Fantasia International Film Festival

A tense scene from "UNHOLY NIGHT" featuring four standing individuals looking at an elderly person seated at a table, with dim lighting and wooden paneling in the background.

“Unholy Night” embodies the highs and lows of gathering together for a holiday dinner. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on August 29, 2026 • ( 0 )

When a movie gives the vibes of The Evil Dead (1981) meets Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) (sans music), it sets a high bar for itself and it is a letdown if it just doesn’t reach that height. However, there… Read More ›

Five male dancers in white suits perform on stage, striking dynamic poses with arms raised in front of a golden backdrop and a disco ball.

“The Specials” mashes up all the genres with their fancy footwork. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on August 28, 2026 • ( 1 )

Mixing genres is a frequent and sometimes dangerous proposition. We’re not talking about mixing romance with comedy or horror with thriller elements (though there is a science to this, as well), but films which incorporate seemingly desperate genres like yakuza… Read More ›

A group of eight people surround an elderly man at a typewriter on a wooden desk, in a warm-lit room filled with costumes and theatrical elements.

Art and commerce collide in Amanbek Azhymat’s chaotic crime comedy “Backstage Madness.” [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on August 28, 2026 • ( 0 )

What is “happiness”? Is it freedom; the ability to be your own boss? Is it creativity; the ability to pursue your vision at all times? Is it divine; to either consume whatever prey you like or see your enemies crushed… Read More ›

A young man holds a torch while an older man observes him in a dark, underground setting from the film TUNNELS: SUN IN THE DARK.

“Tunnels: Sun in the Dark” captures the human toll on conscripted people during the Vietnam War. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on August 26, 2026 • ( 0 )

Trigger Warning: As a war film, there are obviously going to be presentations of conflict that involve physical violence. There is also a minor, yet significant storyline involving sexual assault that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. Under the guise… Read More ›

Two individuals in separate beds, a girl in red with a stuffed animal on the left and a boy in blue with a stuffed animal on the right, in a colorful room with a geometric floor pattern.

“Home Bodies” inspires audiences to visit the films that inspired it for a far better payoff. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on August 21, 2026 • ( 1 )

Having its world premiere in the Septentrion Shadows section of Fantasia International Film Festival 2026, Home Bodies, written by Adrian Murray (Retrograde) and Marcus Sullivan (Withdrawn) and directed by Casey Walker (A Little Bit Zombie), ensures audiences want to do… Read More ›

Group of six young adults in a café, wearing matching dark green jackets, engaged in conversation, surrounded by colorful decor and plants.

Kentaro Hagiwara’s manga adaptation “Wind Breaker” transforms shōnen entertainment into a theatrical Blue Sky experience. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on August 14, 2026 • ( 1 )

What does it mean to be strong? What does it mean to hold power? Is it the means to defeat a thousand foes and to draw fear from opposition *or* is it to be able to protect all who matter… Read More ›

A still from "GODHEAD" showing two figures in white jackets standing in a dimly lit, wooden interior with an arched window and central doorway.

Horror thriller “Godhead” blurs reality and fantasy in an exploration of religion. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on August 14, 2026 • ( 0 )

Filmmaker Mark H. Rapaport’s (Hippo) second feature, Godhead, proves that there is something cooking on the indie scene that needs to be experienced more and more by audiences so that more directors and screenwriters like him can find a wider… Read More ›

A wrestling scene from "GOD SKIN" showing three men in a vigorous confrontation, one striking another while a third man grapples below.

Techno-action thriller “God Skin” examines the choiceless choices people face. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on August 2, 2026 • ( 1 )

No matter how well off we think we are, each of us are one bad day away from mountains of debt. This is especially true in areas where medical bills can mount, forcing people to make choiceless choices regarding what… Read More ›

Two male characters face off on a city street, while a woman and another man observe the scene. The setting features urban storefronts in the background.

The “Crime City” series shifts to Japan with head-bashing action thriller “TOKYO BURST.” [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on August 1, 2026 • ( 2 )

In 2017, director Kang Yun-sung’s based-on-a-true-story The Outlaws introduced audiences to Detective Ma (Don Lee), colloquially known as “Beast Cop” for the way he resolves conflicts within his district with his power-packed fists. Watching Ma tackle Chinese gangsters trying to… Read More ›

A woman with long hair crouches in a snowy forest, surrounded by frost-covered branches, looking distressed.

Bergholm and Rautsi’s “Nightborn” falls short in delivering something darker to sink your teeth into. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on July 30, 2026 • ( 1 )

I first got to discover director Hanna Bergholm with her debut film, Hatching, in 2022 as part of virtual Sundance, and instantly fell in love with her direction, writing, and prowess. So, when it was announced that Hanna and her… Read More ›

Close-up of a young woman with long brown hair, red lips, and a weary expression, set against a softly blurred pastel background in purple and green tones.

Harrison Atkins’s keeps his trippy “Sour Minnows” experience grounded enough for audiences to buy-in to the ride. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on July 29, 2026 • ( 1 )

Harrison Atkins’s Sour Minnows is an experimental film in an unconventional sense of the definition, with a very loose and whimsical plot. It doesn’t feel anything like a Stan Brakhage (Dog Star Man) movie (depending on how that makes you… Read More ›

A young man in a leather jacket stands at the forefront of a crowded nightclub, surrounded by blurred figures and warm, colorful lights.

Open up wide and let “Corpus” in. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on July 27, 2026 • ( 1 )

“And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you only hold me tight We’ll be holding on forever And we’ll only be making it right ‘Cause we’ll never be wrong Together, we can… Read More ›

A tense face-off between a man in a leather jacket and a woman with injuries, both staring intensely at each other.

The only thing stopping Springtime for Hitler is “The Last Temptation of Becky.” [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on July 26, 2026 • ( 1 )

“You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin’.” – Lt. Aldo Raine in Inglourious Basterds (2009) There are a few things in cinema that most audiences agree on:… Read More ›

A prominent adult figure and a child stand at a cave entrance, looking out at a snowy landscape under a full moon, with grass and distant trees.

Filmmaker Kenichi Kutsuna’s animated video game adaptation “Sekiro: No Defeat” beautifully captures its jidaigeki roots through classic animation and action. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on July 25, 2026 • ( 0 )

What does it mean to live an honorable life? Is it honoring yourself? Honoring your community? Existing by a code? These may sound like old-fashioned queries, the sort of things that warriors or soldiers asked themselves when written by poets,… Read More ›

A sculptor works on a clay model of Slimer from "GHOSTBUSTERS" in a dim workshop filled with tools and materials.

Nick Taylor’s doc “RUBBERHEAD: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson” successfully unveils the magic of making movies but not of the subject himself. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on July 24, 2026 • ( 1 )

Movies are a place for escape, but also for self-discovery. They take us to unseen lands, places of pure imagination, situations in which the amazing and the horrible occur in equal measure, containing the ability to excite us in ways… Read More ›

A man and woman in a vehicle look alarmed, displaying signs of distress and injuries, as they focus on something outside the frame.

“Big Break” has cult comedy group Simple Town leap from the stage onto the cinema screen, creating plenty of hysterics along the way. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on July 20, 2026 • ( 1 )

Comedy is subjective, but when it’s done right and done in a way that hasn’t been overdrawn and overdone, then it can be a wild success. In Ian Faria’s first feature, cult comedy group Simple Town (known to their fans,… Read More ›

Film still from the action thriller ATTACK ON PARADISE. It features several people facing the camera while holding weapons.

Director Bob Colaers’s “Attack on Paradise” attempts a fresh perspective on well-worn tropes with mixed results. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on July 20, 2026 • ( 1 )

When stories aren’t being told the way you want to see them, sometimes you have no choice but to make them yourself. Based on an artist’s statement, that’s the idea behind the creation of Attack on Paradise (formerly Paradise) by… Read More ›

A young woman appears on a movie screen in a cinema, while a viewer sits in the foreground holding a phone, surrounded by empty yellow seats.

“You Are the Film” continues the trend of fantastical whimsy as writer Makoto Ueda shifts his talents to include the director’s chair. [Fantasia]

By Douglas Davidson on July 19, 2026 • ( 1 )

All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts – From the “All the World’s a Stage” speech within William… Read More ›

Two male characters sit closely together, engaged in conversation, with warm yellow curtains in the background.

“Tight Lettuce” recounts the weight of the opioid crisis on a family level in an appropriately darkly comedic drama. [Fantasia]

By justin waldman on July 18, 2026 • ( 2 )

Addiction is not an easy subject to tackle, and it’s even harder to tackle when it’s inspired by a true story. A lot of care was taken and understanding was used to tell this story, which a close friend of… Read More ›

Banner for the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival featuring a phoenix, figures around a cauldron, and festival details in English and French.

38 films from the 30th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival to explode your senses.

By Douglas Davidson on July 9, 2026 • ( 0 )

Elements of Madness returns for the seventh time to cover Fantasia International Film Festival and it’s their 30th anniversary! Coverage is being handled by EoM Founder Douglas Davidson and EoM Contributor Justin Waldman on this special occasion and we have… Read More ›