10 Movies We’re Looking forward to this Year as Fantasia International Film Festival Approaches 25 Years

Montréal, Quebec is one of my favorite cities on the globe, and it’s a pleasure to be chosen to cover Fantasia International Film Festival in its 25th year this summer. Heralded as one of the largest (or the largest!) genre festival, it’s a pleasure to be invited and I’m looking forward to bringing the best the festival has to offer to The Movie Buff’s readers and audience. 

Also, as an American who has unfortunately not been able to visit Canada since the Covid-19 pandemic began, it’s also a great opportunity to be able to visit (at least virtually) one of its most beautiful cities to explore genre films in all their wonder. 

The 25th Fantasia International Film Festival takes place the month of August, starting on August 5th and going until August 25th. And, following suit of the recent Tribeca Festival in New York City, Fantasia will take place mostly virtually, with some of the festival’s screenings taking place in select theaters. 

Tickets for Fantasia went on sale on July 23rd on their website at www.fantasiafestival.com. Fantasia allows interested persons to either buy tickets to individual films, or to purchase the ‘Festival Passport,’ which will give access to all of the festival screenings in the online/virtual program. (*Note: the passport is only available to users residing in Canada). Also, for in-person screenings, viewers will be asked to buy individual tickets.  

In preparation for the festival, below we list our top 10 most anticipated films of the festival, films we hope you’ll be interested in seeing too. Follow The Movie Buff for continuous coverage of Fantasia during its run, including reviews of both the feature-length and short program, interviews, capsule reviews, and more. 

1. ‘Baby, Don’t Cry’ 

Director: Jesse Dvorak
Cast: Zita Bai, Boni Mata, Vas Provatakis, Helen Sun

They had me at John Hughes. Billing “Baby, Don’t Cry” as a fantasy/coming-of-age teen romance, the film looks like a win and one we are definitely looking forward to. Mixing elements of romance, indie filmmaking, and fantasy, this looks likes a film to see, not least of all of because one of its leads (Zita Bai) wrote, designed, and stars in this film. The film looks to have that indie/raw feeling which usually leads to some of my favorite movies, and “Baby, Don’t Cry” will hopefully be no exception. 

2. ‘Georama Boy, Panorama Girl’ 

Director: Natsuki Seta
Cast: Anna Yamada, Jin Suzuki, Erika Takizawa

I’ve always felt that powerful, dramatic cinema—especially in coming-of-age stories—is one of the best cinematic tools at filmmakers’ disposal, and it appears that “Georama Boy, Panorama Girl” is no exception. The film, which was the ‘Official Selection’ of the Hawaii International Film Festival (2020) and Bucheon International Fantastic Short Film Festival (2020) seeks to mix drama, romance, a bit of the horrific, and the inclusion of a sex worker as a love interest. This angle was handled to perfection in Rob Levy’s “LIVELove,” and I’m eager to see what Natsuki Seta does here. 

3. ‘Glasshouse’

Director: Kelsey Egan
Cast: Jessica Alexander, Adrienne Pearce, Hilton Pelser, Anja Taljaard, Brent Vermuelen 

The South African film “Glasshouse” looks to be an intriguing entry. A straight sci-fi/thriller, the film has all the pieces that makes an enticing story audiences yearn for. It has elements of dystopia—a memory-wasting toxin spreads through South Africa here—while a stranger infiltrates a sheltered family unit. Several films come to mind, such as “10 Cloverfield Lane,” “A Quiet Place,” and “Blindness,” and we can’t wait to see how “Glasshouse” weaves its story. 

4. ‘Follow the Light’ 

Director: Youchi Narita
Cast: Tsubasa Nakagawa, Itsuki Nagasawa, Rina Ikoma, Taro Suruga, Toshiro Yanagiba

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear ‘crop circle’ is M. Night Shayamalan’s “Signs,” but “Follow the Light” promises to be anything but. That movie was a supernatural thriller; but here what we have is a coming-of-age story wrapped in a village in a Japanese countryside that has promise. Another gem to look forward to is that this is Director Narita’s debut film (writing and directing); first-time filmmakers have that raw, personal feeling that make for some of the best cinema. 

5. ‘Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break’ 

Director: Nick Gillespie
Cast: Mandeep Dhillon, Alice Lowe, Kris Marshall, Tom Meeten, Katherine Parkinson 

Daniel Prinn of The Movie Buff covered “Paul Dood’s Lunch Break” for the recent SXSW festival, calling it a ‘hilarious and gory revenge tale,’ and is certainly a film that should be seen by all. It’s an action/thriller detailing one man’s quest to get to an audition and the various purveyors of misery destined to stop him—until he snaps. Think “Falling Down,” but less social commentary and more crowd-pleasing horror. The film is sure to entertain, and we urge everyone to check it out. 

6. ‘Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist’ 

Director: Pascal-Alex Vincent
Cast: Mamoru Hosoda, Taro Maki, Rodney Rothman, Aya Suzuki

Documentaries can be the heart of any festival, and “Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist” is no exception. The film takes a look at the life of Satoshi Kon, a Japanese animator and anime artist. Kon, who toyed with truth and illusion is a spirit of renown to the Japanese anime community, and the film was recently nominated for a ‘Golden Eye’ award at Cannes Film Festival (2021). It’s definitely one we want to check out, and we hope you do too. It should please lovers of anime, or really anyone who likes a good documentary or animation. 

7. ‘Hand Rolled Cigarettes’

Director: Kin Long Chan
Cast: Bipin Karma, Ka Tung Lam

This one looks good. Drama is my favorite genre (aside from my penchant for horror) and the actions of those on the criminal underbelly of society can sometimes have the strongest impact. “Hand Rolled Cigarettes” promises to be such a film. It deals with a petty crook who must discover where his loyalties lie, and includes themes such as a society who abandons its less desirables (IMDb). The film is also interesting for another aspect: Director Kin Long Chan, has previously been an actor with seven credits to his name. It’s interesting to see actors step on the other side of the camera, and we can’t wait for this one. 

8. ‘The Righteous’ 

Director: Mark O’Brien
Cast: Henry Czerny, Mimi Kuzyk, Mark O’Brien

There’s not a lot of information given so far for Writer/Director Mark O’Brien’s “The Righteous,” but we’re stoked for it just the same. It deals with a vengeful god, a mysterious stranger, and even hints at the occult (IMDb). Films dealing with gods, priests, and the occult have fascinated us ever since “The Exorcist,” and probably before. It also helps that Director O’Brien recently played the conniving ‘Alex’ in the 2019 horror/comedy “Ready of Not.” We hope that his taste in horror will translate here to an interesting and unnerving piece at Fantasia. “The Righteous” will defiantly be one that we will be checking out. 

9. ‘Under the Open Sky’ 

Director: Miwa Nishikawa
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Meiko Kaji, Taiga Nakano

“Under the Open Sky” looks like a great drama, and, given its description, an apt title as well. While reverence towards mafia/gang types (or or glorification of ‘snitches’) are usual tropes in Hollywood cinema, less is shown about repentant mob-types who regret what they have done and are seeking absolution. This film, by Writer/Director Miwa Nishikawa is one of my most anticipated films of the festival. The lead character is also looking for his mother whom he was separated from as a child, and seems rife with purpose and insight. All-in-all, a highly-touted drama getting its Quebec premiere at Fantasia. 

10. ‘King Car’ 

Director: Renata Pinheiro
Cast: Jules Elthing, Matheus Nachtergaele, Luciano Pedro Jr, Clara Pinheiro

Okay, so this sci/fi film “King Car” looks like something that is right up our alley. Cinema has been fascinated with cars since as long as I can remember. “Christine” and “Joy Ride” played to our nightmares, while the “Transformers” series played to our childhood. “King Car,” the Portuguese language film by Renata Pinheiro and Screenwriter Sérgio Oliviera—about the son of a taxi man who has the ability to talk to cars in a machine apocalypse—has our attention. Will this film be like “Christine?” Will it be like “The Terminator?” Or is this apocalyptic film its own beast? We can’t wait and see, and hope you will join us.