Fantasia 2021: Final Wave Announced, Takashi Miike's THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS to Close The Fest

Editor, News; Toronto, Canada (@Mack_SAnarchy)
Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more good news than what we've seen already from our friends at Fantasia they've gone and done this - they've programmed Takashi Miike's The Great Yokai War - Guardians to be their closing night film. 
 
That's not all. They've also got the haunted underwater house flick The Deep House from those fine French lads Alexandre Bustilll and Julien Maury. The critics jury winning film from Neuchâtel, The Feast, is coming. The level of violence in Taiwanese pandemic horror film The Sadness looks off the charts. There will HD restorations of The Funky Forest: First Contact and The Warped Forest playing during the festival. Neil Maskell (Kill List, Utopia) is scary on a good day. Now imagine him in a revenge thriller that plays out like a horror flick in Bull. Yeah. And I'm always on the look out for new LatAm titles so I'll be eager to check out The 3rd Day from Daniel de la Vega and Argentine production house, Del Toro Films. Plug!
 
There is a massive list of titles below the announcement and an equally big gallery further down. It's wealth of information to get through and worthy of an offering to the festival gods. 
 
FANTASIA 2021 TO CLOSE WITH TAKASHI MIIKE’S THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS AND PRESENT CAREER AWARDS TO SHUNJI IWAI AND PHIL TIPPETT FOR UPCOMING 25TH EDITION 
 
Lee Won-tae’s THE DEVIL’S DEAL, Paul Andrew Williams’ BULL, Vincent Grashaw’s WHAT JOSIAH SAW, Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji’s THE DEER KING, Rob Jabbaz’s THE SADNESS, and Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury’s THE DEEP HOUSE are among the wealth of final titles announced 
 
21 July 2021 // Montreal, Quebec – The Fantasia International Film Festival announces a massive new assortment of feature films for its 25th edition, along with details on scheduled panels, talks, tributes, special events, and our esteemed juries. On top of our impressive virtual slate of films, all geo-locked to Canada, and in addition to our globally accessible streamed events, the upcoming festival will also feature a limited number of in-person screenings in Montreal. 
 
Fantasia begins August 5th with the World Premiere of Quebec zombie feature BRAIN FREEZE— following the August 4th special event screening of James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD in celebration of the festival— and ends on August 25th with newly announced closing film, Takashi Miike’s hotly-anticipated THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS. 
 
ADDITIONAL THIRD WAVE TITLES 
 
COMING HOME IN THE DARK 
New Zealand – Dir. James Ashcroft 
This extraordinary neo-noir is a blisteringly tense road movie into hell that plays like a home-invasion thriller set largely in a moving car. Based on the 1995 short story by award-winning New Zealand author Owen Marshall, described by David Hill as “one of the most harrowing narratives in our literature.” Official Selection: Sundance 2021, Calgary Underground Film Festival 2021. QUEBEC PREMIERE. 
 
THE FEAST 
UK – Dir. Lee Haven Jones 
Shot entirely in the Welsh language and crafted with intelligence and cruelty, THE FEAST plays like a modern fairy tale for greed-fueled end-times. It’s a striking feature debut from BAFTA-winning director Lee Haven Jones (35 DAYS, DOCTOR WHO) dripping with atmosphere, this grotesque shocker is a standout in cinema’s current folk horror revival. Official Selection: SXSW 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE. 
 
FIGHTER 
South Korea – Dir. Jéro Yun 
Life is a constant struggle for Jina, a North Korean refugee, but she finds her path in boxing. Director Jéro Yun judiciously uses close-up shots highlighting the glances and silences that say much more than words, thanks to near-surgical editing, displaying a transcendent presence by actress Lim Seong-mi. Official Selection: Berlinale 2021, Busan International Film Festival 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE
 
HAND ROLLED CIGARETTE 
Hong Kong, Dir. Chan Kin-Long 
Triad intrigue involving turtles, smuggled drugs, and instant noodles in the underbelly of neon HK in this refreshing film noir action that recently won the White Mulberry Award for best debut feature at the Udine Far East Film Festival. CANADIAN PREMIERE 
 
JOSEE 
South Korea – Dir. Kim Jeong-kwan 
After an incident that leaves her electric wheelchair disabled, Josée is rescued by Young-seok, who she then brings in to discover her unique imaginary world. A beautiful, moving, charming, and visually polished film by Kim Jeong-kwan faithfully adapted from the popular novel Josee, the Tiger and the Fish. Official Selection: Busan International Film Festival 2021. 
 
ONE SECOND CHAMPION 
Hong Kong – Dir. Chiu Sin-Hang 
With the power to see one second into the future, loser Chow becomes a winner in the ring. It’s ROCKY with a high concept and loaded with more humor and high-pressure fun— Hong Kong style, from one of the directors of Fantasia 2017’s VAMPIRE CLEANUP DEPARTMENT. Official Selection: Udine Far East Film Festival 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE. 
 
OPÉRATION LUCHADOR 
Québec – dir. Alain Vézina 
Mexican wrestler L’Ange Doré is back, and he's confronting the dark designs of the Third Reich. Film teacher and documentarian Alain Vézina (LES SOEURS DE NAGASAKI, 2018) embraces the mockumentary genre wholeheartedly with his latest joyous delirium. NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE. 
 
SEOBOK 
South Korea – Dir. Lee Yong-joo 
A former secret service agent (GongYoo, TRAIN TO BUSAN) struggling with a brain tumor must return to duty for a mission of the utmost importance: protecting Seobok (Park Bo-gum, COIN LOCKER GIRL), the first human clone who has unnatural powers. Few mainstream films integrate ethical reflection with breathtaking, high-octane entertainment to this incredible extent. CANADIAN PREMIERE. 
 
SWEETIE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT 
Kazakhstan – Dir. Yernar Nurgaliyev 
Seasoned Kazakh comedy director Yernar Nurgaliyev plunges into horror-comedy for the first time, serving us a fresh, dynamic mix of genres while spicing it with Kazakh flair in this award-winning film. Imagine TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE meets THE HANGOVER. CANADIAN PREMIERE. 
 
UNDER THE OPEN SKY 
Japan – Dir. Miwa Nishikawa 
A former driver for the yakuza has just spent 13 years behind bars. Determined to reintegrate into society, he discovers a hostile and changing Japan that he struggles to recognize. Miwa Nishikawa's (THE LONG EXCUSE) gripping UNDER THE OPEN SKY features Koji Yakusho (TOKYO SONATA) in one of his most moving roles. Official Selection: TIFF 2020. QUEBEC PREMIERE. 
 
WILD MEN 
Denmark – Dir. Thomas Daneskov 
Armed only with a bow and an ensemble of animal skins, Martin (Rasmus Bjerg, ALL FOR ONE) sets off into the forest in a misguided attempt to overcome his midlife crisis. A chance
meeting with a fugitive named Musa (Zaki Youssef, SONS OF DENMARK) leads to a twisted trip through the fjords with police, drug runners, and Martin’s family not far behind. Those who have any doubt that the funniest movies being made today come from Denmark need not look any further. Official Selection: Tribeca 2021. CANADIAN PREMIERE. 
 
FANTASIA RETRO PRESENTS A PACK OF RESTORATION PREMIERES In addition to the aforementioned restoration of Stephen Sayadian’s DR. CALIGARI (1989), Fantasia is proud to announce the following classics, resurrected in stunning new transfers. 
 
UZUMAKI 
Japan, 2000 – Dir. Higuchinsky 
Higuchinsky’s elusive adaptation of Junji Ito’s cult classic UZUMAKI (SPIRAL) returns to Fantasia after 20 years, screening in a brand new 4K restoration. Decadently stylized and as beguiling as ever – practically dripping with blue-grey grime and oozing slime – the film stands out for its cosmic horror stylings and the ways it comes closest to the haunted tape at the centre of RINGU. The film itself now appears to us as cursed – full of shifty details and disturbing artefacts – as it unfolds with an almost experimental slice-of-life logic. One of the more peculiar films in the J-horror canon. World Premiere of Toei's new 4K restoration. 
 
TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (La noche del terror ciego) 
Spain, 1972 – Dir. Amando de Ossorio 
One of the most gloriously mythical, highly original zombie films ever made bursts from the grave, fully uncut in a striking new restoration from Synapse Films scanned from the original camera negative. The film re-envisions medieval Catholic military order the Templar Knights as satanic monks living under an occult curse, forced to walk the earth as eyeless undead in need of human flesh. In an imaginative twist, given their blindness, they are able to track the living by listening for their heartbeats. 
World Premiere of Synapse Films’ new restoration. 
 
MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN (Il mulino delle donne di pietra) 
Italy, 1960 – Dir. Giorgio Ferroni 
The first Italian horror produced in colour, Ferroni’s landmark Italian Gothic boasts an impressive saturated signature, a style which was later picked up by Mario Bava when he made BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964). As a result, much like the later features by Bava, the film stands out stylistically for its bold painterly qualities, in this case layered in gorgeous, dark, fairy tale artifice. Picking up the baton from Gothic romance-tinged mad science films, such as HOUSE OF WAX (1953), MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN takes the staple ‘woman-into-wax’ trope into unconventional territory with strange experiments, weird vampirism, and the dead coming back to life. World Premiere of Arrow Video’s new restoration. 
 
THE UNKNOWN MAN OF SHANDIGOR (L’Inonnu de Shandigor) Switzerland, 1967 – Dir. Jean-Louis Roy 
This long-lost mid-1960s Cold War super-spy thriller is a marvelous and surreal hall of mirrors– part DR. STRANGELOVE, part ALPHAVILLE– with sly nods to British TV shows like THE AVENGERS and DOCTOR WHO. All mod sunglasses and bizarre architecture (including Antoni Gaudi’s famed La Pedrera/Casa Mila), the long-unavailable SHANDIGOR has been beautifully restored by the Cinematheque Suisse. Starring Marie-France Boyer, Daniel Emilfork, Howard Vernon, and Serge Gainsbourg! North American Premiere of a new 4K restoration by the Cinematheque Suisse. Presented by Deaf Crocodile Films. 
 
FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT 
Japan, 2005 Dirs. Katsuhito Ishii, Hajime Ishimine, Shunichiro Miki If you look at them just right, the most mundane elements of daily life can seem utterly bizarre.
That's the lunatic logic behind 2005’s fan-favourite cult classic FUNKY FOREST; a sprawling omnibus of the obvious and the oddball, the casual and the completely insane. Collaborating with hotshot advertisement directors Hajime Ishimine and Shinichiro Miki, director Katsuhito Ishii set them loose to confuse you, amuse you, repulse you, excite you, and just plain freak you out. World Premiere of Error 4444’s new HD restoration. 
 
WARPED FOREST 
Japan, 2011 – Dir. Shunichiro Miki 
We’re not out of the woods yet! Witness the wonders of time-warping and dream-tinkering! Giggle at bellybutton sex and pornographic fruit snacks! Squirm when the local baker sneaks out for an illicit encounter with a furry little nipple-sucker and so much more. Shunichiro Miki flies solo on FUNKY FOREST, an essential, long unavailable, work in the millennial new wave of radical, hallucinogenic Japanese comedies that blend deadpan humour, delirious dream logic, creeping paranoia and empathic, easygoing optimism into the strangest of cinematic brews. North American Premiere of Error 4444’s new HD restoration. 
 
JURIES AND COMPETITIONS 
Fantasia is pleased to announce the 2021 Cheval Noir competition titles: 
ALL THE MOONS – Spain / France, Dir. Igor Legarreta 
THE DEVIL’S DEAL – South Korea, Dir. Lee Won-tae 
HELLBENDER – USA, Dirs. Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams 
GHOSTING GLORIA – Uruguay, Dirs. Marcela Matta, Mauro Sarser 
THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS – Japan, Dir. Takashi Miike HOTEL POSEIDON – Belgium, Dir. Stef Lernous 
INDEMNITY – South Africa, Dir. Travis Taute 
LOVE, LIFE AND GOLDFISH – Japan, Dir. Yukinori Makabe 
MARTYRS LANE – UK, Dir. Ruth Platt 
REMAIN IN TWILIGHT – Japan, Dir. Daigo Matsui 
THE RIGHTEOUS – Canada, Dir. Mark O'Brien 
TOKYO REVENGERS – Japan, Dir. Tsutomu Hanabusa 
VOICE OF SILENCE – South Korea, Dir. Hong Eui-jeong 
WONDERFUL PARADISE – Japan, Dir. Masashi Yamamoto 
 
The following industry professionals make up the Fantasia 2021 juries: 
CHEVAL NOIR COMPETITION 
Agnieszka Smoczyńska (Jury President) – Poland – Director, Screenwriter Kambole Campbell – UK – Writer, Critic 
Paula Devonshire – Canada – Producer 
Mónica García Massagué - Spain – Author, Professor, General Manager of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 
Simon Rumley – UK – Director, Author 
 
NEW FLESH COMPETITION FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE 
Kim Newman (Jury President) – UK – Author, Critic, Broadcaster 
Jill Gevargizian – USA – Director, Screenwriter, Producer 
Gigi Saul Guerrero – Mexico – Director, Screenwriter 
Brian O'Malley – Ireland – Director, Screenwriter 
Myriam Sassine – Lebanon - Producer, Co-Founder of the Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival
 
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Co-Jury Presidents) – Belgium – Directors, Screenwriters Prano Bailey-Bond – UK – Director, Screenwriter 
Yfke van Berckelaer – Netherlands – Director, Screenwriter 
Faye Jackson – Scotland – Director, Screenwriter 
 
AQCC CAMERA LUCIDA COMPETITION 
- Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma (Québec Critic's Association) 
Jean-Marie Lanlo – Canada – Critic, Publisher 
Martin Gignac – Canada – Critic 
Claire Valade – Canada – Critic 
 
AXIS ANIMATION COMPETITION 
Hefang Wei (Jury President) – France – Director, Artistic Director, Co-founder of Weilaï Productions 
Ashkan Rahgozar – Iran – Director, Writer, Founder and CEO of Hoorakhsh Studios Kalp Sanghvi – India – Director, Writer, Co-founder of Ghost Animation Collective 
 
PANELS AND SPECIAL EVENTS, ACCESSIBLE WORLDWIDE 
 
While Fantasia 2021’s films are geo-blocked to Canadian audiences, all of the festival’s panels and special events are free and accessible worldwide, allowing these unique experiences to be enjoyed by fans on every corner of the Earth. 
 
In addition to the aforementioned artist talks by Shunji Iwai, Stephen Sayadian, and Phil Tippett, Fantasia is pleased to announce the following special events. 
 
Presented in association with WarnerMedia 
 
HAUNTING THE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS: THE RISE OF INDIGENOUS HORROR 
Saturday, August 7 – 4PM EDT 
Presentation by Dr. Kali Simmons 
 
In the article “The Rise of Indigenous Horror,” Haudenosaunee writer Alicia Elliott notes that, “…many non-Indigenous horror writers depict situations that Indigenous people have already weathered.” The recent exposure of genocidal violence against Indigenous children within the “residential school” programs which operated in Canada and the United States stresses the truth of this observation even more. 
 
In this lecture, expanded from work presented at the Miskatonic Institute for Horror Studies, film scholar Dr. Kali Simmons will analyze the ways that horror has been deployed in the service of settler-colonialism as well as the ways Indigenous writers, actors, and filmmakers speak back to these troubling stories. 
 
SOUTH AFRICA SCREAMS: VOICES FROM THE NEW WAVE OF S.A. GENRE CINEMA 
Sunday, August 8 – 2PM EDT 
 
With panelists Nosipho Dumisa (NUMBER 37), Kelsey Egan (GLASSHOUSE), Bradley Joshua (Producer, Gambit Films, BLOOD & WATER), Ryan Kruger (FRIED BARRY), Michael Matthews (FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES), and Travis Taute (INDEMNITY); Moderated by Todd Brown (XYZ Films) 
 
In recent years, South Africa has lit up the international cinema world with inspired and sophisticated genre film reworkings that frequently win awards and leave audiences breathless. Fantasia has proudly showcased— and in some cases, launched— many of these works. This year, Fantasia will be World Premiering not one but two South African works, Travis Taute’s INDEMNITY and Kelsey Egan’s GLASSHOUSE. To celebrate, the festival will be presenting a special roundtable discussion between some of the leading talents in S.A.’s new wave. Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear insights and production stories from some of the country’s most exciting artists, brought together for what’s sure to be an unforgettable time. 
 
KONVERSATION: TAKAYUKI HIRAO MEETS PASCAL-ALEX VINCENT Monday, August 9 – 5PM EDT 
Interpreter: Zen Nakamura 
 
With SATOSHI KON, THE ILLUSIONIST, French documentarian Pascal-Alex Vincent demonstrates the profound effect that the late master, in whose honour Fantasia’s animation award is named, had on anime and indeed cinema worldwide. Japanese animator Takayuki Hirao, director of POMPO: THE CINÉPHILE, can attest to it firsthand, having spent his formative years working under Kon on MILLENNIUM ACTRESS and PARANOIAAGENT. Kon’s legacy is the starting point of a discussion between the two directors. In English and Japanese with verbal translation. 
 
Untold Horror presents... 
MONSTERS MUST LIVE! 
Friday, August 13 – 5PM EDT 
 
With panelists Brian Yuzna, William Malone and Richard Raaphorst; Moderated by Dave Alexander 
 
Filmmakers Brian Yuzna (RE-ANIMATOR series, SOCIETY), William Malone (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, MASTERS OF HORROR) and Richard Raaphorst (FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY) discuss their unmade monster movies and the ongoing, often maddening, occasionally hilarious quest to bring some of the coolest creature features to life. Hosted by Untold Horror author and former Rue Morgue editor-in-chief Dave Alexander, Monsters Must Live! proves that when it comes to the film biz, some of the most incredible creations don't actually exist onscreen. 
 
GRADY HENDRIX LIVE: WELCOME TO THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP Sunday, August 15 – 5PM EDT 
 
Bestselling author Grady Hendrix (Paperbacks from Hell, My Best Friend's Exorcism) welcomes you to a very special support group, so have a seat, coffee's in the back, and remember there's no cross-talk. Then prepare yourself for a guided tour of the history of murder books, because ever since the invention of the printing press we've been using it to tell stories about killing each other, from bizarro 19th century Jack the Ripper fan fiction, through Psycho, the industry-changing success of Silence of the Lambs, all leading up to today. Along the way you'll encounter astrological assassins, the female authors who wrote serial killer books first, and primal hamster trauma as together we try to figure out what it means that so much of publishing is about selling murder for fun.
 
Presented in association with WarnerMedia 
 
A DIFFERENT MONSTER: BLACK WOMEN AND THE MONSTROUS Saturday, Saturday, August 21 – 4PM EDT 
Presentation by Carolyn Mauricette 
 
From Sarah Baartman to Grace Jones, Black women are often thought of as exotic creatures and grossly misunderstood, or, like Frankenstein’s monster, they have been put in a category where they are feared and disliked, with observers quick to vilify or dismiss. Yet, in horror, characters who are supernatural beings or “monsters” are actually an embodiment of Black women’s strength and perseverance. We’ll look at some of the most interesting characters— whether vampires, witches, or supernatural beings— and see how even in their otherness, and within problematic representation, they have power and agency and represent the vulnerability and strength Black women have possessed through the ages. 
 
THE TRANSGRESSIVE URGE: HORROR AND THE TABOO IN THE 21ST CENTURY Sunday, August 22 – 5PM EDT 
 
With panelists Stephen R. Bissette (Cartoonist, Author, Critic), David Kerekes (Headpress Books), David J. Schow (Writer), John Skipp (Writer, Director), Christina Ward (Feral House), Billy Martin (Writer) and Douglas E. Winter (Writer / Critic); Moderated by Heather Buckley 
One of the functions of horror film and fiction has been the unflinching exploration of the forbidden, the underground, and the taboo. In the 1980s and 1990s horror experienced a surge of wild energy, and a backlash against it. While certain restrictions have loosened, and more permissive venues for content have emerged in the years since, practitioners of the genre now face other pressures and penalties, potentially higher than before. In a society with ready online access to just about every kind of content, including eyewitness cameras capturing the most terrible of crimes, how has the cultural sense of the taboo, and the role of horror in breaking them, changed? Join us for a discussion about the evolution of this explicit mode of expression as art, exploitation, and rebellion. 
 
TURBO KID: FROM FILM TO VIDEO GAME / TURBO KID : DU FILM AU JEU VIDÉO 
Tuesday, August 24 – 2PM EDT 
 
With panelists RKSS (François Simard, Anouk Whissel, Yoann-Karl Whissel), Anne-Marie Gélinas and Benoit Beaulieu (EMA Films), a member of composing duo Le Matos, and key figures from Outerminds (Rémi Lavoie, Odile Prouveur, Guiz DePessemier) and Vibe Avenue; Moderated by Marc Lamothe and Justin Langlois 
 
Born out of Frontières, Fantasia’s international co-production market, and launched at Sundance, the worldwide cult sensation that is TURBO KID immediately put RKSS, its gifted trio of Québécois filmmakers (François Simard, Anouk Whissel, Yoann-Karl Whissel), on radars across the universe. A video game was the logical follow-up! Like the film, it promises to be an homage to the post-apocalyptic works of the ‘80s with cartoonish gore and a heartfelt story while channelling beloved vintage video games. Celebrated Montreal video game studio Outerminds are working closely with RKSS and EMA Films, producers of the original film, to devise a game that will honour the essence of the breakout hit, with synth-wave band Le Matos returning to compose a brand-new soundtrack while VIBE Avenue provides sound design. 
 
Grab your gnome stick and join us for a bilingual (French and English language) panel discussion with the core creators of both the film and its adaptation to explore TURBO KID’s journey into gameplay.
 
Fantasia is also proud to be screening over 200 shorts in its 2021 line-up. 
 
The festival passport is already on sale online and individual tickets, for both virtual and theatrical screenings, will go on sale Friday, July 23rd at 1PM EDT.
ALIEN ON STAGE
Dirs. Lucy Harvey & Danielle Kummer
UK
Quebec Premiere
 
BABY, DON’T CRY
Dir. Jesse Dvorak
USA
World Premiere
 
BULL
Dir. Paul Andrew Williams
UK
World Premiere
 
CATCH THE FAIR ONE
Dir. Josef Kubota Wladyka
USA
International Premiere
 
COMING HOME IN THE DARK
Dir. James Ashcroft
New Zealand
Quebec Premiere
 
DEAR HACKER
Dir. Alice Lenay
France
North American Premiere
 
THE DEEP HOUSE
Dirs. Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
France
North American Premiere
 
THE DEER KING
Dirs. Masashi Ando & Masayuki Miyaji
Japan
North American Premiere
 
THE DEVIL’S DEAL
Dir. Lee Won-Tae
South Korea
World Premiere
 
DON’T SAY ITS NAME
Dir. Rueben Martell
Canada
World Premiere
 
THE FEAST
Dir. Lee Haven Jones
UK
Canadian Premiere
 
FIGHTER
Dir. Jéro Yun
South Korea
Canadian Premiere
 
FOLLOW THE LIGHT
Dir. Yoichi Narita
Japan
World Premiere
 
FRANK & ZED
Dir. Jesse Blanchard
USA
Quebec Premiere
 
GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY
Dir. Theodore Schaefer
USA
World Premiere
 
GLASSHOUSE
Dir. Kelsey Egan
South Africa
World Premiere
 
GRAND BLUE DREAMING
Dir. Tsutomu Hanabusa
Japan
North American Premiere
 
THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS
Dir. Takashi Miike
Japan
International Premiere
 
HAND ROLLED CIGARETTE
Dir. Chan Kin-Long
Hong Kong
Canadian Premiere
 
IDA RED
Dir. John Swab
USA
North American Premiere
 
JOSEE
Dir. Kim Jeong-kwan
South Korea
 
LOST BOYS
Dirs. Joonas Neuvonen & Sadri Centinkaya
Finland
Quebec Premiere
 
MAD GOD
Dir. Phil Tippett
USA
North American Premiere
 
MIDNIGHT
Dir. Kwon Oh-seung
South Korea
Canadian Premiere
 
MIDNIGHT IN A PERFECT WORLD
Dir. Dodo Dayao
Philippines
North American Premiere
 
THE NIGHT HOUSE
Dir. David Bruckner
USA
Canadian Premiere
 
ON THE 3RD DAY
Dir. Daniel de la Vega
Argentina
International Premiere
 
ONE SECOND CHAMPION
Dir. Chiu Sin-Hang
Hong Kong
Canadian Premiere
 
OPÉRATION LUCHADOR
Dir. Alain Vézina
Quebec
North American Premiere
 
POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ
Dirs. Celeste Bell & Paul Sng
UK
Quebec Premiere
 
THE SADNESS
Dir. Rob Jabbaz
Taiwan
North American Premiere
 
SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG
Dirs. Patrick Tam, Ringo Lam, Ann Hui,
Johnnie To, Yuen Woo-ping, Tsui Hark,
Sammo Hung
Hong Kong
Quebec premiere
 
SEOBOK
Dir. Lee Yong-joo
South Korea
Canadian Premiere
 
SWEETIE, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT
Dir. Yernar Nurgaliyev
Kazakhstan
Canadian Premiere
 
TOKYO REVENGERS
Dir. Tsutomu Hanabusa
Japan
International Premiere
 
UNDER THE OPEN SKY
Dir. Miwa Nishikawa
Japan
Quebec Premiere
 
WHAT JOSIAH SAW
Dir. Vincent Grashaw
USA
World Premiere
 
WHEN I CONSUME YOU
Dir. Perry Blackshear
USA
World Premiere
 
WILD MEN
Dir. Thomas Daneskov
Denmark
Canadian Premiere

TAKASHI MIIKE CLOSES OUT FANTASIA 2021 WITH THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS The honour of Closing Film belongs to the great Takashi Miike (AUDITION, 13 ASSASSINS), a constant yet always surprising presence in the festival’s long history. THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - GUARDIANS, a sequel to THE GREAT YOKAI WAR, which opened Fantasia in 2006, plunges the audience into the fairy-tale world of friendly Japanese demons that overflows with creativity. With its kaiju references, unifying story, festive atmosphere, love for popular culture, and spectacular direction from the festival’s favourite filmmaker, it’s the perfect movie to close out this 25th anniversary. INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE.

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