Strasbourg 2013: What's Fantastic In Europe?

The 6th Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival opens on 13 September with a 10-day panorama of the latest in fantastic cinema productions, thrillers, revivals, competitions, and plenty of side events to enjoy. This year, as always, the Festival proposes an eclectic programme of auteur, classic and exploitation genre films; documentaries; and heritage revivals, to name but a few of the diverse choices that draw a wide range of viewers. 

The Festival is pleased to announce that Lucky McKee is returning as president of the jury and to present the European première of his latest film, All Cheerleaders Die - a fast-paced and sexy horror film, co-directed with Chris Sivertson. Lucky attended the festival in 2011 as director of The Woman, which won the Grand Prix. Other jury members include: Carlos Areces, Spanish actor (I'm So Excited, The Last Circus); Julien Gester, film critic for the French daily Libération, journalist and musician; Tomas Lemarquis, Franco-Icelandic actor (Painless, The House of Nina, Errors of the Human Body); and Travis Stevens CEO of Snowfort Pictures (Big Ass Spider, Jodorowsky's Dune, Cheap Thrills, The Agression Scale). 

The Festival welcomes New Zealand, Philippines and Paraguay in the lineup for the first time, contributing films that have a very distinct flavor, and which bear the indelible mark of their cultures. This year also marks the Festival's foray into transmedia story telling, as offered by the Dutch horror film App, the first film in the world to enhance the big screen with second-screen content, pre-downloaded on viewers' smart phones. 

Two anniversaries will be celebrated this year: King Kong's 80th in the Monkey Business revival (12 35mm films) and Peter Cushing's centenary, with the maniacal Corruption, recently rediscovered in the Sony Pictures vault. Viewers will also discover the rare films of El Santo, an authentic Mexican folk hero and legendary luchador enmáscarado or masked wrestler, who made 52 superhero genre films in his career.

 Eric Powell, author of The Goon comic book series will be on hand for a book signing and discussion on the occasion of an exhibition of his original plates and Michel Landi, poster artist, will be present at an exhibition of his posters and to talk about his career as a poster artist from the early 1960s to the end of the last century. 

Opening and Closing Films 

We Are What We Are US, 2013, Jim Mickle 

Machete Kills US, 2013, Robert Rodriguez, EUROPEAN PREMIÈRE 

International Competition 

APP Netherlands, 2013, Bobby Boerman FRENCH PREMIÈRE

Bad Milo! US, 2013, Jacob Vaughan FRENCH PREMIÈRE 

Big Bad Wolves Israel, 2013, Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshales 

Borgman Netherlands, 2013, Alex van Warmerdam 

Dark Touch France-Ireland-Sweden, 2013, Marina de Van 

For Those in Peril UK, 2013, Paul Wright In Fear UK, 2012, Jeremy Lovering

Kiss of the Damned US, 2012, Xan Cassavetes

Love Eternal Ireland-Luxemburg-Netherlands-Japan, 2013, Brendon Muldowny 

The Returned 2012, Spain-Canada, Manuel Carballo 

The Station Austria, 2013 Marvin Kren 

Uma Historia de Amor e Furia Rio 2096 - A Story of Love and Fury Brazil 2013, Luiz Bolognesi  

Upstream Color US, 2013, Shane Carruth 

Crossovers 

7 Boxes Paraguy, 2012, Jan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori

Cheap Thrills US, 2013, E. L. Katz 

Graceland Philippines-Canada, 2012 Ron Morales

Our Heroes Died Tonight France, 2013, David Perrault

Proxy US, 2013, Zack Parker 

Tore Tanzt (Nothing Bad Can Happen) Germany, 2013, Katrin Gebbe 

Wrong Cops US-France, 2013, Quentin Dupieux 

Midnight Movies 

The Battery US 2012, Jeremy Gardner 

Big Ass Spider US, 2013, Mike Mendez 

Frankenstein's Army Netherlands, 2013, Richard Raaphorst 

Fresh Meat New Zealand, 2012, Danny Muheron 

Go Goa Gone India, 2013, Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK 

Tik Tik: The Aswang Chronicles Philippines, 2012, Erik Matti 

V/H/S 2 US, Canada 2012, Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez, Greg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, Jason Eisener

Documentary Films 

I Am Divine Jeffrey Schwarz 

El Hombre detras de la Mascara (The Man Behind the Mask) Gabriela Obregon

Journey to Planet X (shown with We Will Live Again) US, 2012, Josh Koury 

Rewind This US, 2013, Josh Johnson 

We Will Live Again US, 2012, Myles Kane and Josh Koury

Special Screenings 

All Cheerleaders Die US, 2013, Lucky McKee

Static US, 2012, Todd Levin 

Cinema For The Young 

A Letter to Momo Japan, 2012, Hiroyuki Okiura 

Room on the Broom UK, 2012, Alicja Jaworski, Nils Skapans 

Monkey Business Revival 

King Kong 1933, USA, 35mm, Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack 

Mighty Joe Young 1949, USA, 35mm, Ernest B. Schoedsack 

Gorilla at Large 1954, USA, 35mm, Harmon Jones 

Konga 1961, UK, 35mm, John Lemont 

King Kong 1976, USA, 35mm, John Guillermin 

The Mighty Peking Man 1977, Hong Kong, 35mm, Ho Meng Hua

King Kong Lives (King Kong II) 1986, USA, 35mm, John Guillermin 

Link 1986, UK, 35mm, Richard Franklin 

Monkey Shines 1988, USA, 35mm, George Romero 

King Kong 2005, USA-New Zealand, 35mm, Peter Jackson 

El Santo Retrospective

Santo vs. the Vampire Women 1962, Mexico, Alfonso Corona Blake 

Santo vs. the Martians Invasion 1967, Mexico, 35mm, Alfredo B. Crevenna 

Peter Cushing Centenary 

Corruption 1968, UK, Robert Hartford-Davis