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Continuing a cherished festival tradition, an army of gifted filmmakers from all corners of the globe will be landing in Montreal to unveil their latest works at Fantasia. Each guest will introduce their film and hold a Q&A session after its screening, erradicating all barriers between artist and audience.
July 7th, 2005
The festival will start in a big way on July 7, 2005 as we salute the genius of South Korean auteur Seung-wan Ryoo with the Canadian Premiere of his masterful boxing drama Crying Fist, starring Oldboy's Choi Min-sik. Crying Fist was recently shown at the Quinzaine des réalisateurs at Cannes 2005 and won an award from the Fédération de la presse cinématographique. Fantasia has been screening Ryoo's features since his debut in 2000, and we are extremely happy to be the site where his most celebrated work to date will have its first Canadian screening.
July 8th, 2005
On July 8, the Japanese director and screenwriter Masaaki Yuasa, whose experimental Nekojiro-so / Cat Soup was a big success at Fantasia 2001, will present his hallucinatory animated masterpiece Mind Game. No words can even begin to set you up for this one.
Montreal maverick Jesse Heffring will host the Canadian Premiere of his mini DV experimental thriller Sigma. This atypical film has just been picked up for US distribution by The Dinsdale Group, the daredevil distributor who recently unleashed Jim Van Bebber's The Manson Family to cinemas across North America.
July 9th, 2005
Tim Sullivan, US screenwriter and director of the outrageous 2001 Maniacs, will be in attendance for the film's Canadian premiere on July 9. Joining him will be actors Christa Campbell and Dylan Edrington.
July11th, 2005
Screenwriter and director Jeff Burr, well-known amongst genre fans for such features as Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and The Offspring, will introduce the Canadian premiere of his poetic and unconventional World War II film Straight Into Darkness on July 11.
Numerous special guests from far-away lands will be here on July 11 for the International DIY short film block, a showcase of no budget, super indie bursts of ingenuity from around the world. André Kapel, one of Brazil's top FX artists, will be on stage to host the international premiere of his gore-soaked directorial debut, 06 Tiros, 60 ml. France's Fabrice Lambot will host the world Premiere screening of his grisly policier Le Sang Du Chatiment.Representing the American new blood, US directors Josh Townsend and Christian Ray will be here to host their shorts Loyalty and Graveless...the former of which actually managed to get a student-run short film festival shut down by its venue's administration!
July12th, 2005
On July 12, producer Clark Balderson and actress Selene Luna will host the Canadian premiere of the acclaimed experimental Noir Firecracker, winner of the Jury Prize, Best Actress (Karen Black) at the 2005 Fantasporto film festival.
July 13th, 2005
On Jul 13, Co-director Buranee Rachjaibun will host the North American Premiere of his disturbing Thaï true-crime feature Zee Oui, a film that is most definitely not for the faint of heart.
July 14th, 2005
July 14 is the day you will encounter the most powerful Canadian horror film in years, The Dark Hours. This special advance screening, many months before its fall theatrical release, will be hosted by director, Paul Fox, producer, Brent Barclay, screenwriter, Wil Zmak and lead Actors Kate Greenhouse & Aidan Devine. The Dark Hours recently won the public's prize for Best feature at Scotland's Dead By Dawn film festival, and was a knockout hit at The Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival.
July 15th, 2005
On July 15, Joe Coleman, notorious, visionary painter and performance artist, widely hailed as this era’s Salvador Dali, will be making his first-ever Montreal appearance to present a special two-hour midnight multimedia show entitled Retinal Stigmatics: An Evening with Joe Coleman. Don't miss this special chance to explore the shattering universe of one of the greatest living surrealists with the artist performing live spoken word, projecting images of paintings shot on an animation stand and screening rare intense footage!
July 16 - July 17, 2005
Esteemed comic-book artist and film journalist Stephen R. Bissette will be in town to host a pair of slideshow lectures on the early history of horror comics, entitled Stephen R. Bissette’s Journeys Into Fear. These unique lectures will be held in two parts: The first will be on July 16, the second on the following day, July 17.
The North American premiere of L’étrange portrait de la dame en jaune, part of the short-film showcase Small Gauge Trauma 2005 screening on July 16, will be introduced by the multiple-award-winning Belgian co-directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. On this same block, actress Laura Leigh Hofrichter will host the Canadian Premiere of BC Furtney's infamous pleasure / pain satire, Disposer. Rounding things off, Christian Viel will present a special preview of John Fallon's recently lensed Pain Killer. Sorry kids, Adults Only on this one!
July 20th, 2005
On July 20, Writer / Director Ti West, will introduce the Canadian premiere of his gritty horror aria The Roost, a huge hit at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival. West will be joined by producer Larry Fessenden, who previously visited Fantasia with his extraordinary films Habit and Wendigo.
July 21st, 2005
On July 21, Belgian screenwriter and director Harry Cleven will host the North American premiere of his existential horror film Trouble, winner of the Grand Jury Prize of the Fantastic Film Festival of Gerardmer.
July 22nd, 2005
On July 22, Lloyd Kaufman, beloved American independent and father of Tromaville will hold a master class on the ins and outs of indie filmmaking titled How to Make Your Own Damn Movie. This evening of edgy education will conclude with a screening of the film that started it all, The Toxic Avenger!
July 23rd, 2005
July 23 marks the world premiere of Shadow: Dead Riot, legendary HK cinematographer Derek Wan's directorial debut. Producer Carl Morano and the screenwriter Michael Gingold will be on hand to unveil this insane ode to early 80's zombie / women's prison films.
July 24th, 2005
For the first time in Fantasia's history, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to an international genre-cinema craftsman. The first laureate is Ray Harryhausen. On July 24, Mr. Harryhausen will hold forth on his career and present a few of his rare early works, followed by a screening of Jason and the Argonauts in a new 35mm print, and concluded by a Q&A period. Three hours with the stop-motion master, whose special effects inspired the likes of James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
July 25th, 2005
Finally, on July 25th, Singapore director Tzang Merwyn Tong will present the Canadian premiere of A Wicked Tale, winner of the Gold Remi Award at the WorldFest of the Houston International Film Festival.
MORE GUESTS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!
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