If you didn’t catch the Fantasia Film Festival’s 2020 First Wave announcement, you’re missing out. But you can always check it out as part of the extensive curtain-raisers listed on the Mother of Movies website. The latest news is about what’s in store for the second half of the festival, usually held in Montreal. This year, of course, the lineup will be virtual and boasts live screenings, a programmed library, exciting panels, and workshops all from the comfort of your lounge room (if you’re in Canada.) Running from August 20th to September 2nd Mother of Movies will be dropping reviews as they become available so stay tuned to the Facebook page.
There’s one more announcement to go for this amazing film festival, you can guarantee there will be at least a few films from this list that you’ll be writing on your watch list. As per normal, I have included as many trailers as I could find for you to enjoy.
Line Up First Wave / Final Wave
First up the World Premiere’s
THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND
What’s controlling the town on Block Island? There’s a force lurking off the coast and the wildlife and people are all behaving strangely. A horror-thriller movie from Kevin and Matthew McManus (American Vandal and Funeral Kings) is a character-driven atmospheric horror movie that promises to fill you with dread. The Block Island Sound.
Cast: Michaela McManus (THE VILLAGE), Chris Sheffield (THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT), Jim Cummings (THUNDER ROAD), and Jeremy Holm (THE RANGER, Mr. Robot).
Produced by 30 Bones Cinema
THE OAK ROOM
Set in Canada, within a small town, and during a freak snowstorm, Steve (RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad) returns home. Old debts are settled, identities are mistaken and the night spins out of control. Dropping with violence and atmosphere, The Oak Room is Cody Calahan’s fourth film after Antisocial, Let Her Out & Vicious Fun. Production comes from Chad Archibald (Bite) and the Black Fawn Film Filmmakers.
Cast: RJ Mitte, Peter Outerbridge (ORPHAN BLACK), Ari Millen (RUPTURE), Nicholas Campbell (NAKED LUNCH), and Martin Roach (THE SHAPE OF WATER.)
Distributor: Breakthrough Entertainment.
MINOR PREMISE
Sci-fi thriller Minor Premise comes from newcomer Eric Schultz and follows neuroscientist Ethan (Sathya Sridharan) who wants to be more than just his father’s legacy. He quickly finds his radical experiments tear his consciousness apart and the once reclusive Indian American must find a way to fight the conflicting forces. Can he win against the tenth enigma that’s darker and buried deeper than any of the others? A cinematic puzzle that will cause you to confront your deeper self.
Cast: Sathya Sridharan, Paton Ashbrook, Purva Bedi and Nikolas Kontomanolis.
Produced by Bad Theology.
SLAXX
First, there was a killer dress and now there are some killer jeans in SLAXX. The staff at a trendy but vapid clothing company, Slaxx are being terrorized when a possessed pair of jeans wreaks havoc on the store. After being locked down overnight to get the new collection of super shaper pants ready, things begin to take a less than glamorous turn. Elza Kephart (GRAVEYARD ALIVE) and Patricia Gomez bring you a movie that looks like a lot of fun in the very least. Produced by EMA Films and distributed by Film Option International.
Cast: Romane Denis (Charlotte Has Fun), Sehar Bhojani (The Handmaid’s Tale), Brett Donahue (Radius), and Kenny Wong (Transplant.)
FOR THE SAKE OF VICIOUS
Action-horror from writer-directors Gabriel Carrer and Reese Eveneshen, For the Sake of Vicious is set on Halloween Night. This Canadian tense and enigmatic film promise loads of practical effects and kicka** stunts which are all performed by the cast. Violent intruders cause a nurse, a maniac, and a hostage to band together to try and live through the onslaught they find themselves in.
Cast: Lora Burke (Lifechanger), Colin Paradine (Kingdom Come), and Nick Smyth (Covenant.)
Bleed With Me
Amelia Moses was part of Fantasia’s Born of Woman showcase with her short film Undress Me. She returns with her directorial debut, “Bleed With Me.” A slow-burn thriller that forces the collapse of relationships and boundaries.
Fugitive Dreams
Jason Neulander’s Fugitive Dreams will take you on a ride into the depths of America’s soul. Dark and funny, two homeless people journey across middle America where they meet an array of bizarre experiences in the search for compassion. A Black and white feature film starring April Mattis (BLACK CARD), and Robbie Tann (PREACHER) as the main cast. With support from Scott Shepherd (TRUE DETECTIVE), O-Lan Jones (EDWARD SCISSORHANDS), and David Patrick Kelly (THE CROW.)
Produced by Chemistry Laboratories.
THE FIVE RULES OF SUCCESS
Orson Oblowitz’s 3rd feature film responds to a broken justice system and corrupt social landscape.
Santiago Segura stars as X, an ex-con paving his own path to the top after overcoming a harsh tragedy. Los Angeles will never look the same after you see the journey that Oblowitz (who wrote, shot, and directed the movie) takes you on.
International Premiere’s
THE DARK AND THE WICKED
Bryan Bertino is best known for his Manson-Inspired The Strangers and The Strangers: Prey at Night. This time he wants to give you some more rural nail-biting tension with The Dark and The Wicked. Set on a secluded farm as a man slowly dies, his family all arrive at the phase of mourning him. But as the night begins its descent into the sky, it becomes increasingly obvious that something evil is also present in the house. Equally exciting is the cast, featuring Marin Ireland (Sneaky Pete), Michael Abbott Jr., and an uber-creepy Xander Berkeley (Candyman & TWD.)
Produced by Traveling Picture Show, see the review for The Strangers: Prey at Night.
FROM ANIME TO (ALMOST) REALITY HOW TO BUILD MAZINGER Z’S HANGAR
The storage facility for giant cartoon robot Mazinger Z is among the most recognized sites in anime; impressive, yet impossible… or is it? In 2003 a quirky crew at the Japanese engineering firm Maeda Corporation decided to draft blueprints for the iconic hangar as it would exist in the real world. Funny, fascinating, and frankly inspiring, Tsutomu Hanabusa’s PROJECT DREAMS – HOW TO BUILD MAZINGER Z’S HANGAR tells their tale and takes it to the next stage of (im)possibility!
ALONE
A cold-blooded killer, wilderness, and a widow come as director John Hyams remake of the 2012 thriller Gone by Mattias Olsson. Alone stars Marc Menchaca (Ozark) and Lukes Wilcox (Bloodline) and takes the acclaimed thriller to new heights in the Pacific Northwest.
Produced by Mill House Pictures and Distributed by Magnet Releasing.
SANZARU
A young nurse in remote home lives and works taking care of a Texan family matriarch. Dementia forces an idea of whether something is lurking inside the walls of the remote and secluded estate. An American Gothic take touches on themes of displaced workers and inequality. A directorial debut from Xia Magnus shows us that horror can resonate and be elegant all at the same time.
Cast: Aina Dumlao, Justin Arnold, Matthew Albrecht and Jon Viktor Corpuz.
Produced by Oneonetwosix Films.
PVT CHAT
Ben Hozie’s transgressive, kinky, and comedic crime romance, PVT CHAT wants you to think about sex. Jack is an online gambler (played by Peter Vack of Assholes) and all he wants to do is talk to his camgirl Scarlet (Julia Fox of Uncut Gems.) One day he sees her in the rain on the street in New York and becomes obsessed with trying to meet her face to face. Loneliness and putting your insides on the outside poke their way into your heart in this romantic drama.
CLASS ACTION PARK
Known as the world’s most dangerous amusement Park, New Jersey’s Action Park was alive and kicking in the ’80s and ’90s. Drunk teenagers worked its no-rules landscape ignoring anything that could be considered Occupational Health and Safety. Once considered a myth, Class Action Park is a documentary that will not only show you the real truth but take you back to the nostalgia that presents when death traps are allowed to use as entertainment. Directed by Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III. The documentary stars Johnny Knoxville, Chris Gethard, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jason Scott Sadofsky.
Produced by Perennial Media.
North American Premieres
MERMAIDS IN PARIS (Une sirène à Paris)
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart was a smash hit amongst animation fans. Mathias Malzieu, a French music superstar has a live-action musical debut that will cause your heart to melt. A Mermaid in Paris is a French cinematic event originally released by Sony Pictures and will dazzle you with its visuals while it makes you fall in love with its romantic storyline.
Cast: Nicolas Duvauchelle (SPELLBOUND), Marilyn Lima (BANG GANG), Rossy de Palma (WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN), and Tchéky Karyo (NIKITA).
Produced by Entre Chien et Loup and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
ME AND ME
A police detective investigating a tragedy in a small town wakes up one morning to find he’s no longer who he thought he was – or so the locals lead him to believe. Is it epic gaslighting, genuine madness, or a supernatural twist? After decades in front of the camera, actor Jung Jin-young (THE KING AND THE CLOWN and many more) steps behind it for his directorial debut, ME AND ME, a unique and distinctive blend of suspense, anxious intrigue, and existential mystery!
THE COLUMNIST
Internet bullies torment columnist and author Femke Boot (Katja Herbes from Westworld.) They send posts and death threats via social media to torture and abuse her. Obsessed with the images that come from people she has never met Femke finds herself knee-deep in some savagery of her own. Ivo van Aart (Amuse) is a Dutch filmmaker who wants you to see the spoils of cyberbullying in a ferocious new light.
Written by Daan Windhorst and starring Genio de Groot, Katja Herbes, Rein Hofman, and Bram van der Kelen.
Produced by NL Film & TV and distributed by Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO.)
JESTERS: THE GAME CHANGERS
South Korean writer-director Kim Joo-ho’s Joseon-era comedy-thriller is full of mechanical ingenuity complicated enough to match his devilishly clever plots. JESTERS: THE GAME CHANGERS chase the fortunes of a crew of traveling entertainers who spread “fake news.” Check out the trailer for Jesters: The Game Changers.
LA DOSIS
Marcos works in the palliative care ward as a nurse and LA DOSIS is an Argentinian psychological thriller. A story about a man who decides to play god inside the hospital for those that are on their way to heaven. When a new nurse discovers his nightly routine, their agendas clash. A directorial debut from Martin Kraut. Check out the trailer for La Dosis.
SAVAGE STATE
French settlers from Missouri headed back to Paris after the American Civil War breaks out. David Perrault’s feminist Western, SAVAGE STATE (L’état Sauvage), is an official selection at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam. France, Canada, and Belgium unite and the film stars Alice Isaaz (ELLE), Déborah François (POPULAIRE), Kevin Janssens (REVENGE), Constance Dollé (LES REVENANTS), and Kate Moran (KNIFE+HEART).
BEAUTY WATER
In a society as obsessed with physical appearance as modern South Korea, ugliness is a fate worse than death. For overweight, unsightly Yaeji, though, a fast but suspicious solution to her woes may soon make her wish she were dead. Director Cho Kyung-hun’s animated shocker BEAUTY WATER puts a very high price on prettiness.
MY PUNCH-DRUNK BOXER
In MY PUNCH-DRUNK BOXER, a former professional boxer (Um Tae-goo, I SAW THE DEVIL) receives a devastating diagnosis. However, when Min-ji (breakout star Lee Hye-ri, MONSTRUM) enters the gym, he picks up what made him famous in the first place: a unique style known as ‘Pansori Boxing’ – utilizing the flow and rhythms of traditional Korean drumming! A delightful hybrid of boxing drama and quirky rom-com, Jung Hyuk-ki’s film will surprise you with its innovative take on “pansori”! Check out the trailer for My Punch Drunk Boxer.
THE PROPHET AND THE SPACE ALIENS
“Be carefool wiz whatt yoo say, everyssing iz reecordead,” controversial cult leader Raël discretely says in a mischievous French accent to the ear of a giggling woman. Dressed in white, the innocent-looking 60-something year-old-man proudly sits on a rock, honoring us with a magisterial meditation. With THE PROPHET AND THE SPACE ALIENS, award-winning Israeli documentarian Yoav Shamir (DEFAMATION, CHECKPOINT) reflects on the meaning of “sect” and the very essence of religion, while the self-proclaimed “Only prophet on Earth” plays petanque, dances on a beach, and talks to aliens. Check out the trailer for The Prophet and the Space Aliens.
Canadian Premieres
CRAZY SAMURAI MUSASHI!
Martial artist Tak Sakaguchi (VERSUS) is back with CRAZY SAMURAI MUSASHI. A film that took a long time to make but features swordsman Musashi Miyamoto’s most fabled battle. Shot on a single 77-minute action sequence by director Yûji Shimomura (DEATH TRANCE, RE:BORN). 588 foes! Check out the trailer for Crazy Samurai Musashi.
DETENTION
Martial Law, 1962, Tawan in a time known as the “White Terror.” Fang, falls in love with Zhang, a teacher who shows her book that is otherwise banned. But when he can’t be found one day, she finds a terrifying realm of ghosts and spirits inside the school she loves. An adaption from the video game, DETENTION, John Hsu’s feature film debut, horrors, repression, and, authority. Detention was nominated for 12 at the 56th Golden Horse Awards, where it won five, including Best New Director.
VERTIGO
Seo-Young (Chun Woo-hee of THE WAILING) is doing well in her company but not so well in life. She discovers sudden intense vertigo is taking over her mind. A working-class window-cleaner Kwon-woo literally dangles into view one day and forces her to look at things differently. Writer/director Jeon Gye-soo (2012’s LOVE FICTION), VERTIGO is a romantic melodrama posing sharp questions about class and gender in South Korean corporate culture.
I WEIRDO
What happens when you’re OCD about cleanliness and forced to spend time together in a pandemic? These two lovebirds prove what it’s like to leave the harsh reality of home. I WeirDo, comes as a witty romantic comedy from first-time Taiwanese director Liao Ming-Yi. Winner of 2 awards at the 2020 Udine Far East Film Festival and filmed entirely on an iPhone XS. Did you stock up on masks, HazMat suits, and hand sanitizers? Check out the trailer for I Weirdo.
LIFE: UNTITLED
The lives of female escorts intersect as they wait for calls from their customers. Kana Yamada’s LIFE: UNTITLED – adapted from her own stage play – is a remarkable debut, starring Sairi Ito (ASAKO I & II, THE NAKED DIRECTOR). At once raw, tragic, and lightly comedic, it unfolds as a closed-room drama about the hardships and resilience of a group of young Japanese women whose lives remain to be written. Following in the legacy of the Japanese brothel film – be it Mizoguchi’s STREET OF SHAME or Suzuki’s GATE OF FLESH – Yamada updates the genre for a new generation and from a fresh perspective.
Underground Section
Quebec Premiere
CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER
Wine, jello, and vamps! Oh my! With CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER, legendary underground filmmaker Mickey Reece (STRIKE, DEAR MISTRESS AND CURE HIS HEART) pits two sisters (the unforgettable Mary Buss and Ginger Gilmartin) against each other as they vie for the affections of a man who may or not be a bloodsucking vampire! A film teeming with oddball characters, star swipes, and horrifically appealing jello platters that will leave your mouth watering and your stomach churning. Check out the trailer to Climate of the Hunter.
DON’T TEXT BACK
Also featured in the Underground section, Kaye Adelaide and Mariel Sharp’s playful, hilarious queer horror-comedy short, DON’T TEXT BACK, about a young woman seeking assistance from a dead-pan energy healer in order to rid herself of a cursed necklace she got from a toxic tinder date.
