By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The 25th edition of North America’s top genre fest will showcase a typically wide range of features and events, beginning with an undead world premiere.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival, based in Montreal, will be a virtual event running August 5-25, featuring a slew of features and short films, panels and workshops. It will open with the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s BRAIN FREEZE (pictured), a Québécois zombie comedy that was launched at Fantasia’s Frontières co-production market. The film mixes bloody humor with social commentary, telling of a virus ravaging a wealthy gated community near Montreal; although production was halted due to Quebec lockdown with just four days of shooting to go, the filmmakers were able to complete filming last summer. Roy Dupuis (SCREAMERS, LA FEMME NIKITA) leads an acclaimed Québécois cast.
Fantasia 2021 will be accessible to on-line audiences across Canada, and based on advice from local health authorities, there’s the possibility that physical events will be added. The poster seen below was created by the fest’s regular illustrator Donald Caron, homaging the classic LONE WOLF AND CUB series and reflecting the emphasis this year on Japanese cinema. The lineup of movies will be announced in waves over the coming months; more info can be found at Fantasia’s official website.
