Franglais27 Tales

In the heart of the summer comes the Fantasia International Film Festival (‘Fantasia’) which provides a genre cinema showcase! Indeed, Fantasia is North America’s largest festival focusing on such lower budget, independent, niche films.

The 28th edition of Fantasia will take place in Montréal in Canada from 18 July – 4 August 2024. For this year’s line-up, there will be more than 125 feature-length films to discover as well as a shorts programme.
The opening night film will be Bookworm by Ant Timpson starring Elijah Wood. The closing night film will be the World Premiere of Ababouiné by Canadian director André Forcier.

The festival also delves in to various cultural activities with some Makgeolli (South Korean rice wine) workshops connected to the screenings of the film FAQ. However, it will be necessary to register in advance for the workshops via the Fantasia website. Additionally, there will be discussions, a book launch event, a gallery exhibition and more to partake in – festival goers will truly be entertained!

The full festival programme line up is available here

Here are seven films (in no particular order) that caught our eye which you should add to your watchlists!

1) The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas’ legendary novel has returned to the big screen, with another adaptation, following its international premiere and appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. Expect lots of revenge fuelled action and French angst in this modern-day interpretation. Starring Pierre Niney as the lead, the talented Anamaria Vartolomei from Happening also appears within the cast.

2) Azrael

Fresh from SXSW, Azrael’s premise is intriguing as there is minimal dialogue! Samara Weaving stars as a mute woman running from a cult and monsters in this post-apocalyptic horror! Another brutal revenge tale, Azrael, has its Canadian premiere at Fantasia.

3) The Beast Within

Kit Harington explores his inner beast within this new film set in England. This is not to be mistaken as a remake of the 1980s cult film bearing the same name! This is an atmospheric re-imagining of some of those terrifying fairy tales about the influence of a full moon!

Told from a child’s perspective, a young girl discovers a family secret whilst living within a remote English compound.

4) The Chapel

Spanish horror films have cornered a specific niche within the genre market and know just how to be chillingly scary without lots of gore!

The Chapel is directed by Carlota Pereda, after Piggy, and stars renowned Spanish actress Bélen Rueda as Carol, who is a pseudo spiritual medium. Expect supernatural activity and lots of jump scares as a young girl enlists Carol’s help to communicate with a dead family member.

5) Cuckoo

Following its Berlinale World Premiere, Cuckoo arrives at Fantasia to captivate horror audiences. Directed by Tilman Singer, the film presents the perspective of 17 year old Gretchen, played by Hunter Schafer, who reluctantly moves to a German Alps resort with family but encounters unsettling activities!

6) The Dead Thing

Having been described as a take on The Invisible Man certainly makes The Dead Thing sound appealing! This is director Elric Kane’s solo feature debut and tells the insightful tale of a young woman’s dating app woes! That is until she meets a man who seems too good to be true! However, he dramatically disappears without a trace – like a ghost! She unravels a dark secret, as a result!

7) The Killers

The Killers will have its Canadian premiere during Fantasia. This South Korean anthology tells four different stories from four different filmmakers revolving around Hitmen and their antics!
This series of films sounds as though there will be something for everyone as it straddles multiple genres and sounds exciting!

There you have it, those are some of the films that we are keen to watch during Fantasia – which films are on your watchlist?