any means necessary. Awkward dialogue, outdated digital effects, overblown performances and even hit-and-miss dubbing that runs through the film – they’re all part of the “dubious” fun this movie promises, an experience best discovered with a roaring public. The screening will be presented by company founder Tommy Gaudet, who will share a mash-up of Douteux.org’s classic moments before the main feature.
Related Topics: Fantasia Film Festival, Film Festivals
