By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Among the many genre events that have been cancelled or postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus, the organizers of Brazil’s Fantaspoa have announced that this year’s edition has been shifted from May to later this year. At the same time, they are set to debut a new home-viewing platform early next month.
Originally set to run May 14-31, Fantaspoa 2020 has been rescheduled for sometime between October and December, if deemed responsible and safe at that time. With quarantining and home sheltering now the way of life for millions of people, the organizers will also launch the digital platform “Fantaspoa at Home” on April 1. This platform, which will be located at www.fantaspoaathome.com, will offer seven international feature films selected from the previous 15 festivals each week, streaming free of charge for all Internet-enabled devices and accessible worldwide. The initial lineup of movies debuting there on the 1st are:
- DIABLO (d. Nicanor Loreti, Argentina, 2011)
- FANTASTICOZZI (d. Felipe M. Guerra, Brazil, 2016)
- FOLLOW (d. Owen Egerton, USA, 2015)
- RESOLUTION (d. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, USA, 2012)
- THE ROTTEN LINK (d. Valentín Javier Diment, Argentina, 2011)
- THE SHOW MUST GO ON (d. Nevio Marasovic, Croatia, 2010)
- ZOMBIO 2 – CHIMARRÃO ZOMBIES (d. Petter Baiestorf, Brazil, 2013)
Starting April 8, the following films will be available:
- MANIAC (d. William Lustig, USA, 1980)
- THE OTHERWORLD (d. Richard Stanley, France, 2013)
- PLAGA ZOMBIE (d. Hernán Sáez, Pablo Parés, Argentina, 1997)
- KROKODYLE (d. Stefano Bessoni, USA, 2010)
- MOLES (d. Emiliano Romero, Argentina, 2011)
- LUNOPOLIS (d. Matthew Avant, USA, 1998)
- ZENITH (d. Vladan Nikolic, USA, 2010)
With the loss of government funding prior to the coronavirus crisis, Fantaspoa has had to resort to crowdfunding to ensure its future. Those interested in contributing can find that campaign here.
