The Fantasia International Film Festival wrapped its 2018 edition on August 2nd with the sold-out Canadian Premiere of Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy, and announced that it – for the sixth year in a row – welcomed nearly 100,000 attendees to its three weeks of films, events, and parties. The long-running Montreal genre fest is also proud to announce that a record-breaking 80+ screenings were sold out over the course of Fantasia 2018, marking the most in its 22-year history.
In addition to the Fantasia-based launch of Yellow Veil Pictures and the sale of Fantasia World Premiere Cam to Netflix, the festival is also very proud to announce that Paramount Pictures has come aboard to produce Dear Jimmy, a Frontières 2018 Official Selection from the Netherlands. Fellow Frontières participants Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen will co-write the feature script with Tim Koomen; David-Jan Bronsgeest will direct. Platinum Dunes (A QUIET PLACE) and The Picture Company will co-produce. The short film version of Meet Jimmy also made its international premiere at Fantasia this year, and the feature-length project pitched at Frontières was a co-presentation with the Imagine Film Festival.
Frontières has been such a blast for us. From the moment we arrived, it felt like family. Because of the warm connection, we met a lot of other interesting genre fanatics and with the Rasmussen Brothers, we clicked directly. When we realized that we shared the same passion for this idea, everything went so insanely fast. With the Rasmussens’ writing expertise and our strong personal connection, we’ll bring this scary Fantasia creation to the world!” Director David-Jan Bronsgeest and Co-Writer/Co-Producer Tim Koomen stated.
When we first saw Tim and Dave’s Meet Jimmy presentation this year, we knew the project was a winner and approached them wanting to get involved. The idea of a haunted true crime podcast really spoke to us. Their short was awesome and unsettling, not to mention extremely cinematic.” Co-Writers Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen continued, “We’re thrilled to be working with them on this exciting project. It simply would not have happened without the Frontières market and its amazing team which brings together genre filmmakers and professionals to network, share their experience, and support one another.”
The tenth edition of the Frontières International Co-Production Market took place July 19-22 with 27 projects in development pitched to over 400 industry participants. FRONTIÈRES is organized by the Fantasia International Film Festival, in partnership with the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes, and is co-funded by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union. Frontières 2018 is made possible thanks to our major partners: Telefilm Canada, Wallimage, the Netherlands Film Fund, and SODEC.
The festival is also proud to announce its final batch of awards, noted below, which – in addition to winners announced on July 24th – combine to create the fest’s full list of acclaimed prizewinners.
THE AUDIENCE AWARDS
Best Asian Feature
Gold – 1987: When the Day Comes (South Korea, Dir: Jang Joon-hwan)
Silver – One Cut of the Dead (Japan, Dir: Shinichiro Ueda)
Bronze – The Travelling Cat Chronicles (Japan, Dir: Kôichirô Miki)
Best European, North-South American Feature
Gold – Terrified (Argentina, Dir: Demián Rugna)
Silver – Heavy Trip (Belgium-Finland-Norway, Dir: Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio)
Bronze – Searching (USA, Dir: Aneesh Chaganty)
Best Canadian or Quebec Feature
Gold – Montreal Dead End (Canada, Dir: Various)
Silver – Le Nid (Canada, Dir: David Paradis)
Bronze – Knuckleball (Canada, Dir: Michael Peterson)
Best Animated Feature
Gold – Penguin Highway (Japan, Dir: Hiroyasu Ishida)
Silver – Crisis Jung (France, Dir: Baptiste Gaubert, Jérémie Hoarau)
Bronze – Violence Voyager (Japan, Dir: Ujicha)
Guru Prize – Best Action Feature
Gold – Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires (UK, Dir: Mike Mort)
Silver – The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (South Korea, Dir: Park Hoon-jung)
Bronze – Believer (South Korea, Dir: Lee Hae-young)
Best Documentary
Gold – Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana (USA, Dir: Frank Henenlotter)
Best Short Film
Gold – Fire In Cardboard City (New Zealand, Dir: Phil Brough)
Silver – Eau de Jésus (Canada, Dir: Mat Rich)
Bronze – Entropia (USA, Dir: Marinah Janello)
THE ACTION! JURY AWARD
The Action! jury was comprised of Alain Moussi, Sebastien Landry, and Laurence “Baz” Morais.
WINNER: Believer (South Korea, Dir: Lee Hae-young)
Jury statement: “A gripping story supported by credible characters, convincingly performed. The direction is flawless, with action scenes in the service of the story, and not the other way around. For these reasons, BELIEVER enters the select club of excellent Korean revenge movies… with a twist.”
Special Mention: Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires (UK, Dir: Mike Mort)
“Technically flawless, Chuck Steel has the merit of totally owning its DNA: a raw and explosive animated film that never wimps out. A motorcycle ride at 200 km/hour, on a gravel road. Thanks, Chuck Steel!”
THE SÉQUENCES JURY PRIZE
The Séquences jury was comprised of Donato Totaro (President), Jules Couturier, and Pascal Grenier.
WINNER: Bodied (USA, Dir: Joseph Kahn)
“For its exciting re-invention of the sports film as a performance art that breathlessly captures the kinetic energy, tension, danger and social power (and fun) of battle rap.”
THE L’ÉCRAN FANTASTIQUE AWARD
The L’Écran Fantastique Award for the 2018 edition of Fantasia goes to Mari Okada’s Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms.
This distinction is conferred on the film for the high quality of its animation, its exceptional sense of staging, at once epic and intimate, and the universal depth of its script, questioning notions surrounding parent-child relationships, and this, in a context both fantastic in the universe it depicts, and sharply realist in its humanist discourse.
The Prix L’Écran Fantastique rewards a fantasy, horror, or sci-fi feature film produced in 2017 or 2018, unreleased in France and presented as part of Fantasia. The prize consists of a two- to four-page report confirmed for publication in an upcoming edition (with mention of the honorary title awarded as part of Fantasia), and a full page of free publicity during the release of the film in theatres in France.
L’Écran Fantastique, which has been in existence for 49 years, is distributed in Europe and Quebec. Its head office is in Paris. Alain Schlockoff is the editor and Yves Rivard, the Canadian correspondent.
MY FIRST FANTASIA AWARD
The MFF jury was comprised of Amy Lachapelle, Adèle Fortier, Félix Primeau, and Corinne Raymond
Gold – Wishing Box (USA, Dir:Lizzie Zhang)
Silver – Made in France (France, Dir: Various)
Bronze – Drôle de poisson (France-Switzerland, Dir:Krishna Chandran A. Nair)
The 22nd Fantasia International Film Festival took place from July 12 through August 2, 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.
The 23rd edition of Fantasia will occur from July 11th through August 1st, 2019.
For more information, please visit the festival’s official website at www.fantasiafestival.com
