The Fantasia International Film Festival returns to Montreal from July 16 through August 2, celebrating its 30th anniversary with another gloriously eclectic lineup of genre cinema. As always, the festival offers an overwhelming number of options for adventurous moviegoers, ranging from horror and action to experimental comedies and international epics. We’ll be covering virtually from the Wasteland, and after digging through the program, these are the five films we’re most excited to catch this year.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (dir. Jane Schoenbrun)
There is no one I would rather see take on the slasher genre than Jane Schoenbrun, who has quickly become one of the most fascinating voices working today. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma follows a young filmmaker who becomes obsessed with the reclusive star of a classic slasher franchise (played by Gillian Anderson!) while attempting to reboot it herself. Equal parts horror movie, industry satire, and identity exploration, it arrives at Fantasia carrying major buzz after its Cannes premiere and Queer Palm win. If Schoenbrun’s previous work is any indication, expect something far stranger and more emotionally affecting than a slasher retread, while paying homage to its genre roots in a gratifying way.
Buddy (dir. Casper Kelly)
Casper Kelly is best known for the cult oddity Too Many Cooks, and has built a reputation for taking familiar pop-cultural comforts and twisting them into nightmares. Buddy centers on a brave young girl and her friends attempting to escape a Barney-esque children’s television show while being hunted by a homicidal mascot voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. That’s already enough of a premise to earn a spot on this list. I was bummed to miss this at Sundance, where critics described it as delightfully unhinged, and the combination of Kelly’s sensibilities with a cast that includes Cristin Milioti makes this one of the festival’s must-sees.
The Samurai and the Prisoner (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a filmmaker who has earned the benefit of the doubt no matter what genre he decides to tackle. Best known for psychological horror landmarks like Cure and Pulse, Kurosawa has shown himself capable of resonance when stepping outside horror as well with such gems as Tokyo Sonata. He takes on a period piece with The Samurai and the Prisoner, a historical mystery set during Japan’s Warring States period. The story follows a besieged lord forced to rely on a brilliant strategist imprisoned in his own dungeon to solve a series of seemingly impossible crimes occurring within a castle under siege. The blend of samurai drama, locked room mystery, and political intrigue sounds irresistible on paper, and Kurosawa’s gift for atmosphere suggests this could be one of the festival’s most rewarding discoveries.
Sour Minnows (dir. Harrison Atkins)
Fantasia has always been a haven for movies that are impossible to describe without sounding slightly insane, and Sour Minnows appears poised to continue that tradition. The film follows a group of Los Angeles cinephiles who stumble into a reality-bending nightmare involving body-snatching entities, fractured identities, and increasingly surreal encounters. Everything I can see about Sour Minnows suggests an even weirder trip this time around. In a festival packed with polished studio premieres and prestige genre offerings, this is exactly the kind of oddball original that could emerge as a sleeper favorite.
A Safe Distance (dir. Gloria Mercer)
One of the joys of Fantasia is discovering a filmmaker on the verge of breaking out, and Gloria Mercer‘s feature debut A Safe Distance feels primed to be exactly that kind of revelation. The Canadian thriller follows Alex, a woman who rejects her boyfriend’s marriage proposal during a camping trip and soon finds herself stranded in the wilderness. Her rescue comes in the form of a charismatic off-grid couple who may also be wanted bank robbers. Critics have already compared the film’s slow-burn tension and morally slippery characters to the work of Patricia Highsmith, and the combination of crime, desire, and wilderness suspense makes it one of the lineup’s most intriguing under-the-radar selections. For viewers who like their thrillers simmering with both danger and attraction, A Safe Distance could be one of Fantasia’s biggest discoveries this year.
Fantasia’s greatest strength has always been its ability to put future cult classics and major discoveries on the same stage as established filmmakers. Whether you’re looking for queer meta-horror, nightmare-fueled comedy, samurai intrigue, or reality-warping psycho-horror, these films represent some of the most exciting reasons to pay attention to the festival this year.
The official ScreenAge Newsletter has arrived! Subscribe to receive a semi-regular round-up of all our exclusive content, including reviews, editorials, Top 100 lists, and more! C'mon, we know you want to venture further into the Wasteland with us!
