Fantasia 2016: Second Wave Of Films Announced

SPOTLIGHT ON POLISH GENRE CINEMA

In tribute to the passing of the great Andrzej Zulawski earlier this year, Fantasia will be presenting a special showcase of Polish genre cinema. Presented in collaboration with the Polish Film Institute, our series will screen four masterpieces of provocative, individualistic filmmaking, three contemporary, one nearly-lost classic in vividly restored new light.

DEMON

Poland — Dir: Marcin Wrona

This festival favorite offers an ingenious twist on Jewish folklore and myth. Tackling complex ideas — whether the feeling of confronting life’s big changes, or of the lurking national and political histories that bubble to the surface once families are united under the same roof — DEMON is dense with illuminating metaphors, and rich with moments of unsettlingly quiet horror. Official Selection: Toronto International Film Festival 2015, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2016. Quebec Premiere.

I, OLGA HEPNAROVA

Czech Republic-Poland-Slovakia — Dirs: Petr Kazda, Tomas Weinreb

On July 10, 1973, 22-year-old Olga Hepnarová drove a truck into a group of 25 strangers, setting in motion a tragic conclusion to a lonely young life of alienation and rage. A bracingly powerful and tough-minded true story featuring a haunting lead performance by the incredible Michalina Olszanska (THE LURE). Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival 2016. North American Premiere.

THE LURE

Poland — Dir: Agnieszka Smoczynska

Heart-eating sister sirens from the sea join an erotic cabaret in the disco mermaid stripper horror/musical/comedy/drama/romance/coming-of-age adult fable you’ve been waiting your entire life for. A singular masterpiece of the unconventional, THE LURE is an exhilaratingly cool act of filmmaking whose charms are impossible to resist. Official Selection: Sundance 2016, Luxembourg City Film Festival 2016. Quebec Premiere.

ON THE SILVER GLOBE (newly restored)

Poland — Dir: Andrzej Zulawski

Andrzej Zulawski’s long suppressed, now magnificently restored ON THE SILVER GLOBE (1977/1988) features some of the most bizarre and startling imagery ever committed to celluloid: heretics impaled on spikes, a mass underground orgy and (years before MAD MAX) a finned Cadillac screaming through the desert… Shortly before the end of filming, the project was shut down by the Polish Communist authorities. Almost a decade later, Zulawski was invited back to Poland to complete his broken masterpiece. Recently restored from the original camera negative, ON THE SILVER GLOBE presents a terrifying science fiction vision worlds apart from STAR WARS.

CAMERA LUCIDA 2016

For its 7th edition, Camera Lucida once again showcases unique and groundbreaking perspectives on genre cinemas by taking its codes into new directions. Over a dozen titles from around the world have been selected to figure in our 2016 line-up, including festival favorites as well as exciting premieres from promising newcomers. Themes this year cover feminism, urban isolation, conspiracy theories and sexuality.

ALOYS

Switzerland / France — Dir: Tobias Nölle

In this urban fable, a lonely inspector sees his life turned upside down when a mysterious woman initiates him to « telephone walking », an unusual form of therapy. A rare example of audiovisual poetry, the bittersweet ALOYS could be compared to a melancholic variation on Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s AMELIE. Official Selection, Berlin International Film Festival 2016.

L’ÉLAN

France — Dir: Étienne Labroue

The arrival of a humanoid being (an elk, with a big plush head) quickly creates havoc in a small French village. Part mockumentary, conspiracy theory and fantasy fable, this promising debut feature bursts with a refreshing originality. Official Selection: L’étrange festival de Paris 2015. Canadian Premiere.

SHELLEY

Denmark-Sweden — Dir: Ali Abbasi

A housekeeper finds a new job in an isolated house in the middle of wilderness. Once there, the two owners ask her to carry their child. Reminiscent of ROSEMARY’S BABY, this modern gothic chiller turns an intimate Bergman-like drama into one of the most surprising horror films of the year. Official Selection: Berlin International Film Festival 2016. North-American Premiere.

IF THERE’S A HELL BELOW (Closing Film: Camera Lucida)

USA — Dir: Nathan Williams

Believing to be on the story of the century, a journalist suddenly finds himself caught in a frantic game of cat and mouse. Quiet yet profoundly suspense, the Closing Film of Camera Lucida 2016 creates a climate of paranoia so paralyzing that it’s almost asphyxiating. Official Selection: Slamdance Film Festival 2016. International Premiere.

THE INERASABLE

Japan — Dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura

A popular mystery writer and a young architecture student investigate a haunted apartment complex, in this clever deconstruction of J-horror tropes from prolific director Yoshihiro Nakamura (FISH STORY, THE SNOW WHITE MURDER CASE). Official Selection: Tokyo International Film Festival, Udine Far East Film Festival. Quebec Premiere.

THE WAILING (Opening Film: Camera Lucida)

South Korea — Dir. Na Hong-jin

A wave of gruesome murders is tearing the rural village of Goksung apart and its only weapons against these manifestations of pure evil are an incompetent cop, a shy deacon and an exuberant shaman. With the ambient horror thriller THE WAILING, the Opening Film of our Camera Lucida section and one of the most talked about films of Cannes 2016, Writer/Director Na Hong-jin confirm his place among the masters of Korean cinema. Official Selection: Cannes Film Festival 2016, Munich International Film Festival 2016. Quebec Premiere

Previously announced Camera Lucida titles: AMERICANA, EMBERS, OPERATION AVALANCHE, UNDER THE SHADOW, WE ARE THE FLESH.

Continue reading about Fantasia’s UNDERGROUND film selection after the jump…