Izzy's picks
Catch the Fair One (USA, Josef Kubota Wladyka)
Hot off its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca, where it won both the Audience Award and Best Narrative Feature, as well as terrific reviews, Catch the Fair One now boasts its international premiere at Fantasia. It was directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-written by the director and its star, U.S. Boxing World Champion Kali Reis, in addition to being co-produced by some guy named Darren Arronofsky and Nomadland Oscar Winner Mollye Asher. Reis plays mixed-Indigenous ex-boxer going through tough times when she learns that her disappeared sister may still be not only alive, but caught in a sex-trafficking ring. From all counts, Catch the Fair One appears to be a searing revenge thriller that packs more than that punch, as well as a highly-crafted drama suitable for heavyweights.
Mad God (USA, Phil Tippett)
Mad God from Academy Award and BAFTA winner Phil Tippett looks appropriately kinetic, filled with visceral madness in its stop-motion goodness. I’d expect nothing more from the legend that’s worked on Star Wars, Starship Troopers, the original RoboCop, Jurassic Park, and many more watershed films. Thirty years in the making, Mad God will finally be unleashed via its North American premiere at Fantasia! I only wish we could all be in Montreal to see this stop-motion, war monster extravaganza on the big screen at Concordia amid one of the best festival crowds in the world.
From the press release, Mad God “can be viewed as if through the lens of Hieronymous Bosch crossed with Buster Keaton.” Sold.
Martyrs Lane (UK, Ruth Platt)
Fantasia 2021 is hosting the world premiere of this forthcoming Shudder film from British writer/director Ruth Platt (The Lesson, The Black Forest). Focusing on young girl Leah, Martyrs Lane appears to be about unresolved trauma and grief through the metaphor of a ghost child — who may or may not have good intentions. Leah forms a friendship with the ghost, who gives nightly tasks to the child in the form of games. But something tells me that this child’s play isn’t so friendly. As Fantasia Artistic Director Mitch Davis puts it: “A deeply personal vision channeled with phenomenal scripting, direction and performances, MARTYRS LANE is a ghost story that haunts, a heartbreaking fairy tale that whispers its truths in tears and blood.” Sounds like a terrific and bleak time!
The Righteous (Canada, Mark O’Brien)
Described as having elements of The Night of the Hunter and Teorema, the world premiere of Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a slow-burn horror film rooted by character in a black-and-white world. Occult horror is the subgenre here, as it takes place after a priest has left the church to start a family, only to experience the death of his child. It makes me wonder if there’s been some otherworldly vengeance being dealt upon this character, some kind of retribution for wrongdoing, or worse, a cover-up for atrocities the church has committed upon children and indigenous people — especially because the film takes place in Newfoundland. But having not seen the film yet, I can only guess. Here’s hoping there’s sociopolitical vengeance in the mix. Either way, The Righteous sounds intriguing.
Short Film Programs & Events
As a filmmaker and former festival programmer, I LOVE short films. They’re an amazing way to develop skills and proofs of concepts. Shorts are an ideal showcase for quick ideas and genre gutpunches. Every year at Fantasia, I look forward to seeing what the programming team has assembled, and this year, there are more than 200 short films! the incredible Born of Woman program, in addition to Small Gauge Trauma, DJXL5’s Zappin’ Party (this year it’s called DJXL5’s Miao Mix Zappin’ Party, and the International Science-Fiction Short Film Showcase. This year’s mix also includes Radical Spirits (folklore!) and Things That Go Bump in the East (“bite-sized Asian tales of the macbre!”), as well as others.
The cool thing about this year’s Fantasia events is that like last year, they’re not geo-blocked to Canada, and you can register for them as long as you have Internet access. In fact, registration is already open, so head over to Fantasia’s website. I look forward to all of the events, but am particularly stoked for: Haunting the National Consciousness: The Rise of Indigenous Horror, presented by Dr. Kali Simmons; Untold Horror Presents... Monsters Must Live! Moderated by Dave Alexander with Brian Yuzna, William Malone, and Richard Raaphorst; Grady Hendrix Live: Welcome to The Final Girl Support Group; The Transgressive Urge: Horror And The Taboo In The 21st Century; and of course, Phil Tippett: Masterclass & Lifetime Achievement Award.