Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore

genre film Genre film may refer to: * A film conforming to a well-defined film genre * Genre Films, aka Kinberg Genre, a television and film production company * ''Genre'' (1996 film), a live-action/animated short by Don Hertzfeldt See also * Genre, the ge ...

fans, and distributors, who take advantage of the eclectic line up to select domestic and international films for release across North America. By virtue of the reputation developed over the last 15 years, this festival has been described as perhaps the "most outstanding and largest genre film festival in North America".

Overview

The history of the Fantasia Festival has roots in the Asian Film scene in Montreal. Beginning in 1996 where it screened Asian films from Hong Kong and Anime from Japan, the festival later expanded its international repertoire and screened genre films from all across the world. Since this time many world and international premieres have featured at Fantasia fest, including '' Shaun of the Dead'', '' Perfect Blue'', ''

Millennium Actress is a 2001 Japanese animated drama film co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse. Loosely based on the lives of actresses Setsuko Hara and Hideko Takamine, it tells the story of two documentary filmmakers investigating the ...

'', ''

Midnight Meat Train ''The Midnight Meat Train'' is a 2008 American horror film based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection ''Books of Blood''. The film follows a photographer who attempts to trac ...

'', '' Dread'', ''

The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (german: "Der Zauberlehrling", link=no, italic=no) is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old magician (fantasy), sorcerer departs his ...

'' and '' Uzumaki''. Montreal 050

Among the many North American premieres have included ''

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

u'', '' Inglourious Basterds'', ''

Thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...

'', '' We Are What We Are'', ''

Visitor Q is a 2001 Japanese erotic black comedy-horror film directed by Takashi Miike. It was filmed as the sixth and final part of the Love Cinema series consisting of six straight-to-video releases by independent filmmakers via a brief but exclusive ...

'' and ''

Night Watch Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to: Books * ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips Novels * ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher * ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...

''. The organizers present a number of awards at the conclusion of each annual festival, including the Barry Convex Award for best Canadian film premiering at the festival.

History

1996–2010

*Fant-Asia 1996 (inaugural festival) *Fant-Asia 1997 :Some of the films featured were '' Perfect Blue'', '' Drunken Master II'', '' Stagefright'', '' El Dia de la Bestia'', ''Henry'', '' A Gun for Jennifer'', ''

Tromeo and Juliet ''Tromeo and Juliet'' is a 1997 American independent transgressive romantic black comedy film and a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Romeo & Juliet'' from Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay b ...

'' and ''

Cutting Moments ''Cutting Moments'' is a 1997 short film written, produced and directed by Douglas Buck, in cooperation with The New School. The film was re-released in August 2004 as part of Buck's suburban holocaust collection ''Family Portraits: A Trilogy of ...

''. *Fant-Asia 1998 :Fantasia's

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

edition premiered at the Bloor Cinema. *Fantasia International Film Festival 1999 :The 1999 edition of Fantasia was the only one that used the

ex-Centris Excentris was a performing arts center and cinema located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec. The complex was conceived by Daniel Langlois Daniel Langlois (born 1957 in Jonquière) is the president and founder of the Daniel Langlois ...

facilities. This year also featured the second Toronto edition. *FanTasia 2000 :The 2000 edition of Fantasia featured the debut of the Just For Laughs film festival, Comedia, as a selection of comedy films were shown with the regular Fantasia fare. This was also the final year that a Toronto edition of the festival was presented. *FanTasia 2001 :The 2001 edition was the last held in the Imperial Cinema. It was also the last time the festival was jointly held with Comedia. *FanTasia 2002 (missed year) :Fantasia 2002 was cancelled due to problems with the Imperial Cinema. The air conditioning system was broken, and it could not be fixed in time for Fantasia. Indeed, the theatre was not repaired until 2004. Due to the lack of assurance that the theater would be available, and the fact that it broke four months before the festival, meant that alternate bookings were not available. The lack of assurance for the 2003 festival meant a change in venue. *FanTasia 2003 (move to Concordia University) :Fantasia 2003 was held for the first time on the

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

campus, using the ''de Sève Cinema'' and ''Henry F. Hall Alumni Auditorium''. The venue change was instigated by the lack of consideration that the Imperial Theatre gave in informing the festival organizers on the status of Imperial. This was also the first year that a DVD filled with movie trailers of movies shown at the festival was available for purchase with the festival guide book. *Fantasia 2004 :The 2004 Fantasia was held at

using the Hall Auditorium and deSeve Cinema. Unlike the 2003 event, no DVD filled with trailers was available. *Fantasia 2005 :The 9th annual Fantasia Festival in 2005 was again held at Concordia University. That year, a trailer-filled DVD was provided as part of the festival guide book and not a separate purchase. *FanTasia 2006 (10th edition/10th anniversary) :Fantsasia's 10th anniversary and 10th edition, the 2006 edition, is the first to feature free outdoor shows. The outdoors shows are at Parc de la Paix and are free. Outdoor projections included films from the previous editions:

Kamikaze Girls ''Kamikaze Girls'', originally released in Japan as , is a 2002 Japanese light novel written by Novala Takemoto. The story centers on the friendship between two students named Momoko Ryugasaki and Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri. These two are fro ...

, the last four episodes of

Goldorak , known as '' Grandizer'' in the United States, is a Japanese Super Robot anime television series and manga created by manga artist Go Nagai. It is the third entry in the ''Mazinger'' series, however it is non-canon due to '' Mazinger Z: ...

Night of the Living Dorks ''Night of the Living Dorks'' (german: Die Nacht der lebenden Loser) is a 2004 German horror comedy film starring Tino Mewes, Manuel Cortez, , and Collien Fernandes and written and directed by . It was released in the United States in 2007 by ...

and Attack the Gas Station. The indoor shows use the same

facilities as since the move to Concordia. The outdoor shows are several kilometres away from the indoor shows. With its 10th anniversary, Fantasia helped to launch an associated but separate Toronto festival Toronto After Dark Film Festival. *FanTasia 2007 :This edition was held from July 5 to July 23, 2007 at the

. In addition to the Hall hall and DeSeve hall, a third screening room has been added at the ''D.B. Clarke Theatre''. There were, however, no outdoor shows this year. Montreal film ''

Flutter Flutter may refer to: Technology * Aeroelastic flutter, a rapid self-feeding motion, potentially destructive, that is excited by aerodynamic forces in aircraft and bridges * Flutter (American company), a gesture recognition technology company acqu ...

'' received the award for best Quebec short feature. *Fantasia 2008 :This edition was held from July 3 to July 21, 2008. It featured the world premieres of ''

Pig Hunt The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

'', '' Home Movie'', '' Repo! The Genetic Opera'', ''

'', Eric Shapiro's ''Rule of Three'', ''Truffe'', ''

Treevenge ''Treevenge'' is a 2008 List of Christmas films, Christmas Horror film, horror short film written and directed by Jason Eisener, and produced by Yer Dead Productions. Shooting started in November 2007, and ended in February 2008. Post-production w ...

'', '' The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow'', ''Electric Fence'', ''Paradox Mary'', ''Laura Panic'', and ''Don't Worry''. *Fantasia 2009 :The films screened at Fantasia 2009 were, among others, '' Thirst'', '' Love Exposure'', '' Embodiment of Evil'', '' Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl'', ''

Smash Cut A smash cut is a technique in film and other moving picture media where one scene abruptly cuts to another for aesthetic, narrative, or emotional purpose. To this end, the smash cut usually occurs at a crucial moment in a scene where a cut would ...

'', '' Trick 'r Treat'', '' Neighbor'', ''Must Love Death'', ''

Cencoroll is a 2009 Anime, Japanese animated science fiction action film nearly singlehandedly written, designed, directed, and animated by Mangaka, manga author Atsuya Uki. Produced by Anime Innovation Tokyo and Aniplex, the film had its world premiere at ...

'' and '' Dread''. The festival started on July 9 with Takashi Miike's film '' Yatterman'' and ended on July 29, 2009 with the North American premiere of Quentin Tarantino's film '' Inglourious Basterds''. *Fantasia 2010 :The films for Fantasia 2010 were announced on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Tickets went on sale on July 6, 2010 at 1 pm. The Festival started on July 8, 2010 running until July 28, 2010 with 6 indoor screening venues and one outdoor location. For 2010 a permanent blog was introduced to communicate with fans year-round.

Fantasia 2011

Fantasia 2011 opened the 2011 edition of the festival with the Canadian Premiere of '' Red State''. The festival also featured the presentation to John Landis of a lifetime Achievement award. The Canadian premiere of the director's new film, '' Burke and Hare'' also took place. Also notable was the world premiere of the Swedish

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

'' Marianne'', which some had hailed as one of the great discoveries in genre cinema of 2011. The world premiere of ''

Final Destination 5 ''Final Destination 5'' is a 2011 American 3D supernatural horror film directed by Steven Quale and written by Eric Heisserer. It is the fifth installment in the ''Final Destination'' film series and a prequel to the first film. ''Final Dest ...

'' was part of Fantasia 15.

Canadian premiere films

* '' Burke and Hare'' * '' Red State'' * ''

The Wicker Tree ''The Wicker Tree'' is a 2011 British horror film written and directed by Robin Hardy. It contains many direct parallels and allusions to the 1973 film ''The Wicker Man'', which was also directed by Hardy, and is intended as a companion piec ...

'' * ''

Absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in abs ...

'' * '' Morituris''

World premiere films

* ''

Aversion Aversion means opposition or repugnance. The following are different forms of aversion: * Ambiguity aversion * Brand aversion * Dissent aversion in the United States of America * Endowment effect, also known as divestiture aversion * Food aversi ...

'' * ''Brawler'' * ''

Curse of Chucky ''Curse of Chucky'' is a 2013 American slasher film and the sixth installment of the ''Child's Play'' franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Da ...

'' * '' Deadball'' * '' The Devil's Rock'' * ''Exit'' * ''

'' * ''If a Tree Falls'' * '' Love'' * '' Marianne'' * '' Rabies'' * '' Retreat'' * '' The Theatre Bizarre'' * '' What Fun We Were Having: 4 Stories About Date Rape'' * '' The Whisperer in Darkness'' * ''

Zombie Hunter is a dark and violent novel series published in the 1970s by Japanese writer, Kazumasa Hirai.It is about an ex-race car driver who hunts down and kills zombies. Plot The main character, Toshio Tamura, was once a grand prix Grand Prix ( ...

Fantasia 2012

Fantasia 2012 featured the screenings of the films '' Toad Road'', '' Doomsday Book'', the horror anthology film '' V/H/S'', '' Hidden in the Woods (original version)'', '' Seediq Bale'', and Quentin Dupieux's '' Wrong''.

Fantasia 2014

'' The Creeping Garden'' was one of the featured films in the 2014 Festival.

Fantasia 2021

The 25th edition of the festival was held from 5 August to 25 August 2021. James Gunn’s '' The Suicide Squad'' was presented as a special event screening on 4 August. * Opening film: '' The Suicide Squad'' * Closing film: '' The Great Yokai War: Guardians'' ;Awardees * Cheval Noir Competition-Best Film Award: '' Voice of Silence'' by

Hong Eui-jeong Hong Eui-jeong (born 1982) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and producer. She has won the Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best New Director, Best New Director at the Asian Film Awards, Buil Film Awards and Korean Association of Film C ...

* Cheval Noir Competition-Best Actor Award: Yoo Ah-in

Fantasia 2022

The 26th edition of the festival was held from 14 July to 3 August 2022. In the festival over 130 features and 200 shorts were screened. The highlight of the festival was honouring John Woo, the Hong Kong-based filmmaker, with the Career Achievement Award. * Opening film: ''

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

'' by K C Carthew * Closing film: ''

Next Sohee ''Next Sohee'' ( is a 2022 South Korean drama (film and television), drama film, directed by July Jung, Jung Ju-ri and starring Bae Doona and Kim Si-eun (born 1999), Kim Si-eun. The film revolves around a high school student, Sohee (Kim Si-eun), ...

'' ;Awardees * Cheval Noir Competition-Best Film Award: ''Megalomaniac'' by Karim Ouelhaj * Cheval Noir Competition-Best Director Award: Jung Ju-ri for ''

'' * Audience Award, International Feature: ''The Artifice Girl'', Franklin Ritch (gold); ''La Pieta'', Eduardo Casanova (silver); ''Deadstream'', Joseph and Vanessa Winter (bronze).Ellie Calnan
"‘The Roundup’, ‘The Artifice Girl’ take top Fantasia audience awards"
''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'', August 5, 2022. * Audience Award, Canadian Feature: ''The Fight Machine'', Andrew Thomas Hunt (gold); ''Cult Hero'', Jesse T. Cook (silver); ''

Relax, I'm from the Future ''Relax, I'm from the Future'' is a Canadian science fiction comedy film, directed by Luke Higginson and released in 2022.Courtney Small"Fantasia 2022: Relax, I’m From the Future Review" ''That Shelf'', July 28, 2022. The film stars Rhys Darby a ...

'', Luke Higginson (bronze). * Audience Award, Quebec: ''Nut Jobs (Les Pas d'allure)'', Alexandre Leblanc (gold); ''Bright Star'', Raphaël Hébert (silver); ''La Guêpe'', Marc Beaupré * Audience Award, Asian Feature: '' The Roundup'', Lee Sang-yong (gold); ''

'', Jung Ju-ri (silver); '' One for the Road'', Nattawut Poonpiriya (bronze). * Audience Award, Animated Feature: ''Princess Dragon'', Anthony Roux and Jean-Jacques Denis (gold); '' Inu-Oh'', Masaaki Yuasa (silver); ''Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On'', Jun-pyo Hong (bronze). * Audience Award, Documentary: ''The Pez Outlaw'', Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel (gold); ''Que le fan soit avec toi'', Marc Joly-Corcoran (silver); ''

Out in the Ring ''Out in the Ring'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Ry Levey and released in 2022. The film is a history of LGBTQ representation in the sport of professional wrestling, featuring figures such as Chyna, Lisa Marie Varon, Nyla Rose, Chr ...

'', Ry Levey (bronze).

Video publications of Fantasia

* Small Gauge Trauma () : ''Small Gauge Trauma'' is the name of the film shorts component of Fantasia. A DVD anthology of various shorts shown over various editions of Fantasia has been published. * Red to Kill () : Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of the Hong Kong film ''Red to Kill'', for release in Quebec. * Run and Kill () : Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of the Hong Kong film ''Run and Kill'', for release in Quebec. * Jackie Chan's Greatest Stunts : Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of the Hong Kong action scenes compilation '' Jackie Chan's Greatest Stunts'' Volumes 1 & 2, for release in Quebec. * Jackie Chan: My Stunts () : Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of Jackie Chan's stunt action compilation ''My Stunts'', for release in Quebec. * Jackie Chan: My Story () : Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of Jackie Chan's autobiography ''My Story'', for release in Quebec. * Trailer DVD : For the 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2003 festivals, a DVD filled with trailers of some of the films being played has been provided for purchase.

References

External links

Fantasia official website

Asia featured at Montreal fest
{{Coord, 45.497, N, 73.578, W, type:event_region:CA-QC, display=title Film festivals in Montreal Fantasy and horror film festivals Film festivals established in 1996 Annual events in Canada 1996 establishments in Quebec Science fiction film festivals