21st EDITION – JULY 13-AUGUST 2, 2017 — Since its inception in 1996, the Fantasia International Film Festival is now recognized as the largest and most influential event of its kind in North America, a leader on the genre film scene and one of the country’s most popular film festivals. With a varied programming and an emphasis on the imaginative cinema of Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Fantasia’s offerings range from unique and powerful personal visions to international commercial crowd-pleasers rarely seen in North America.
As the festival gets started we want to highlight some of this year's must-see films.
2017
Directed By: Peter Ricq
Screening July 22nd
On a weekend getaway at a rundown cabin in the woods, Jason, a cautious teen, his crude best
friend Colin and his fearless older sister Summer are forced to work together, grow up and save
their hard-partying parents from their predatory neighbor intent on feeding them all to her undead family.
DEAD SHACK is a film inspired by the iconic Horror Comedies from the 80's but pitch-perfect performances (excuse the alliteration) from Donovan Stinson, Lizzie Boys, and Gabriel LaBellee elevate the film from homage to something vital and new. Fans of EVIL DEAD 2, RE-ANIMATOR, and THE MONSTER SQUAD should check this one out.
BITCH
On a weekend getaway at a rundown cabin in the woods, Jason, a cautious teen, his crude best
friend Colin and his fearless older sister Summer are forced to work together, grow up and save
their hard-partying parents from their predatory neighbor intent on feeding them all to her undead family.
DEAD SHACK is a film inspired by the iconic Horror Comedies from the 80's but pitch-perfect performances (excuse the alliteration) from Donovan Stinson, Lizzie Boys, and Gabriel LaBellee elevate the film from homage to something vital and new. Fans of EVIL DEAD 2, RE-ANIMATOR, and THE MONSTER SQUAD should check this one out.
BITCH
2017
Directed By: Marianna Palka
Screening July 18th
Jill (Marianna Palka) is a housewife with four children, a husband she knows is cheating, and a joyless daily routine that’s gradually muffled her into complacent, invisible oblivion. Her husband Bill (Jason Ritter) has grown so focused on making a whack of money to provide for his family that his cheating is of no emotional weight to him, and he couldn’t be less aware of what Jill is going through at home. The kids know that something is wrong and that they may even somehow be part of the problem, but what can they do? Meanwhile, a mysterious dog continuously appears in front of their home, day after day, night after night. Observing. Stalking? One day, Jill has a complete breakdown, losing her ability to speak as she devolves into a howling, primal, canine-like state. Change is coming. One way or another. And Jill will no longer be ignored.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
2017
Directed By: Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko
Screening: July 27th
Clean, safe and unlimited power has been an obsession for scientists and inventors for centuries, and an underlying preoccupation for our society as a whole. For decades, fusion has been delayed and thwarted by failure, miscalculation, fraud, and politics. But today, fusion is being pursued with a renewed zeal, mostly because we’ve never needed it like we do now. 37 countries are currently collaborating to build the biggest experiment ever, in order to prove that fusion is viable. Will we finally succeed, or will the project collapse under its own massive complexity? The film chronicles the work of the passionate scientists who are struggling to make it work.
The brilliance of LET THERE BE LIGHT is in its simplicity. The film explores impenetrable scientific theory that has stumped scientists for the better part of 50 years but delivers it in a digestible format for the layman.
TOKYO IDOLS
2017
Directed By: Kyoko Miyake
Screening: July 26th
Girl bands and their pop music permeate every moment of Japanese life. Following an aspiring pop singer and her fans, Tokyo Idols explores a cultural phenomenon driven by an obsession with young female sexuality, and the growing disconnect between men and women in hyper-modern societies.
Girl bands and their pop music permeate every moment of Japanese life. Following an aspiring pop singer and her fans, Tokyo Idols explores a cultural phenomenon driven by an obsession with young female sexuality, and the growing disconnect between men and women in hyper-modern societies.