7 Most Anticipated Films
Fantasia International Film Festival 2023
The 27th Annual Fantasia International Film
Festival is back July 20th – August 9th with quite a
stacked line-up!
Big mainstream debuts will include SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL, TALK
TO ME, APORIA, and SUITABLE FLESH. Plus, a career achievement award for Nicolas
Cage.
But for me, what draws me to Fantasia each year is the
unique storytelling from the smaller, independent films.
Like BOOGER – a film where the main character is bitten by a
cat named Booger and things starts to get stranger every day like her hunger
for canned cat food. Or #MANHOLE – a film about a successful salesman who falls
into a concrete manhole with no way out. Or the world premiere of THE PRIMEVALS,
representing the culmination of a longtime dream harbored by visual effects
wizard David Allen.
Since its beginnings, the vision of Fantasia International
Film Festival has been to explore the diverse realms of genre cinema, creating a
bridge between the cutting edge and the mainstream.
It’s a bridge I like to take my time walking along, soaking
in all the glorious film making. And although my list of films to watch is
extensive, today I’m going to share the 7 films I’m most excited for this year.
LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP
Directed by: Teresa Sutherland
LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP is the hotly anticipated directorial debut of Teresa Sutherland, screenwriter of THE WIND and a writer on MIDNIGHT MASS.
It’s currently being touted as an immersive, fever dream and
I’m all for it.
Synopsis:
Georgina Campbell (BARBARIAN) plays Lennon, a park ranger in
an isolated forest outpost, the site of multiple mysterious disappearances, and
is plagued by visions blending the past and present with something even more
sinister.
MOTHERLAND
Directed by: Park Jae-beom
MOTHERLAND is the first South Korean stop-motion feature film in almost half a century. The stills look stunning and the story a fun, snow packed adventure that will satisfy my inner child.
Synopsis:
When the health of Krisha’s mother takes a turn for the
worse, the village shaman offers her wisdom: follow the North Star to the
Ancient Forest and find its guardian and master, the great red bear of legend.
THE SACRIFICE GAME
Directed by: Jenn Wexler
I rocked out to Jenn Wexler’s THE RANGER at Phoenix Film
Festival in 2018 and I can’t wait to take in her latest punk indie.
Synopsis:
In a girl’s Catholic school in the ’70s, a couple of lonely
misfit girls, Samantha and Clara, must spend their Christmas break in their
near-deserted school with a young teacher named Rose. As they hunker down for
quiet times and turkey, a group of marauding killers set on unleashing
supernatural evil find themselves at the school’s gates.
STAY ONLINE
Directed by: Eva Strelnikova
STAY ONLINE is the heavy hitter on my list but a film I feel
is imperative to watch. It is also the first Ukrainian feature film to have
been shot since the beginning of the ongoing Russian invasion.
Synopsis:
While using a laptop donated to the resistance, Katya, comes
into contact with the original owner’s superhero-obsessed son, who is looking
for his lost parents. In an effort to make a positive change in this boy’s life
and pull herself out of a destructive cycle, Katya risks all that she holds
dear to locate his parents.
IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN
Directed by: Kenneth Dagatan
I LOVE fairy tales and folklore so I’m anxiously awaiting the
screening of IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN.
Synopsis:
A Filipino folk-horror fairy tale set in a time of perfidy,
dread, and desolation - during the final days of the Second World War, the
young Tala discovers something otherworldly in the woods.
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
Directed by: Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes
Let’s face it, journalism, especially broadcast news
journalism, is at a tipping point today. The LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL looks to
be a nice reprieve from our current outlook and an interesting found-footage
film.
Synopsis:
David Dastmalchian (SUICIDE SQUAD) headlines this innovative
and nightmarish horror treat in which a live television broadcast in 1977 goes
horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.
PERPETRATOR
Directed by: Jennifer Reeder
I showcased Jennifer Reeder’s KNIVES AND SKIN during our
local Women in Horror Month screenings in 2019 and it was mesmerizing. There’s
no way I’m going to miss out on her latest entry in genre filmmaking.
Synopsis:
Jonny Baptiste is a reckless teen sent to live with her
estranged Aunt Hildie. On the event of her 18th birthday, she experiences a
radical metamorphosis: a family spell that redefines her called - Forevering.
When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny
goes after the Perpetrator.
Watch for my reviews and possible director interviews from July 20th - Aug. 9th!
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