There’s no such factor as “an excessive amount of” in Montreal, however Fantasia Fest is lengthy irrespective of the way you slice it. Working from July 16 to August 3, the annual style occasion in Québec celebrates its twenty ninth version this yr — although it used to cowl much more of the calendar.
The beloved summer season movie pageant started in 1996 as a method of connecting Canadian cinephiles with cutting-edge movies from the Asian market. Again then, audiences had a number of years of flicks to atone for, however now, Fantasia fuels nearly three weeks of programming with tales curated from across the globe.
“Style” filmmaking covers any extremely stylized cinematic work that performs on particular tropes from sci-fi, horror, fantasy — you identify it. Fantasia lures all types of inventive voices into its purple-hued embrace, presenting its personal world premieres alongside high titles that beforehand performed SXSW, Sundance, Tribeca, FrightFest, Sitges, and Overlook. What does properly right here might go on to TIFF or Unbelievable in September.
Final yr, I fell in love with Fantasia when a one-off historical past piece I wrote concerning the fest’s most treasured custom became a sensible information for cultivating style audiences. This yr, I’m again and I’ve bought jury obligation for the competitors’s flagship Cheval Noir class. (Sure, sure! That is the one with the horse!)
Pascal Plante received Greatest Movie at Fantasia Fest in 2023 for “Purple Rooms,” which was listed amongst IndieWire’s Greatest Horror Motion pictures of final yr. He’ll function jury president for Cheval Noir — main deliberations between me, filmmaker Ethan Eng (“Remedy Canine”), New York Metropolis-based author Payton McCarty-Simas, and George Schmalz, vice chairman for distributor Kino Lorber.
The 14 movies competing within the Cheval Noir class embody “Black Canvas: My So-Referred to as Artist Journey (Kakukaku Shikajika),” “The Guide of Sijjin and Illiyyin,” “Cielo,” “Dying Does Not Exist,” “Forbidden Metropolis,” “I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn,” “I Reside Right here Now,” “Mom of Flies,” “New Group,” “Stinker,” “Terrestrial,” “The Verdict,” “The Properly,” and “The Girl.”
Except we have been alleged to be sequestered, and nobody informed me, I’m nonetheless listening to buzz about a few of these titles and others in numerous classes. We’ve excluded something I’m judging from our record, however with the primary third of Fantasia already gone, these are among the non-Cheval Noir motion pictures with essentially the most buzz. Main releases, together with Ari Aster’s “Eddington” and Neon’s “Collectively,” have additionally been left off.
The next movies are listed by screening relevance.
“The Serpent’s Pores and skin”
Dir. Alice Maio Mackay
Subsequent screens at Fantasia on Wednesday, July 23, and Friday, July 25
A Fantasia common with an ungodly urge for food for brand spanking new tasks, 20-year-old fantasist Alice Maio Mackay has already acquired heavy reward for her sixth movie, “The Serpent’s Pores and skin.” A demonic romance set in opposition to a small transphobic city, it’s supposedly extra severe than the Australian director’s previous tasks, like “T Blockers” and “Carnage for Christmas.” However Canadian style heads who’ve already seen the movie say it’s nonetheless Mackay’s vivid fashion — campy, defiant, explosive — solely extra polished. “The Individuals’s Joker” director Vera Drew edited the movie, with “Castration Film” genius Louise Weard producing.
“Redux Redux”
Dir. Matthew and Kevin McManus
Subsequent screens at Fantasia on Tuesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 24
With jokes about “the worst timeline” nonetheless swirling round popular culture, “Redux Redux” builds its sci-fi world on actual rage. From filmmakers Matthew and Kevin McManus, this slippery revenge story sees the brothers directing their sister, Michaela McManus, as Irene Kelly — a grieving lady who will cease at nothing to kill her daughter’s killer (Jeremy Holm). Repeatedly. She’ll leap via realities to take her revenge time and again, however what occurs when the “Kill Invoice”/”Groundhog Day” mashup stops? The reply wowed people at SXSW and Overlook, they usually’re nonetheless buzzing about it months later.
“LifeHack”
Dir. Ronan Corrigan
Subsequent screens at Fantasia on Tuesday, July 29
Ronan Corrigan’s breakneck directorial debut aimed to revitalize the screenlife style, and after enjoying SXSW and Overlook earlier this yr, it’s performed simply that for festivals. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov, who additionally labored on “Looking” and “Unfriended,” “LifeHack” follows 4 teenage mates (Georgie Farmer, Yasmin Finney, Roman Hayeck-Inexperienced, James Scholz) as they get in over their heads with a cryptocurrency heist that unfolds on their desktops. That format works higher for some ideas than others. Nonetheless, the digital thriller appears to have actually excited the form of audiences who used to love supernatural Zoom hauntings — however post-pandemic need one thing extra.
Learn IndieWire’s “LifeHack” evaluation by Christian Zilko
“Foreigner”
Dir. Ava Maria Safai
Subsequent screens at Fantasia on Thursday, July 31, and Saturday, August 2
Shorts filmmaker Ava Maria Safai couldn’t be making her function debut at a extra highly effective time politically. “Foreigner” stars Rose Deghan as Yasi, a teenage Iranian immigrant to Canada, who finds racist terror ready for her in her new dwelling. Imply women Rachel (Chloë MacLeod), Emily (Victoria Wardell), and Kristen (Talisa Mae Stewart) enact a merciless assimilation/makeover on Yasi that Fantasia programmers have labeled as “bubblegum horror.” Toss in the truth that this sudden coming-of-age deconstruction is ready in 2004, and also you’ve bought obligatory viewing for anybody who has ever yearned for an aughts-era “Jawbreaker.”
“Previous Guys in Mattress”
Dir. JP Bergeron
Subsequent screens at Fantasia on Sunday, August 3
It’s not every single day a filmmaker is born at age 73. With “Previous Guys in Mattress,” author/director JP Bergeron brings his life expertise and singular presence as a brief movie creator to the relationship app love story of movie historian Paul (Duff M) and his a lot older love curiosity, Invoice (Paul James Saunders). The distinctive subject material and authorship have made the film a frequent topic of debate amongst Fantasia regulars, who’re trying ahead to its world premiere as a part of the fest’s grand finale weekend.
“Mounted”
Dir. Genndy Tartakovsky
Closing evening at Fantasia on Sunday, August 3
The creator of beloved cartoons, from “Dexter’s Laboratory” to “Samurai Jack,” returns with a brand new animated journey that can stream on Netflix sooner than you possibly can say, “Come right here, boy!” However filmmaker Genndy Tartakovsky will premiere his canine comedy “Mounted” because the closing evening occasion for Fantasia Fest 2025 first. The movie is co-written with Jon Vitti, whose TV work consists of “King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons,” and “The Workplace” amongst different favorites. From Sony Footage, the voice forged consists of Adam DeVine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, and Bobby Moynihan.
“Fucktoys”
Dir. Annapurna Sriram
Screened at Fantasia on Tuesday, July 22
To not be confused with Megan Ellison’s indie studio or the Himalayan mountain vary, Annapurna Sriram is a drive of nature in her personal proper. The multi-hyphenate expertise premiered her debut function “Fucktoys” — a few intercourse employee contending with a curse within the magical Trashtown, USA — at SXSW. There, the movie earned high marks from IndieWire with critic Esther Zuckerman giving it a “B” and calling it a “messy, however wholly authentic” style mashup. Sriram additionally received the Particular Jury Award for a Multi-Hyphenate on the 2025 SXSW Movie & TV Competition (the place IndieWire’s Ryan Lattanzio was on stated jury).
A juicy, disorienting, and hilarious shuffling of Tarot playing cards you received’t need to miss, “Fucktoys” has since picked up sensational phrase of mouth. The title helps.
Learn IndieWire’s “Fucktoys” evaluation by Esther Zuckerman
“I Am Frankelda”
Dir. Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz
Screened at Fantasia on Sunday, July 20
Fantasia is aware of beautiful animation, and choosing up “I Am Frankelda” after it performed at Annency in June was good. From the proteges of Guillermo del Toro, this stop-motion fantasy — about somewhat woman in Nineteenth-century Mexico, whose make-believe tales join to a different world — is a labor of affection by nature. It’s additionally some extent of pleasure for the nation’s cinematic historical past, magically explored via an owl-boy prince who goals of breaking the barrier between realms. I’d say the visuals communicate for themselves (or I assume, “Las imágenes hablan por sí solas”), however they took an excessive amount of work for that.
“Discover Your Buddies”
Dir. Izabel Pakzad
Screened at Fantasia on Friday, July 18
In the event you see former IndieWire editor Eric Kohn credited as a producer on a undertaking we’re trying out, you possibly can safely assume he informed us about it. That stated, I’d already heard about Izabel Pakzad’s directorial debut, “Discover Your Buddies,” earlier than it performed at Fantasia. The celebration caper mixes well-known and contemporary faces with Helena Howard, Bella Thorne, Zion Moreno, Chloe Cherry, and Sophia Ali starring as mates on a visit to Joshua Tree. Issues go fallacious due to — watch for it — a person! However the first-time filmmaker’s distinctive presentation of that recognizable story affords a robust introduction to her POV that’s promising.