The Fantasia International Film Festival is celebrating its 28th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning to the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montréal’s Cinémathèque Québécoise, Cinéma du Musée, Théâtre Plaza, and BBAM! Gallery.

The festival’s complete lineup includes over 125 features and 200+ shorts!

Highlights

MY FIRST FANTASIA

Fantasia International Film FestivalFantasia’s English language block of shorts programmed for children. With these films from Canada, China, South Korea, United States, Nicaragua and Taiwan, laughter, magic, poetry, music and adventure await you. The works in this programme are either English language or contain no spoken dialogue.

Afternoon Tea Chez Mrs. Pillbug (Canada, dir. Plinko, World Premiere)
Bunny of the Magic Forest from the film Synapusyu The Movie: Pusyu, Brand Nyu World (Japan, dir. Yuichiro Natori, International Premiere)
Eyes (South Korea, Choi Yoojae & Nam Hyokyoung, Canadian Premiere)
Fish out of Town (United States, Sofia Garza-Barba, International Premiere)
Gaomei Fantasy (Taiwan, Juo Wen-Chin, Canadian Premiere)
Ice Cream Fairies (South Korea, Im Eun, World Premiere)
On The Dock (Canada, Francis Garceau, World Premiere)
Planet Sky Lion from the film Synapusyu The Movie: Pusyu, Brand Nyu World (Japan, dir. Takaharu Shimizu, International Premiere)
Scoumoune (Canada, Coralie Joubert, World Premiere)
Vertiente de Agua Tibia (Canada / Nicaragua, Camilo Mangas Calderón, Canadian Premiere)
Weird Relationship, The (South Korea, Nam Yejin, World Premiere)

OPENING FILM: ANT TIMPSON’S BOOKWORM, STARRING ELIJAH WOOD AND NELL FISHER

Fantasia’s 28th edition will open with a joyride into the wild, celebrating the World Premiere of Ant Timpson’s moving and hilarious BOOKWORM. Reuniting the celebrated New Zealand filmmaker with his COME TO DADDY star Elijah Wood (Showtime’s Yellowjackets) – who matches through-the-roof comic chemistry of gifted his young co-star Nell Fisher (EVIL DEAD RISE) – BOOKWORM is as entertaining as it is richly cinematic. Mildred (Fisher), a precocious eleven-year-old bookworm, escapes her humdrum existence by immersing herself in novels where literary adventures abound, with a long-dreamed quest to capture proof of a mythological beast known as The Canterbury Panther. When an unusual accident occurs, Mildred’s long absent father Strawn Wise (Wood), a washed-up illusionist, flies to New Zealand to look after a daughter he’s never met. When they agree to go camping despite neither being the outdoorsy type, this ultimate test in family bonding leads the duo on a string of increasingly absurd and treacherous adventures. World Premiere.

CANNES SENSATION THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO COMES TO CONQUER NORTH AMERICA

THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTOFresh off a spectacular Cannes World Premiere that ended in a near-12-minute standing ovation, Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s 1815-set blockbuster epic THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO will be coming to Fantasia for its International bow. Created by Alexandre Dumas in the mid-19th century, Edmond Dantès is one of the most celebrated characters in French literature, and the story of his retribution has left its mark on popular culture around the world—the similarities between Bruce Wayne and the wrongly imprisoned, revenge-minded Dantès are obvious. This new film adaptation subtly reappropriates that influence, hinting at the tropes and trappings of the modern superhero film while retaining the classicism of the work through grandiose art direction. Pierre Niney (YVES SAINT LAURENT) shines in the title role as he expresses the stages of Dantès’s evolution into Monte-Cristo with exemplary sobriety and spellbinding charisma. Also starring Bastien Bouillon (THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH), Anaïs Demoustier (INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE), Anamaria Vartolomei (HAPPENING), and Laurent Lafitte (ELLE). International Premiere.

4PM CHALLENGES HUMAN NATURE IN UNCOMFORTABLE WAYS

4PMInspired by the book “The Stranger Next Door” from critically acclaimed Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb, 4PM is a riveting psychological thriller from director Jay Song (THE NIGHTMARE) drenched in silent tension. Jeong-in (OLDBOY’s Oh Dal-su), is taking a break from his life as a teacher in his new countryside house when a written invitation to a neighbor (Jang Yeong-nam, PROJECT WOLF HUNTING) turns into a nightmare of excruciatingly awkward visits every day at 4PM. This character joust is one to remember – and its countless twists will force any audience member to ask themselves how they would handle the same wild situation. North American Premiere.

CLASSICAL CHINESE ARTS MEET MODERN ANIMATION IN THE UMBRELLA FAIRY

THE UMBRELLA FAIRYAll things possess spirits capable of transforming into fairies, which carry the owners’ desires. One single piece of jade is used to create both an umbrella and a sword, but from the very beginning, the fairies Qingdai and Wanggui are destined for different missions. A brand-new, top-tier work of Chinese animation, THE UMBRELLA FAIRY marks the feature-length directorial debut of Shen Jie, art director on MR. MIAO (2020). Incorporating numerous elements of traditional Chinese arts and culture to achieve a distinctive charm and vitality, the film offers its audience a visual feast of rare richness to complement its engaging fantasy fable. Animation Plus Section. International Premiere.

JACKIE CHAN AND RUMBLE IN THE BRONX DIRECTOR REUNITE FOR A LEGEND

A LEGENDAfter one hundred films, Jackie Chan shows no signs of stopping in this lavish kung fu epic filled with high production values and a massive cast. Chan reunites here with his frequent collaborator Stanley Tong to create a follow-up to their 2005 classic THE MYTH. The two most famously worked together on the iconic action classics POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP and RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, both of which became massive breakout hits for Chan in North America. In A LEGEND, Chan portrays a professor whose dreams of his past life as soldier in old China are haunting him, causing complications in the present day as he rediscovers more of his colorful past. North American Premiere.

OUT OF THE SHADOW (Hong Kong) – dir. Ricky Ko

OUT OF THE SHADOWA rejuvenated ode to both THE KARATE KID and the action heroines of Hong Kong’s Golden Age, the latest from director Ricky Ko after his award-winning TIME (Fantasia 2021) once again beautifully combines nostalgia and modernity with a potent mix of martial arts, humor, sweetness, and compelling characters. Official Selection: Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024. North American Premiere.

OFFICIAL CLOSING FILM + PRIX DENIS-HÉROUX: ANDRÉ FORCIER’S ABABOUINÉ

ABABOUINÉABABOUINÉ takes us back to the 1950s, when the Catholic Church ruled over Quebec with an iron fist, and as a rowdy group of kids goes to war against the church. In his latest masterpiece, André Forcier (AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE, A WIND FROM WYOMING) revisits a dark period of Quebec’s history through an often shocking – yet undeniably and absurdly funny – lens. Starring Rémy Girard (THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS, THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE), Gaston Lepage (JESUS OF MONTRÉAL), Pascale Montpetit (DISTRICT 31), Éric Bruneau (AN EYE FOR BEAUTY), and Mylène Mackay (NELLY), the film brings together an incredible cast of some of the province’s most established actors alongside its most talented newcomers. With a deft hand, Forcier navigates the historical abuses of the church and the hope of a society on the brink of change – with sensitivity, humour, and quite literally, a lot of heart. World Premiere.

Few directors can boast having created a fantastic universe of rare consistency over more than 50 years. André Forcier’s work is firmly rooted in magic realism with its elements of fantasy, and yet it is grounded in a very Quebec reality. He has transformed our distinct language into a filmic language that is sometimes crude but always poetic. André Forcier’s work is unique and immense, and Fantasia is very proud to present him with the Prix Denis-Héroux, the festival’s award bestowed for exceptional contribution to the development of Quebec genre cinema.

For the full list of films and events, visit: www.fantasiafestival.com