The Fantasia International Film Festival closed out its 2020 edition yesterday, having successfully transitioned to a cutting-edge digital event in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian audiences proved dedicated to the long-running festival, and flocked to the digital edition, which saw over 85,000 spectators watch films and special events across the country and beyond. Of special interest to audiences were the fest’s twenty-five World Premiere features, including bows for COME TRUE, THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND, HUNTED, UNDERGODS, TINY TIM: KING FOR A DAY, THE PAPER TIGERS, THE CURSE OF AUDREY EARNSHAW, PVT CHAT, SLAXX, THE OAK ROOM, and UNEARTH.
The 24th edition of the festival also saw a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world promoting Fantasia and its ground-breaking content. From Canadian and U.S. media to popular, top-tier outlets as far away as Japan and Portugal, Fantasia’s media presence has never been stronger. The genre festival’s digital edition was featured prominently at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Indiewire, Screen International, Forbes, Filmmaker Magazine, NME, Premiere, and hundreds of other websites, magazines, and television programs from across the Earth.
With a combination of live screenings, on-demand titles, and globally accessible, free events, Fantasia proudly wrapped their ambitious digital edition with the North American Premiere of Kiel McNaughton’s acclaimed Indigenous Kiwi action/comedy THE LEGEND OF BARON TO’A, following an awards announcement last night.
► CHEVAL NOIR AWARD FOR FEATURE FILMS
The jury, presided over by Joko Anwar, the acclaimed Indonesian director of SATAN’S SLAVES and the 2020 Sundance breakout IMPETIGORE, featured Mattie Do (DEAREST SISTER, THE LONG WALK), Steve Moore (of the band Zombi, soundtrack composer for BLISS, MAYHEM), Jongsuk Thomas Nam (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival programmer, Managing Director of the Network of Asian Fantastic Films), and Karen Walton (writer of GINGER SNAPS, Orphan Black) awarding the following prizes:
BEST FILM: MARYGOROUND (Poland, d. Daria Wosjek)
BEST DIRECTOR: Daria Wosjek (MARYGOROUND, Poland)
BEST SCREENPLAY: Brea Grant (12 HOUR SHIFT, USA)
SANDRO FORTE AWARD FOR BEST MOTION PICTURE SCORE: Shiro Sagisu (WOTAKOI: LOVE IS HARD FOR OTAKU, Japan)
BEST ACTOR: Jacky Heung (CHASING DREAM, Hong Kong)
BEST ACTRESS: Grazyna Misiorowska (MARYGOROUND, Poland)
JURY SPECIAL MENTION: Cho Jin-woong (ME AND ME, South Korea)
► NEW FLESH AWARD FOR DEBUT FILMS
The New Flesh jury, which awards debut feature films and their creators, was presided over by director, writer, and producer Darin Scott (TALES FROM THE HOOD, MENACE II SOCIETY) and comprised of Mette-Marie Kongsved (producer of COME TO DADDY, co-founder of Nowhere), Miguel Llansó (JESUS SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE HIGHWAY, CRUMBS), Shinji Sakoda (international sales and film representative), and April Wolfe (critic, podcaster, writer of BLACK CHRISTMAS 2019) awarded the following prizes:
THE NEW FLESH AWARD FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE: ROM (Vietnam, d. Tran Thanh Huy)
SPECIAL JURY MENTION: ME AND ME (South Korea, d. Jung Jin-young)
SPECIAL JURY MENTION: Grazyna Misiorowska (MARYGOROUND, Poland)
► INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
The short film jury, presided over by Nosipho Dumisa (NUMBER 37, Netflix’s BLOOD & WATER), and comprised of Simon Barrett (writer of YOU’RE NEXT, THE GUEST), Pierce Conran (producer, journalist, consultant, writer, film critic), Natalie Erika James (RELIC), and Jennifer Reeder (KNIVES AND SKIN) awarded the following prizes:
BEST FILM: F FOR FREAKS (Germany, d. Sabine Ehrl)
BEST DIRECTOR: Pei-Ju Hsieh (A COCKEREL’S TALE, Taiwan)
BEST WRITER: Marc Martínez Jordán (YOUR LAST DAY ON EARTH, Spain)
BEST ACTOR: Aaron Bradshaw (MILK TEETH, USA)
BEST ACTRESS: Ursula Werner (F FOR FREAKS, Germany)
SPECIAL JURY MENTION: SNOWFLAKES (UK, d. Faye Jackson)
► AXIS: SATOSHI KON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION
BEST FEATURE FILM: THE OLD MAN MOVIE (Estonia, d. Oskar Lehemaa and Mikk Mägi)
BEST SHORT FILM: WADE (India, d. Kalp Sanghvi and Upamanyu Bhattacharyya)
SPECIAL JURY MENTION: GENIUS LOCI (France, d. Adrien Mérigeau)
► JURY AQCC – CAMERA LUCIDA AWARD
AQCC-CAMERA LUCIDA PRIZE: MY PUNCH-DRUNK BOXER (South Korea, d. Jung Hyuk-ki)
SPECIAL JURY MENTION: LABYRINTH OF CINEMA (Japan, d. Nobuhiko Obayashi)
MY FIRST FANTASIA AWARD
The My First Fantasia jury, which looks our annual block of youth programming, comprised of Robin Aubert (actor, director, screenwriter), Patrick Boivin (director, screenwriter), and Carnior (director, screenwriter, actor, artistic director) awarded the following prizes:
POULAIN NOIR – GOLD PRIZE: CŒUR FONDANT (France, d. Benoît Chieu)
POULAIN NOIR – SILVER PRIZE: ŒIL POUR ŒIL (France, d. Thomas Boileau, François Briantais, Robin Courtoise, Alan Guimont, Malcom Hunt, and Mathieu Lecroq)
POULAIN NOIR – BRONZE PRIZE: LA PÊCHE MIRACULEUSE (Belgium/France, d. Fabrice Luang-Vija)
SPECIAL JURY MENTION: ATTENTION AU LOUP! (France, d. Julie Rembauville and Nicolas Bianco)
The Fantasia International Film Festival looks forward to returning in 2021.
