The Fantasia International Film Festival finished up it's 15th festival this weekend in Montreal. Every year I hear amazing stories about the films and the festival experience, and looking at the film list blows my mind. The festival features fantasy, horror and extreme titles from around the world as well as premieres for upcoming big titles on many a genre fans must-see list. Yep, it sounds like an awesome. I also am always astounded and impressed by the endurance of the festival and the people who run it and attend, given it's mega-length of 3 weeks long. That easily makes Fantasia one of the festivals I most want to go to and grants it a spot on my Mega-List. How can you not love a festival that has an audience awarded prize for Guru Prize for the Most Energetic Feature? I mean, seriously. That's amazing.
Let's look at all of the festival awards, as I'm sure many will be added to my own must-see list. I've been lucky enough to see some of the winners already from other festivals like Superheroes at Hot Docs and Legend of Beaver Dam at the Worldwide Short Film Festival but at first glance I know I'll be hoping to see at the very least Milocrorze: A Love Story, Vampire, Monster Brawl and of course Bangkok Knockout sometimes soon.
2011 Fantasia International Film Festival Winners:
Feature Film Awards
Juried by: Alexandre Franchi (President), with Gilles Esposito, Lee Joon-ik, George Mihalka, Steven Schneider and Tom Vick
Cheval Noir Award for Best Film: Clown by Mikkel Nørgaard
Best Director: Yoshimasa Ishibashi for Milocrorze: A Love Story
Best Screenplay: Park Hoon-jung for The Unjust
Best Actors: Hwang Jeong-min and Ryoo Seung-beom for The Unjust
Best Actress: Norie Yasui for Love & Loathing & Lulu & Ayano
Special Mention to Vampire
Special Mention to the short film I LOVE YOU in THE THEATRE BIZARRE
First Feature Awards
Juried by: Jason Eisener (President), with Jephté Bastien, Alexandre Fontaine-Rousseau and Greg Newman
New Flesh Award for Best First Feature: Bullhead by Michaël R. Roskam
Special Mention to Love
Animation Awards
Juried by: Marcel Jean (President), with Jean-François Lévesque and Heidi Taillefer
Best Animated Feature Film: Surviving Life
Best Animated Short Film: Bobby Yeah
Special Mention to Crépuscule
International Animated Short Film Awards
Juried by: Buddy Giovinazzo (President), with John Fallon, Sylvain Houde and Charlotte Selb
Best International Short: The Suicide Tapes
Special Mention to The Unliving
Quebecois Short Film Awards
Juried by: Catherine Beauchamp, Dino Tavarone, Caroline Morin
Best Director: Alexandre Richard for Bonne Journée
Best Film: Carolyne Rhéaume for La Barricade
Best Actress: Charlotte Laurier for Coup Sauvage
Best Actor: Mathieu Dufresne for Bonne Journée
Best Screenplay: Caroline Renaud for Maternal
Jury’s Choice: Kim St-Pierre for Vodka Canneberge
Best Photo: Eric Morin for Opasatika
Quebecois DIY Short Film Awards
Juried by: Julie Brisson, Karl Filion, Géraldine Charbonneau
Best Film: Fuck That, Lawrence Côté-Collins
Best Screenplay: Corte, Radnath Gagnon
Best Director: Emanuel St-Pierre Beaulieu for Un film avec Brigitte Bardot
Best Actor (Male & Female): Maxime Desjardins for Gueule de Bois
Jury’s Choice: Vivre a 35 Milles a l'heure, Jean Marc E. Roy, Philippe David Gagné, Dominic Leclerc
AQCC Prize – International Section Awards
Martin Gignac, Claudia Hébert, Nicolas Krief
AQCC Prize: (TIE) Super and Superheroes
Séquences Prize – Asian Section Awards
Pascal Grenier (President), with Pierre-Alexandre Fradet and Christina Stojanova
Séquences Prize: Heaven's Story
L’Écran Fantastique Prize
Yves Rivard
L’Écran Fantastique Prize: Detention
Audience Awards
Best Asian Feature:
GOLD (TIE): 13 Assassins and Cold Fish
SILVER: Milocrorze: A Love Story
BRONZE: Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Best European or American Feature:
GOLD: Attack the Block
SILVER: (TIE) Burke and Hare and Bellflower
BRONZE: Innkeepers
Best Canadian or Quebecois Feature:
GOLD: The Corridor
SILVER: Vampire
BRONZE: (TIE) Monster Brawl and The Divide
Best Animation Feature:
GOLD: Redline
SILVER: Legend of the Millenium Dragon
BRONZE: El SOl
Best Documentary:
GOLD: Art/Crime
SILVER: Superheroes
BRONZE: Last Days Here
Most Innovative Feature:
GOLD: Milocrorze: A Love Story
SILVER: The Woman
BRONZE: Love
Guru Prize for the Most Energetic Feature:
GOLD: Bangkok Knockout
SILVER (TIE): Milocrorze: A Love Story and Detention
BRONZE: The FP
Best Short Film:
GOLD: Legend of Beaver Dam
SILVER: Night Fishing
BRONZE: Bobby Yeah
The Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14 - Aug 7, 2011 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Fantasia Awards 2011
Fantasia Awards 2011
The Fantasia International Film Festival finished up it's 15th festival this weekend in Montreal. Every year I hear amazing stories about the films and the festival experience, and looking at the film list blows my mind. The festival features fantasy, horror and extreme titles from around the world as well as premieres for upcoming big titles on many a genre fans must-see list. Yep, it sounds like an awesome. I also am always astounded and impressed by the endurance of the festival and the people who run it and attend, given it's mega-length of 3 weeks long. That easily makes Fantasia one of the festivals I most want to go to and grants it a spot on my Mega-List. How can you not love a festival that has an audience awarded prize for Guru Prize for the Most Energetic Feature? I mean, seriously. That's amazing.
Let's look at all of the festival awards, as I'm sure many will be added to my own must-see list. I've been lucky enough to see some of the winners already from other festivals like Superheroes at Hot Docs and Legend of Beaver Dam at the Worldwide Short Film Festival but at first glance I know I'll be hoping to see at the very least Milocrorze: A Love Story, Vampire, Monster Brawl and of course Bangkok Knockout sometimes soon.
2011 Fantasia International Film Festival Winners:
Feature Film Awards
Juried by: Alexandre Franchi (President), with Gilles Esposito, Lee Joon-ik, George Mihalka, Steven Schneider and Tom Vick
Cheval Noir Award for Best Film: Clown by Mikkel Nørgaard
Best Director: Yoshimasa Ishibashi for Milocrorze: A Love Story
Best Screenplay: Park Hoon-jung for The Unjust
Best Actors: Hwang Jeong-min and Ryoo Seung-beom for The Unjust
Best Actress: Norie Yasui for Love & Loathing & Lulu & Ayano
Special Mention to Vampire
Special Mention to the short film I LOVE YOU in THE THEATRE BIZARRE
First Feature Awards
Juried by: Jason Eisener (President), with Jephté Bastien, Alexandre Fontaine-Rousseau and Greg Newman
New Flesh Award for Best First Feature: Bullhead by Michaël R. Roskam
Special Mention to Love
Animation Awards
Juried by: Marcel Jean (President), with Jean-François Lévesque and Heidi Taillefer
Best Animated Feature Film: Surviving Life
Best Animated Short Film: Bobby Yeah
Special Mention to Crépuscule
International Animated Short Film Awards
Juried by: Buddy Giovinazzo (President), with John Fallon, Sylvain Houde and Charlotte Selb
Best International Short: The Suicide Tapes
Special Mention to The Unliving
Quebecois Short Film Awards
Juried by: Catherine Beauchamp, Dino Tavarone, Caroline Morin
Best Director: Alexandre Richard for Bonne Journée
Best Film: Carolyne Rhéaume for La Barricade
Best Actress: Charlotte Laurier for Coup Sauvage
Best Actor: Mathieu Dufresne for Bonne Journée
Best Screenplay: Caroline Renaud for Maternal
Jury’s Choice: Kim St-Pierre for Vodka Canneberge
Best Photo: Eric Morin for Opasatika
Quebecois DIY Short Film Awards
Juried by: Julie Brisson, Karl Filion, Géraldine Charbonneau
Best Film: Fuck That, Lawrence Côté-Collins
Best Screenplay: Corte, Radnath Gagnon
Best Director: Emanuel St-Pierre Beaulieu for Un film avec Brigitte Bardot
Best Actor (Male & Female): Maxime Desjardins for Gueule de Bois
Jury’s Choice: Vivre a 35 Milles a l'heure, Jean Marc E. Roy, Philippe David Gagné, Dominic Leclerc
AQCC Prize – International Section Awards
Martin Gignac, Claudia Hébert, Nicolas Krief
AQCC Prize: (TIE) Super and Superheroes
Séquences Prize – Asian Section Awards
Pascal Grenier (President), with Pierre-Alexandre Fradet and Christina Stojanova
Séquences Prize: Heaven's Story
L’Écran Fantastique Prize
Yves Rivard
L’Écran Fantastique Prize: Detention
Audience Awards
Best Asian Feature:
GOLD (TIE): 13 Assassins and Cold Fish
SILVER: Milocrorze: A Love Story
BRONZE: Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Best European or American Feature:
GOLD: Attack the Block
SILVER: (TIE) Burke and Hare and Bellflower
BRONZE: Innkeepers
Best Canadian or Quebecois Feature:
GOLD: The Corridor
SILVER: Vampire
BRONZE: (TIE) Monster Brawl and The Divide
Best Animation Feature:
GOLD: Redline
SILVER: Legend of the Millenium Dragon
BRONZE: El SOl
Best Documentary:
GOLD: Art/Crime
SILVER: Superheroes
BRONZE: Last Days Here
Most Innovative Feature:
GOLD: Milocrorze: A Love Story
SILVER: The Woman
BRONZE: Love
Guru Prize for the Most Energetic Feature:
GOLD: Bangkok Knockout
SILVER (TIE): Milocrorze: A Love Story and Detention
BRONZE: The FP
Best Short Film:
GOLD: Legend of Beaver Dam
SILVER: Night Fishing
BRONZE: Bobby Yeah
The Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14 - Aug 7, 2011 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Fantasia 2009
The Fantasia International Film Festival is ripe off the vine and ready for picking. The festival is in Montreal, last three weeks starting this Thursday July 9, 2009 and boast a line up of genre delights from horror, sci-fi, martial arts, documentaries and more. Let's have a look, shall we?
Vampires
Highly anticipated and straight from Cannes comes Thirst, directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) taking a new spin on the vampire genre throwing in medical experimentation and religion to the mix, as well as playing it from a sensual angle (see the trailer here). Sounds like a perfect combination to me! We also have Lesbian Vampire Killers which debuted at #4 on the UK box office in March 2009, and I keep hoping this is lesbians who kill vampires, but alas is is vampire hunters killing lesbian vampires. Well, there will always be more vampires films in the future! Crossing the vampire and monster world we have the Japanese film Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, based on a manga by Shungiku Uchida.
Zombies
Kicking up red snow everywhere, Dead Snow the Norwegian film with Nazi zombies as been buzzing all over the online world. A twist and taste of real, Reel Zombies has a quote in the trailer that sums up the idea quite well: "You are making a zombie movie, during the zombie apocalypse?". Why not make zombies work for you for a change? That sounds pretty awesome to me.
Hong Kong Cinema: 100 Years
As a celebration of 100 years since the release of the first narrative film in the former British colony of Hong Kong, the festival has included a Spotlight on Hong Kong and amongst the titles at this years festival are The Warlords directed by Peter Chan, starring Jet Li and Andy Lau and Ip Man directed by Wilson Yip (Flash Point / Dao huo xian), starring Donnie Yen and Simon Yam. What a treat festival goers are in for with this program!
Monsters, Aliens, Oh My!
Nothing says funny like a spoofing sci fi which is the funnest of Alien Trespass, not only spoofing but taking it classic with 1950's style. Keeping it period we also have the horror comedy I Sell the Dead from director Glenn McQuaid and starring Dominic Monaghan, Ron Perlman, Larry Fressenden and Brenda Cooney. If you are looking for pure classic they are showing a 35m print of the 1961 Japanese monster classic Mothra.
Horror
This is the perfect festival to celebrate Halloween films on any day and you can with Trick 'r Treat starring Anna Paquin and Dylan Baker. Want to be too creeped out sleep? Then you might want to try Nightmare Detective 2, sequel to Shinya Tsukamoto's Nightmare Detective / Akumu Tantei. In the kids-can-be-so-creepy department, get a sneak peek at the upcoming Orphan.
Double the Fun
A double bill of fantastic proportions will head to the festival on Saturday July 25, 2009 with Best Worst Movie, a hilarious documentary on the phenomenah of the cult-classic/worst movie ever: Troll 2. The second part of the double bill? Troll 2, of course! Also doubling up, but not on the same night are two Clive Barker books to film adapatations. Book of Blood, directed by John Harrison is an adaptation of two Clive Barker short stories "On Jerusalem Street" and "The Book of Blood". The second is Dread, directed by Anthony DiBlasi and stars Shaun Evans, Hanne Steen and Jackson Rathbone (Twilight)
On a final note, I'd love to hear how the sweet looking romantic comedy Fine, Totally Fine got into the mix? It looks completely charming from the trailer.
This is just a mere sampling of the over 100 feature films at the festival during its three week run. Tickets go on sale today, July 7th 2009. For more information check the website for Films and Schedule, Guests, Jury, Venue and Ticket Information. Above links are to English version of the site, and are all also available under the French Site.
The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 9 - 29, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.