Another year of Fantaspoa has wrapped up in Porto Alegre, Brazil and by all accounts, from friends who were visiting the festival with their films, to those from the festival itself, a good time was had by all. Some more than others?
In a grand twist our friend, Deodato Holocaust director Felipe M. Guerra got married, no, really married, at the end of the festival. The ceremony was 'officiated' by our other friend, Terrified director 'Father' Demian Rugna, with the blessings of festival guests Roger Corman and Christina Lindberg. I mean, I know first hand that Rugna hosts a perfect Asado but I did not know that he was 'clergy'. Our congratulations to Guerra and his wife Daniela!
Having already won the night the award winners from the festival were announced. They were evenly spread out between all the films, some taking home a duece: Rob Grant's Alive, ¿Eres Tú, Papá? by Rudy Riverón Sánchez and Fernando Alle's Mutant Blast. Genre icon Roger Corman was presented with a lifetime achievement award.
The full list of award winners is listed in the press release below.
FANTASPOA 2019 COMES TO A CLOSE AND ANNOUNCES WINNERSThe Acclaimed Brazilian Genre Fest Celebrated Its Fifteenth Year With Over 100 Incredible Films, A Wedding, and A Lifetime Achievement Award for Roger CormanCelebrating the triumphant close of its fifteenth edition, Fantaspoa proudly brought Porto Alegre the best in fantastic cinema from around the world. Between May 16th and June 2nd, 2019, over 100 films were screened - with over 100 guests from many diverse countries - bringing together some of the world's most talented artists in emerging genre cinema.According to festival directors and producers João Fleck and Nicolas Tonsho, the 2019 edition was the most successful Fantaspoa has ever produced, given the media coverage and the massive audiences - with more than 10,000 participants taking part in this year's festival.Honored guests included, among others, director Ruggero Deodato (who celebrated his 80th birthday in the festival), actress Christina Lindberg (star of Thriller: A Cruel Picture), producer and screenwriter Larry Wilson (Beetlejuice) and legendary multi-hyphenate film icon Roger Corman.Following the on-site marriage of Brazilian filmmaker Felipe M. Guerra (Deodato Holocaust), celebrated by Father Demian Rugna (director of Terrified) and featuring the blessings of guests Roger Corman and Christina Lindberg, the winners of Fantasia 2019 were announced.Fantaspoa 2019 Award WinnersShort Films (Jury members Ignácio Lopez Vacas and Getro Guimarães)Honorable Mentions:For furthering the work of animation in Brazil: O Homem na Caixa, directed by Ale Borges, Alvaro Furloni, and Guilherme GehrFor capturing the spirit of Cyberpunk: Robot Will Protect You, directed by Nicola PiovesanBest Scream Queen: Sofía Peres (Dead Teenager Séance, directed by Dante Vescio and Rodrigo Gasparini)Official Awards:Best Brazilian Short Film: Médico de Monstro, directed by Gustavo TeixeiraBest International Animated Short Film: Wild Love, directed by Paul Autric, Quentin Camus, Léa Georges, Maryka Laudet, Zoé Sottiaux, and Corentin YvergniauxBest International Live Short Film: Tu Último Día En La Tierra, directed by Marc Martínez JordánAnimated Feature Film (Jury members Bianca de França Zasso and Carlos Thomaz Albornoz)Best Animated Feature Film: Seder-Masochism, directed by Nina PaleyLatin-American Competition (Jury members JJ Weber and Drew Thomas)Honorable Mentions:Best Lettering: Soy Tóxico, directed by Pablo ParésBest Soundtrack: 7 Raons Per Fugir, directed by Esteve Soler, Gerard Quinto, and David TorrasOfficial Awards:Best Actor: Pedro Barão Dias (Mutant Blast, directed by Fernando Alle)Best Actress: Gabriela Ramos (¿Eres Tú, Papá?, directed by Rudy Riverón Sánchez)Melhor Roteiro: Fernando Alle (Mutant Blast, directed by Fernando Alle)Best Direction: Daniel de la Vega (Punto Muerto)Melhor Filme: ¿Eres Tú, Papá? directed by Rudy Riverón SánchezInternational Competition: (Jury members André Kleinert and Diego Faraone)Honorable Mentions:For its Achievement in Cinematography: Ende Neu, directed by Leonel DietscheArtistic Contribution: His Master's Voice, directed by György PálfiBest Bloodbath: Alive, directed by Rob GrantOfficial Awards:Best Actor: Eugene Simon (Kill Ben Lyk, directed by Erwan Marinopoulos)Best Actress: Monique Gabriela Curnen (Model Home, directed by Patrick Cunningham)Best Special Effects: HeadHunter, directed by Jordan DowneyBest Art Direction: I'm Lying Now, directed by Pawel BorowskiBest Screenplay: Brama (The Gateway), directed by Volodymyr TykhyyBest Director: Kirill Sokolov (Papa, Sdokhni) Why Don't You Just Die!Best Film: Wilkolak (Werewolf), directed by Adrian PanekBest Film Audience Award: Alive, directed by Rob Grant