Horror, fantasy, Hong Kong action, animation, gored up sci-fi, gratuitous nudie shots, outrageous B-movies, name your non-PG genre and chances are Fantasia has it covered in its programming, particularly Asian films which make up almost half of every year's selection. Click here for a preview of Fantasia's 2009 lineup, running from July 9 to July 29.
Claiming to be the largest genre film festival in North America, Fantasia is usually featured every July in Montreal and is packed with Canadian, North American and worldwide feature-length premieres as well as shorts. Features screened at past editions include:
- Le Grand Chef
- Phantasm IV
- No Mercy for the Rude
- The Eye II
- Bon Cop Bad Cop
- Tamala
- Necromancer
- Drunken Master II
Fantasia also has special guests at every edition, with notables including director John Carpenter, Lars Von Trier's fetish actor Udo Kier and A Clockwork Orange's poster boy Malcolm McDowell.
Fantasia Under the Stars
A chance to watch kitsch flicks and films from previous editions of the festival, Fantasia Under the Stars' outdoor screenings were added in 2006, featuring, among others, Kamikaze Girls and Attack the Gas Station.
Concordia University: Fantasia Headquarters
All films, except for those that are part of Fantasia Under the Stars, are screened at Concordia University's Hall Theatre and J.A. De Sève Cinema. Easily accessible by public transit, just get off at Guy-Concordia Metro and take the Guy exit (not the St. Mathieu exit, check for the signs on the subway platform as soon as you get out of the subway car). Take a right as soon as you leave the subway station and look for a big pink building and another big building across the street, both on De Maisonneuve. You can't miss them and if you get lost in either building, just ask security for directions.
For more information, consult Fantasia Film Festival's website.
