The Fantasia International Film Festival is back for it’s 27th edition in Montreal this year. Running from 20 July through 9 August, the final wave of titles has now been announced from the program.
The new additions are definitely something to get excited about, especially the Nicolas Cage retrospective and closing night film, the world premiere of We Are Zombies — from directors François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell — and a documentary about the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Fantasia (like The Reel Bits) always has Asia in Focus, and this year is even more special with their spotlight on South Korean cinema. With their latest announcement, there’s even more content from Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
➡️ SEE ALSO: Asia in Focus at the first wave of the genre festival
The festival’s full lineup, which includes genre highlights from all around the world, will be announced in early July on the official Fantasia website. All of our past and future coverage right here.
Ms. Apocalypse
Director Lim Sun-ae follows her powerful debut An Old Lady (2020) with this film about a bookkeeper for a tech factory, where her awkward disposition has earned her the titular nickname. Her infatuation with a coworker leads her to cover-up his misappropriation of funds and she lands up imprisoned. When she is released, the coworker’s wife has an intriguing offer.
The Phantom
Lee Hae-young, who was the director behind the superior 2018 thriller Believer, returns with a spy drama is set in 1933 Korea, during Japanese colonial rule, and features a cast of Korean stars — Sol Kyung-Gu, Lee Ha-Nee, Park So-Dam, Kim Dong-Hee, and Seo Hyun-Woo to name a few — speaking almost entirely in Japanese.
The Concierge
Based on the beloved manga by Tsuchika Nishimura, here is a story about a hotel concierge who simply cannot say no to her clients. For animation fans, this will be a must: the film comes from the legendary Production I.G, has a script by Satomi Ooshima (Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko), and marks the feature-film debut of director Yoshimi Itazu, who has been a key animator in films for Satoshi Kon and Studio Ghibli to name a few.
Devils
This South Korean spin on FACE/OFF seems appropriate for a festival with a Nic Cage retrospective. Director Kim Jae-hoon’s debut sees Oh Dae-hwan opposite Jang Dong-yoon in a story of a cop on the trail of the bad guy, but wakes up looking and sounding like his target after an accident.
My Worst Neighbour
Lee Woo-cheol’s remake of a French romantic comedy (Clovis Cornillac’s film Un Peu, Beaucoup, Aveuglément) follows a pair of neighbours with one wall between them made of cardboard. Get your bingo cards ready, because you know this is going to go from bad first impressions to that magical kiss very quickly.
The Moon, Sky and You
Hei Yau Lin’s debut feature is made for The Hong Kong Polytechnic University that’s described as a “electric experimentation” and features a filet-o-fish-eating goldfish. Are you not sold yet?
Sand Land
Japanese manga creator Akira Toriyama, best known for Dragonball, also published a mini-series in 2000 about a desert world where water is the most precious resource. Following Satan’s son Beelzebub and his comrades on a quest, the film version comes to us from director Toshihisa Yokoshima (Cocolors).
White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell
The prolific Herman Yau is back with the third entry in this popular Hong Kong series. Haven’t seen the first two? There’s still time to catch up, but this is also billed as a standalone sequel with new characters.
The Abandoned
Taiwanese director Tseng Ying-Ting debuts this films about a grieving detective and her partner seeking justice for a mysterious series of murders that might be connected to an illegal migrant worker ring.
Baby Assassins 2
Unsurprisingly, this is a sequel to Baby Assassins (2021). Director Yugo Sakamoto’s film has action sequences that have been compared to the John Wick series, and people seem to like those, right? If the film doesn’t appeal, then at least acknowledge the brilliance of the title.
The Childe
Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came! Actually this is a big South Korean action film from director Park Hoon-jung (The Witch Part 1 and 2) about a boxer finds himself hunted by multiple assassins. Fantasia uses the words “insane” and “comic book” in their description, so take that as you will.
Flaming Cloud
Another debut feature, this time from China’s Liu Siyi. In this piece of fantasy realism, Sangui sets out on a journey to find a cure and his long-lost love after she is cursed by mischievous deities with a sleep-inducing kiss.
Mad Cats
They’re so wonderfully, wonderfully, wonderfully batty. Reiki Tsuno, known for playing Rembrandt in the Return to Nuke ‘Em High series, directs this film about a man who is on a quest to find his brother, at least if he can get past a pack of vicious monster cats determined to execute unscrupulous pet shop owners.
Miss Shampoo
Giddens Ko’s Tapei Film Festival opener follows the Mon Mon Mon Monsters and Til We Meet Again in this story of an unlikely romance between a mafia boss and a hairdresser. Did someone say The Beautician and the Beast?
Ride On
This became the subject of a viral post recently when someone mistakenly said it was a clip of Jackie Chan and his daughter watching all of his old films. While whole articles have been written about the reasons Chan is estranged from his actual daughter, the film RIDE ON does go on a retrospective through Chan’s career with clips from his filmography of 100+ movies.
The Sparring Partner
Ho Cheuk-Tin’s Hong Kong thriller takes inspiration from a real life double homicide case in 2013. A young man partners with his friend to murder and dismember his parents. Pleading not guilty to the crime, the film plays out as a courtroom drama.
Retrospectives
Celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea, there will be new prints of Lee Chang-dong’s PEPPERMINT CANDY (1999), Park Kwang-su’s CHILSU AND MANSU (1988), the legendary im Ki-young IO ISLAND (1977). There’s also a slew of other cult classics including A CHINESE GHOST STORY (Hong Kong, 1997), GOD OF COOKERY, MY HEART IS THAT ETERNAL ROSE (Hong Kong, 1989), and the anime RAMAYANA – THE LEGEND OF PRINCE RAMA (India/Japan, 1993)
