PRESENTING THE SHORT FILM LINEUP OF FANTASIA’S 27th EDITION

PRESENTING THE SHORT FILM LINEUP OF FANTASIA’S 27th EDITION

July 6, 2023 // Montreal, Quebec – The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a large and varied program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque Québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. Ticket pre-sales will open on Saturday July 15, at 1pm.

As a supplement to the feature films and special events announced this morning, the festival is proud to reveal an overview of this year’s short film programming, beginning with the showcases and concluding on a breakdown of shorts that will be screening before features.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF FANTASIA?

Like the popular Canadian horror television series ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? (1992-1996), this programme is an international anthology of horrifying short films with comedic bite.

Dead Enders (USA, dir. Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker, Quebec Premiere)
Forgotten Lake (Canada, dir. Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, World Premiere)
Fungus (Australia/UK, dir. Ryan Maddox, Canadian Premiere)
Jacques (USA, dir. Charlie Bellarose, International Premiere)
Murder (Scotland, dir. Graham Robertson, Canadian Premiere)
Murder Camp (USA, dir. Clara Aranovich, International Premiere)
Santa Sombra (Argentina, dir. Paula Boffo, Patricio Plaza, International Premiere)
Save the Flea (USA, dirt. Michael J. Ruiz-Unger, International Premiere)
Up on the Housetop (USA, dir. Michael Fischer, Dakota Millett, World Premiere)
We Forgot About the Zombies (USA, dir. Chris McInroy)

BORN OF WOMAN 2023

Fantasia’s top-tier showcase of intimate auteur genre visions returns with eight works from six countries that will leave you shaken and amazed.

Mancha (USA, dr. Nicole Mejia, International Premiere)
Nian (USA, dir. Michelle Krusiec, Montreal Premiere)
Only Yourself To Blame (UK, dir. Noomi Yates, World Premiere)
Pruning (United States, dir. Lola Blanc, International Premiere)
Said of a Deer That Sheds Its Antlers (Belgium, dir. Salomé Crickx, Montreal Premiere)
Sayani (Argentina, dir. Lucia Bernal, International Premiere)
Sweet Tooth (France / Belgium, dir. Joséphine Darcy Hopkins, Canadian Premiere)
The Taster (Germany, dir. Sophia Bierend, International Premiere)

THE CABARET OF CURIOSITIES
A new cabaret formula combining screenings of local and international short films, comedy acts and live performances.

Claudio's Song (UK/Ukraine, dir. Andreas Nilsson, Montreal Premiere)
The Fool (Quebec, dir. Noémi Baron)
Forgotten Lake (Canada, dir. Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, World Premiere)
Gribouillage (Canada/Quebec, dir. Marie-Pascale Corriveau)
Hubbards (USA, dir. Kevin Ralston, Montreal Premiere)
Léa (Quebec, dir. Carnior - Steve Landry)
Mes peurs noires 2 (Canada/Quebec, dir. Louis-David Jutras, Montreal Premiere)
The Most Important Thing Is Not to Lose the Beat (Spain, dir. Juan Carlos García-Sampedro)
Night of the living dette (Quebec, dir. Hugo Belhassen, International Premiere)
Potato Falls (Germany, dir. Janina Putzker, North American Premiere)
The Scream That Wouldn't End (Quebec, dir. Eric Lavoie, World Premiere)
Sexy Joel and his Wagyu (Quebec, dir. Sam Proulx, Cédric Senécal)
Stalled (USA, dir. Eric Rich, International Premiere)
Tridamos (Quebec/France, dir. Carnior - Steve Landry)
Trueville: The Hole Story (Canada, dir. Frédéric Lavigne, Canadian Premiere)
We Forgot About the Zombies (USA, dir. Chris McInroy)
Your Money’s No Good Here (Canada, dir. Jakob Skrzypa, World Premiere)

CELLULOID EXPERIMENTS 2023

Have a rendezvous with shapes, colours, and poetry on an experimental journey that will take you from sweet daydreams to feverish nightmares.

The Conscious “I” (South Korea, dir, Choi Yeoleum, World Premiere)
Hybernia (Québec, dir. Max Shoham, World Premiere)
Memetro (South Korea, dir, Seo Chaeyoung, World Premiere)
Meshed (Hong Kong, dir, Tsz-wing Ho, International Premiere)
My Trip to Earth (USA, dir. Izzy Lee, World Premiere)
Poppy’s Saturn (Belgium, dir. Nicole Tegelaar, World Premiere)
Strange Garden (South Korea, dir. Jeongmin Oh, World Premiere)
Visions of Blakey (USA, dir. Juliana Pedrosa, International Premiere)

CIRCO ANIMATO 2023

Fantasia’s annual showcase of amazing animated short films from around the world returns with 10 dazzling offerings, marvellously multifarious in tone, technique, and perspective. Axis section.

6mm Wave (South Korea, dir. Jeong Seungho, International Premiere)
Hermit Island (Hungary, dir. Gábor Mariai, North American Premiere)
Jelly (Canada, dir. Robin Budd, World Premiere)
Meet Again (South Korea, dir. Kang Apsol, Lee Yoorim, Canadian Premiere)
Nezumikozo Jirokichi (Japan/France, dir. Rintaro, International Premiere)
Perfect City: The Bravest Kid (USA/China, dir. Zhou Shengwei, International Premiere)
Record. Play. Stop. (India, dir. Neeraj Bhattacharjee, North American Premiere)
Shape of Wind (South Korea, dir. Lee Sung-gang, International Premiere)
The Story of Chaos (Singapore, dir. Yu Qing Quek, Canadian Premiere)
The Typhoon Day (China, dir. Hu Yiyi, International Premiere)

COLLECTIVE DELUSIONS

A showcase of DIY, outsider, and bizarre cinema from around the world. A snapshot of the best the underground section has to offer, examining the strange landscape of films made on the outskirts of normality and tradition. Underground Section.

Avulsion (Canada/France, dir. David Cuevas, World Premiere)
Ball-Pit. Wednesday. Lemonade. (UK, dir. Daniel Howard-Baker)
Bitches Kill Bitches (Canada/ USA, dir. Hannah Panov, World Premiere)
Bowling 4 Eva (USA, dir. Aelfie Oudghiri, Quebec Premiere)
Dollhouse (Brazil, dir. George Pedrosa, North American Premiere)
Engram (USA, dir. Keaton Smith, International Premiere)
Messy Legend (Canada, dir. Kelly Kay Hurcomb, James Watts, World Premiere)
Pumpkin Boy (USA, dir. Trent Shy, Canadian Premiere)
Skin (USA, dir. Cyrus Gainer, World Premiere)
Sleep Limbo (USA, dir. Tyler Davis)
Successful Man (Netherlands, dir. Andrew Duncan, World Premiere)

FANTASIA FREESTYLE

Fantasia offers a kaleidoscope of short films from around the world and here at home that reflect many of the themes and genres the festival is so beloved for — and it won’t cost a penny to check it out!

Baby Force (Japan, dir. Yuki Kubo, World Premiere)
Bird Hostage (Canada, dir. Lauren Andrews, World Premiere)
Deposit (South Korea, dir. Monica An, International Premiere)
GMAN - A Qixia in Space (China, dir. Liu Yuchen, North American Premiere)
Where It Begins (Iran, dir. Mohsen Asdaghpour, Amirhossein Talebi, North American Premiere)
Wind Princess (Brazil, dir. Chris Tex, World Premiere)

FEAST OF AMRITA

A mind-scarring melange of modern urban gothic, skin-crawling bio-horror, and impossible cosmic abomination, the Japanese anime FEAST OF AMRITA crowns a trilogy of animated horror from Asia. Axis section.

Devil (South Korea, dir. Park Hye-Min, North American Premiere)
Feast of Amrita (Japan, dir. Saku Sakamoto, North American Premiere)
Ghost of the Dark Path (Taiwan, dir. Fish Wang, International Premiere)

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FICTION SHORT FILM SHOWCASE 2023

Seven films. Five countries. Worlds of vision. Fantasia’s annual showcase of next-level, character-driven sci-fi storytelling returns.

Autopilot (USA, dir. Jennifer Zhang, International Premiere)
Final Forever (Norway, dir. Tess Quatri, North American Premiere)
For People in Trouble (UK, dir. Alex Lawther, Canadian Premiere)
A Mind Cannot Touch (USA, dir. Geoffrey Prather, Canadian Premiere)
My Protector (South Africa, dir. Diana Mills Smith, North American Premiere)
Rift (Sweden, dir. Farhad Bakhtiarikish, Canadian Premiere)
Ten With a Flag (UK, dir. Vasco Alexandre, North American Premiere)

PERILOUS PORTS: TOURS OF NORTHERN TERRORS 2023

The inaugural edition of Fantasia’s celebration of Canadian short-form genre cinema is here to bring you some of the most exciting short films that this nation has to offer. Canadian genre cinema boasts a rich lineage of exceptional storytellers, from Cronenberg to Barnaby, Harron to Villeneuve. With this program, you’ll discover filmmakers that will one day be added to this list. Septentrion Shadows section.

#BOSSBABE (Canada, dir. Kassy Gascho, World Premiere)
*666 (Canada, dir. Abby Falvo, Quebec Premiere)
3PM Thursdays (Canada, dir. Michele Kaye, World Premiere)
Black Paris (Canada, dir. Sid Santiago Zanforlin, World Premiere)
Colin Carvey’s Long Halloween (Canada, dir. Aaron Peacock, World Premiere)
Conquest (Canada, dir. Kate Kroll, World Premiere)
Demon Box (Canada, dir. Sean Wainsteim, Quebec Premiere)
Metamorphypus (Canada, dir. Joseph Carney, World Premiere)
Nurture (Canada, dir. Sasha Argirov, Canadian Premiere)
The Pink (Canada/USA, dir. Ingrid Haas, International Premiere)
Sight (Canada, dir. Lu Asfaha, World Premiere)
T-Bone (Canada, dir. Zachary Bennett, World Premiere)
Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie (Canada, dir. Nicole Bazuin, Montreal Premiere)

PINOY PARTY: COURTS MÉTRAGES PHILIPPINS

Teenage malaise, talking fish, raining frogs and bold eagles: these five essential, up-and-coming directors from the Philippines are here, bold and ready to party! Camera Lucida section.

Bold Eagle (Philippines, dir. Whammy Alcazaren, International Premiere)
Hito (Philippines, dir. Stephen Lopez, North American Premiere)
It's Raining Frogs Outside (Philippines, dir. Maria Estela Paiso)
Luzonensis Osteoporosis (Philippines, dir. Glenn Barit, International Premiere)
When You Left Me On That Boulevard (USA, dir. Kayla Galang, Montreal Premiere)

SMALL GAUGE TRAUMA 2023

Fantasia’s international showcase of cutting-edge genre works returns with ten films from five countries that positively astonish.

Alex’s Machine (France, dir. Mael Le Mée, Montreal Premiere)
Cover Your Ears (Sweden, dir. Oskar Johansson, Canadian Premiere)
Get Away (USA, dir. Michael Gabriele, Canadian Premiere)
Incomplete (USA, dir. Zoey Martinson, Canadian Premiere)
The Nolberto Method (England, dir. David Winstone, World Premiere)
Puppet Man (USA, dir. Andrew Fuchs, World Premiere)
RolePlay (USA, dir. Bill Neil, Canadian Premiere)
Stop Dead (UK, dir. Emily Greenwood, Canadian Premiere)
There Are No Ghosts (Spain, dir. Nacho Solana, Canadian Premiere)
Transylvanie (France, dir. Rodrigue Huart, World Premiere)

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE EAST 2023

Fantasia’s showcase of bite-sized Asian tales of the macabre again offers a celebration of the otherworldly from the other side of the world, split between animation and live-action.

English Tutor (South Korea, dir. Koo Jaho, Quebec Premiere)
Foreigners Only (Bangladesh, dir. Nuhash Humayun, Canadian Premiere)
Night of the Bride (India, dir. Virat Pal, Canadian Premiere)
A Night With Moosina (Taiwan, dir. Tsai Shiu-Cheng, North American Premiere)
Sarangi (United Kingdom, dir. Tarun Thind, North American Premiere)
Tang (South Korea, dir. Kim Minjeong, World Premiere)
Two Side (China, dir. Luo Mingyang, North American Premiere)
You Will See (Singapore, dir. Kathleen Bu, Canadian Premiere)

Shorts screening before features:

Akari (Japan, dir. Takeshi Yagi, International Premiere, screening before Shin Kamen Rider)
Ami d’ami (Quebec, dir. Simon Gualtieri, World Premiere, screening before Y’a une étoile)
Architect A (South Korea, dir. Lee Jonghoon, Canadian Premiere, screening before The Concierge)
Beurre de pinottes (Canada/Quebec, dir. Maxime Divier, screening before Max Funk : Pour ton funk seulement)
Buffering...Please Wait (Canada, dir. Samantha Lai, World Premiere, screening before Daughter of the Sun)
Butterscotch (USA, dir. Alexander Deeds, World Premiere, screening before It Lives Inside)
Camp (Canada, dir. Bronson Allen, World Premiere, screening before Satan Wants You)
La Chasse (Canada, dir. Louka Hogue, World Premiere, screening before Richelieu)
Les Crochets (Quebec, dir. Charles Parisé, World Premiere, screening before tOuch Kink)
Daisy (Sweden, dir. Torbjörn Edwall, Canadian Premiere, screening before Pandemonium)
Dark (Singapore, dir. Alistair Quak, World Premiere, screening before The Abandoned)
Drumming Makes You Happy (USA, dir. Josh Cohen, World Premiere, screening before The Becomers)
Every House is Haunted (USA, dir. Bryce McGuire, Canadian Premiere, screening before Where the Devil Roams)
First Blood (Canada, dir. Olivia Loccisano, Quebec Premiere, screening before My Animal)
Gertrude and Yvan Party Hard (France, dir. Louise Groult, Canadian Premiere, screening before Vincent Must Die)
Gnomes (Netherlands, dir. Ruwan Heggelman, Canadian Premiere, screening before Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls)
Good Condition (USA, dir. Frank Mosley, International Premiere, screening before Lovely, Dark, and Deep)
Hellmark (Canada, dir. Jessica Doucet, World Premiere, screening before With Love and a Major Organ)
How to Get Rid of Your Cheating Husband (Germany, dir. Sebastian Ganschow, World Premiere, screening before Booger)
The Influencer (USA, dir. Lael Rogers, World Premiere, screening before Late Night With the Devil)
Innermost (China, dir. Maing Caochong, North American Premiere, screening before Mother Land)
A Kind of Testament (France dir. Stephen Vuillemin, Canadian Premiere, screening before Sometimes I Think About Dying)
Lollygag (USA, dir. Tij D'oyen, Canadian Premiere, screening before Hippo)
Mr. Blur (USA, dir. Jacob Chase, World Premiere, screening before Suitable Flesh)
Original Skin (UK, dir. Mdhamiri A Nkemi, Canadian Premiere, screening before Perpetrator)
Otamatoon: Let’s Play Chan (Japan, dir. Novmichi Tosa, World Premiere, screening as part of Discover Maywa Denki special event)
Otamatoon: Let’s Play Chiririn (Japan, dir. Novmichi Tosa, World Premiere, screening before The First Slam Dunk)
Otamatoon: Let’s Play Knockman (Japan, dir. Novmichi Tosa, World Premiere, screening before A Chinese Ghost Story)
Otamatoon: Let’s Play Pololon (Japan, dir. Novmichi Tosa, World Premiere, screening before Baby Assassins 2)
Otamatoon: Let’s Play Velomin (Japan, dir. Novmichi Tosa, World Premiere, screening before Insomniacs After School)
Paragon (USA, dir. Colin Treneff, World Premiere, screening before Restore Point)
The Perfect Place to Cry (USA, dir. Shane Bannon, Canadian Premiere, screening before Blackout)
Reds (Argentina/Venezuela, dir. Tom Espinoza, Canadian Premiere, screening before Piaffe)
The Reluctant Icon: A Tribute to Laura Gemser (USA/Canada, dir. Kier-La Janisse, Canadian Premiere, screening before Emanuelle in America)
Saint-Sacrifice (Canada, dir. Jean-claude Leblanc, International Premiere, screening before The Sacrifice Game)
Save the Watermelon (USA, dir. Christopher Smith, Quebec Premiere, screening before Mayhem!)
School Girl (Japan, dir. Shigeyoshi Tsukahara, Canadian Premiere, screening before Kurayukaba)
Shoulder (South Korea, dir. Kim Jaehyung, World Premiere, screening before #Manhole)
Smoking Kills (USA, dir. Dulcinée DeGuere, Canadian Premiere, screening before Eight Eyes)
Sweet Juices (Australia, dir. Im Sejon, Will Suen, International Premiere, screening before T Blockers)
The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Picture (Japan, dir. Shigeyoshi Tsukahara, International Premiere, screening before Kurayukaba)
Uberlinks (France, dir. Robert Hospyan, North American Premiere, screening before New Normal)
White Noise (Canada, dir. Tamara Scherbak, World Premiere, screening before ROMI)
The Wild World Itself (Canada/Quebec, dir. Dwight Petrovic, Finn Petrovic, World Premiere, screening before Emptiness)
Write a Song About Heartache (United States, dir. Jonny Look, Montreal Premiere, screening before Apocalypse Clown)

The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is presented by Videotron in collaboration with Desjardins and is made possible thanks to the financial contributions of the City of Montreal, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Government of Quebec, SODEC, Telefilm Canada and Tourisme Montréal.