One of the world’s biggest genre festival is holding their 30th edition this year and we at the The Cultured Curators have already started picking our favourites in the line-up.
Fantasia International Film Festival does not dissapoint when it comes to wide taste in Fantastic Film, from international horror, to folklore, to martial arts, and everything in between; they have been serving up great titles to look forward to.
The line up is great, but there are definite most anticipated titles in the bunch. Here are mine in no particular order:
- Anymart – Yusuke Iwasaki (North American Premiere, Cheval Noir)
Described as a cross between Kevin Smiths Clerks and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Creepy (two of my favourite directors) this horror with comedy seems like a movie perfectly made to my taste.
- The Samurai and the Prisoner – Kiyoshi Kurosawa (North American Premiere, Horizon 2026)
Speaking of Kurosawa, his latest release is highly anticipated as well. This action-thriller taking place during the infamous Warring States Period in Japanese history was part of the official selection at Cannes this year. We’re promised a mental cat-and-mouse game,, and I can’t wait to see it unfold on the big screen.
- Her Private Hell – Nicholas Winding Refn (Opening Film, Canadian Premiere)
Refn, science fiction, horror, thriller. Enough said.
- The Peril at Pincer Point – Jake Kuhn, Noah Stratton-Twine (Canadian Premiere, Underground)
A low-budget, high effort love letter to British genre Cinema for all the fans of moviegoing and the good old days of a good movie.
- Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma – Jane Schoenbrun (Canadian Premiere, Horizon 2026)
If Camp Miasma isn’t on your radar yet, then you need to crawl from under that rock. Schoenbrun mesmerizes us with a meta-play that will have you feel all the feelings by the end of it.
- The Last Temptation of Becky – Jenn Wexler (World Premiere, Horizon 2026)
Already the third movie in the Becky saga. I just love watching her punch and scheme here way through neo-nazis.
- Never After Dark – Dave Boyle (Canadian Premiere, Horizon 2026)
An engaging Japanese ghost story, where time isn’t linear, and things aren’t what they seem.
- Buddy – Casper Kelly (International Premiere, Horizon 2026)
As a big fan of Too Many Cooks and Adult Swim’s Yule Log, I could not wait for a cinematic feature film from Kelly. And with this uncanny 90s childrens’ tv fever-dream I fear I might get exactly what I have been asking for….
- Freaks part II – Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein (Closing Film, World Premiere, Cheval Noir, Septetrion Shadows)
2018’s FREAKS was a sleeper cult-hit, and the directors from Final Destination: Bloodlines have finally stepped back into this mutant world to show us what happened at the traumatic escape at the end.
- TOKYO BURST: Crime City – Eiji Uchida (International Premiere, Cheval Noir)
The Roundup films with the ever-charming Ma Dong-Seok (Don Lee for westerners) is making its move into Japan with TOKYO BURST: Crime City. Written and directed by Japan own Eiji Uchida (Love and Other Cults), this is a different lens and location for the police action-thriller series.
- Unidentified Murder – Kwok Ka-Hei, Jack Lee Chun-Kit (International Premiere, Cheval Noir)
You can always get me seated for an Hong Kong movie and Unidentified Murder is therefore no surprise title on my list. Combining comedy with sci-fi and horror the directors are promising to take on a crazy ride of alien abduction.
- After School (Straf) – Merijn Scholte Albers, Tobias Smeets (Canadian Premiere, Horizon 2026)
Director Merijn Scholte Albers (co-founder of the Dutch comedy YouTube channel Mastermovies) is a legend in Dutch internet-comedy history, so naturally a full-length cinematic feature with improv legend Ruben van de Meer is something I can’t miss. I still remember the Staar Wars (that is not a typo) videos on early Youtube.
- God Skin – Paween Purijitpanya (World Premiere, Horizon 2026)
Cyberpunk aestethics x Muy Thai x Fantasy. Say less and just take my money 😉
Of course there are so many more gems to discover!
You can find the full program now on the Fantasia website: https://fantasiafestival.com/en/
