‘Deathgasm’
The 2015 Fantasia Film Festival is set to kick off this Summer in Montreal and today the first wave of films screening this year have been announced with highlights including Marvel’s Ant-Man, Jason Lei Howden‘s Deathgasm, and Mari Asato‘s video game adaptation Fatal Frame. Like most years, just about every film on this list is one I’m either already a huge fan of, or am dying to see.
This year’s Fantasia Fest runs from July 14-August 4, be sure to check out their site here for more information and look below for the list of films announced so far.
via: Fangoria
The opening-night features will be the North American premiere of the much-anticipated Japanese animated feature MISS HOKUSAI, by director Keiichi Hara and Production I.G., and the Montreal premiere of the Marvel superhero adventure ANT-MAN. And our favorite holiday comes early to Fantasia when it hosts the world premiere of the horror anthology TALES OF HALLOWEEN, featuring segments directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn, Adam Gierasch, Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee, Mike Mendez, Dave Parker, Ryan Schifrin, John Skipp and Andrew Kasch, and Paul Solet.
Another world premiere will be JERUZALEM, the latest fright feature to emerge from Israel, directed by Yoav and Doron Paz. Japanese school mayhem will be represented by the international premiere of Eiichiro Hasumi’s ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, and the fest will also screen TURBO KID, from the Roadkill Superstar team, the first production to be spawned from Fantasia’s International Co-Production Market. Also screening at the fest will be:
BIG MATCH (South Korea; Dir: Choi Ho): Lee Jeong-jae (THE THIEVES), Shin Ha-kyun (THIRST) and K-Pop star BoA enters a dangerous death game in this high-octane action comedy where a Mixed Martial Arts fighter must play a deadly urban chess confrontation created by a Machiavellian mastermind. Canadian Premiere.
CRUMBS (Ethiopia/Spain/Finland; Dir: Miguel Llansó): Ethiopia’s first sci-fi feature also happens to be a postapocalyptic black comedy, an eccentric love story and a brilliant blast of politically charged surrealism that exists in a space between Alex Cox and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Probably the single most unusual and unforgettable film you will see anywhere this year, screening in our Camera Lucida section. Official Selection: Rotterdam International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.
DEATHGASM (New Zealand; Dir: Jason Lei Howden): Behold, the riotous heavy metal Kiwi splatter-comedy-horror-monster-demon-freakout the world’s been begging for has arrived. Packed with lunatic gore reminiscent of early Peter Jackson and volume-11 riffage harking back to that same era’s most ferocious metal, DEATHGASM absolutely shreds. In every sense. Official Selection: SXSW, Stanley, Fantaspoa. Canadian Premiere.
THE DEMOLISHER (Canada; Dir: Gabriel Carrer): An unstable repairman tending to his crippled wife—an ex-cop brutalized by gang violence—sneaks out at night to unleash his rage on any criminals he can find. An atmospheric and poetic reinterpretation of the urban vigilante film as a psychological examination of trauma. World Premiere.
EXPERIMENTER (U.SA.; Dir: Michael Almereyda): Gifted indie trailblazer Almereyda (NADJA, CYMBELINE) turns his unconventional gaze towards the controversial social experiments of Stanley Milgram (brilliantly portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard). Co-starring Winona Ryder, Anton Yelchin, Taryn Manning, John Leguizamo and Anthony Edwards. Official Selection: Sundance, Seattle International Film Festival, Beijing International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.
FATAL FRAME (Japan; Dir: Mari Asato): A deadly curse hits a Gothic-style convent in this brilliant atmospheric adaptation of the hit horror video game FATAL FRAME, where flawless storytelling and character development, a creepy ambiance taking advantage of every inch of its location and a haunting music score bring the audience back to the golden age of J-horror. Official Selection: Stockholm International Film Festival. North American Premiere.
FULL STRIKE (Hong Kong; Dir: Derek Kwok, Henri Wong): When ex-cons discovers their love for badminton, they ask a fallen former champion to lead them to victory. Derek Kwok and Henri Wong co-direct this hilarious comedy centered on over-the-top characters reminiscent of Stephen Chow’s spectacular SHAOLIN SOCCER. Canadian Premiere.
THE GOLDEN CANE WARRIOR (Indonesia; Dir: Ifa Isfansyah): Aging female warrior Cempaka is the most respected fighter in the Golden Cane clan, but she must now find a successor among her disciples. Coming on the heels of the wildly popular THE RAID series, this flawlessly executed epic actioner by Ifa Isfansyah is here to confirm Indonesia’s place in the leading nations of martial arts cinema. Canadian Premiere.
LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM (Japan; Dir: Nobuhiro Yamashita): Nobuhiro Yamashita, director of the contemporary classic LINDA LINDA LINDA, is back in musical-comedy/drama territory with a fighter attitude! Rising superstar Fumi Nikaido (WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL?) and J-Pop sensation Subaru Shibutani, member of Kanjani Eight, shine in this remarkable underdog tale. Official Selection: Rotterdam International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.
OBSERVANCE (Australia; Dir.: Joseph Sims-Dennett): His job is to observe, observe a beautiful woman. Soon enough, he discovers his gig implies more than he ever asked for. A poignant and terrifying thriller in the vein of Polanski’s REPULSION. Among the first 2015 Camera Lucida selections to be announced, OBSERVANCE promises to haunt your nightmares. World Premiere.
POSSESSED (Spain; Dir: Sam Ortí Martí, a.k.a. Sam): An instant classic of wickedly fun (and imaginatively grotesque) stop-motion comedy/horror that many have described as PARANORMAN meets WALLACE & GROMIT by way of SOUTH PARK, POSSESSED is the manic creation of Goya-nominated anima-lunatic Sam Ortí Martí, featuring the voices of Santiago Segura, Anabel Alonso and Nacho Vigalondo. Official Selection Sitges, Athens Animfest, Canadian Premiere.
THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE (U.S.; Dir: Perry Blackshear): A smart, haunting psychological horror masterpiece that Verite Film hailed as “unbearably tense and profoundly moving.” Despite having only been playing on the fest circuit for five months, THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE has already won awards at Slamdance, SF Indiefest, IFF Boston and the Nashville Film Festival. International Premiere
THE VISIT (Denmark; Dir: Michael Madsen): Is Earth ready for an alien visitation? Michael Madsen’s fascinating follow-up to INTO ETERNITY reflects on this interrogation through a simulation with scientists and philosophers. A powerful and groundbreaking documentary. Official Selection: Sundance, Hot Docs. Quebec Premiere.
