Montreal Fantasia Film Festival Press Conference 2015

• published: 08 Jul 2015
• views: 5

Fantasia Film Festival Press Conference for 2015 was held in the J.A. De Seve theatre at Concordia University on July 7th. Fantasia Film Festival has never just been a genre film festival, it has been a celebration of youth. Curiosity, ambition and risk have long been synonymous with Fantasia - it has never discarded it’s rebellious spirit. Once again making it’s home at Concordia University, where most of the films are screened, this collaboration is stronger with each passing year. Fantasia, in spite of it’s success, is not necessarily an easy sell to the squeamish but it’s willingness to flout “niceness” is one of it’s greatest assets. As debates rage on the political correctness of American universities, Concordia University embraces risk and invites discussion. The University has every right to be proud to be involved in one of the most exciting film festivals in North America. However, Concordia’s progressiveness is no surprise - Cronenberg shot the infamous headsposion scene from Scanners on another part of the downtown campus. This year’s lineup showcases films from over 36 countries, including 22 world premieres. While there are many familiar faces at this year’s fest, many of the most exciting features come from the most unexpected places. This year’s edition is highlighting DYI cinema from Africa, and is screening three films from the continent. The most exciting among them is Who Killed Captain Alex?, the country’s first action film. Part of the excitement of these films comes precisely from its homegrown nature, and the fact that these industries are “finding their own film language”. Who Killed Captain Alex? will be a midnight screening, and will feature a live-skype call with the cast and crew. Spurred by the success of Marshland, the most awarded Spanish film of all time, Spain genre cinema will also be featured heavily in the line-up. Spain has a long legacy of great genre film, ranging from the creative minds of directors like Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Paco Plaza, Alex de Iglesia, and even Pedro Almodovar. While Marshland will likely be the highlight (it will also be a rare film at the festival screened with both French and English subtitles), the rest of the Spanish output should be equally exciting featuring films like Shrew’s Nest, Extinction, and Possessed. Seemingly borne out of the creative and collaborative atmosphere of the festival, Turbo Kid and We are Still Here are two of the most anticipated films in this year’s lineup. Turbo Kid is the first Frontieres project to be awarded government funding. Frontieres, established at Fantasia in 2012, is the first co-production market to focus on genre cinema. We are Still Here brings together Geoghegan and Karim Hussain (perhaps best known now for directing several episodes of Hannibal), two long-time collaborators and friends of the festival. Both films have found incredible success so far, and it will be a delight to welcome them back “home”. Other highlights from this year’s edition include Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon, who will be in Montreal to introduce the screening. Ant-Man was previously announced as the film’s opener, and a live-action adaptation of Attack on Titan will be the festival’s closer. Festival favourite Sion Sono will be premiering three films. Neil Marshall will also be in attendance to present his short in an anthology film called Tales of Halloween. This is just a hint at what promises to be a great year. For a full schedule check out the Fantasia Website HERE. Keep an eye on CUTV as we will be offering a wide variety of coverage of the festival including interviews, reviews and event coverage. (by Justine Smith)