The continent’s biggest and best genre festival is back and this year’s edition of the Fantasia Film Festival looks to be a particularly rocking affair.
The fest – which runs July 18 to Aug. 6 – will close with the Canadian premiere of British filmmaker Edgar Wright’s apocalyptic comedy (eds. note: Not another one!) The World’s End. It stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike and Martin Freeman. Wright has a history with the fest – his 2004 debut Shawn of the Dead had its Canadian premiere at the fest and his previous film, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World also played Fantasia.
There will also be a three-night run of Title 66 Productions’ adaptation of Clive Barker’s play A HIistory of the Devil, which spans thousands of years over its three-hour running time. That’s Aug. 1,2 and 3 at the Cinquieme Salle of Place des Arts.
Also on the spicy menu is James Wan’s The Conjuring, the latest from the director of Insidious and Saw. It stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Joey King. The fest’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Polish auteur Andrzej Zulawski, who has directed Possession, La Femme Publique and L’Amour Braque. He will be given the award July 25 at a special screening of Szamanka.
And there’s lots more. Like the world premiere of Canadian director Richie Mehta’s I’ll Follow You Down, starring Haley Joel Osment and Gillian Anderson. Mehta is the director of the Genie-nominated Amal. There’s also American director Sebastian Silva’s Magic Magic, with Juno Temple and Michael Cera in a Polanski-esque thriller.
Last but not least comic Bobcat Goldthwait will be in town to present his latest film, Willow Creek.
And this is being billed as only the first wave of announcements. So stay tuned!
