Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ Will Open Fantasia Fest 2025 — More from the Second Wave Lineup | rssama.com

A show truthful bully they announced it doubly (with moreover much to come), nan Fantasia International Film Festival returns to Montréal for its 29th edition, July 16 — August 3. Yes, nan 16th, not nan 17th. Since announcing nan festival’s first activity of titles successful early May, organizers person added a time to accommodate for nan hundreds of features and shorts they’ll beryllium showing this summer.

Leading nan battalion is Ari Aster‘s 4th feature, “Eddington,” which will unfastened nan show pinch a typical screening. From A24, nan modern Western — starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal arsenic candidates successful a heated mayoral title — was met pinch mostly lukewarm reviews aft its world premiere astatine Cannes. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich described nan movie arsenic a “‘No Country for Old Men’ riff that hinges connected disguise mandates and nan execution of George Floyd.” He praised Aster’s ambition, nan timeliness of nan material, and more successful his review.

Another Cannes favorite announced this wave, Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s “Death Does Not Exist” is besides coming to Fantasia. The animated characteristic will unfastened nan festival’s Fantastiques Weekends du Cinéma Québécois: a conception specially curated to grant productions retired of Quebec.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma autochthonal Mickey Reece will debut his latest characteristic “Every Heavy Thing,” making its world premiere alongside 3 caller titles from Japanese scary fable Takashi Miike. The trio includes “Blazing Fists,” “Sham,” and an episodes of nan anime bid “Nyaight of nan Living CAt” directed by nan “Audition” genius. Plus, filmmaker Izabel Pakzad makes her characteristic debut stewing connected statement civilization pinch “Find Your Friends,” executive produced by Chris Hanley (“The Virgin Suicides,” “Spring Breakers”) and erstwhile IndieWire editor Eric Kohn (“Baby Invasion”).

Read connected and meow it up (wait, person you not heard astir nan meowing?) for much titles from Fantasia 2025’s 2nd activity lineup. All synopses are provided by nan festival. The complete three-week program, including antecedently announced features and shorts pinch further accusation for typical events, exhibitions, and creator talks, will beryllium disposable connected nan Fantasia website successful nan opening of July.

Opening Night Film

“Eddington”

Director: Ari Aster
Special Screening
 
Fantasia’s 29th version will unfastened pinch a typical screening of Ari Aster’s “Eddington.” In May of 2020, a standoff betwixt a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and politician (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg arsenic neighbour is pitted against neighbour successful Eddington, New Mexico. Also featuring Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Michael Ward, and Clifton Collins Jr. “Eddington” is Aster’s 4th characteristic successful an bonzer filmography of landmarks, pursuing “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” and “Beau Is Afraid.”

Canada Trailblazer Award

Fantasia will bestow a 2025 Canadian Trailblazer grant to filmmaker George Mihalka, whose 40-year profession successful cinema and tv has crossed cultures and borders. Internationally, Mihalka is astir celebrated for his 1981 slasher classical “My Bloody Valentine,” nan Genie-nominated “Eternal Evil”(1985), “Hostile Takeover” (1988), “Bullet to Beijing” (1996), and “Watchtower” (2001). In Quebec, Mihalka has made immoderate of French Canada’s astir beloved cult films, including “Scandale” (1982), “La Florida” (1993), “L’homme idéal” (1996), and “Les Boys IV” (2005), successful summation to directing connected immoderate of nan province’s top tv bid (“Scoop,” “Omerta,” “La Loi Du Silence.”)
 
Mihalka’s history successful filmmaking is arsenic unconventional arsenic it is exciting. He besides happens to beryllium a awesome raconteur. To that end, Fantasia is happy to denote that nan filmmaker will besides beryllium giving a maestro people astatine nan festival, presented by nan Directors Guild of Canada (DGC). 

Takashi Miike

A Takashi Miike Triple Threat!

“Nyaight of nan Living Cat,” “Blazing Fists,” and “Sham”

A perennial of nan festival’s programming since its earliest days, and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award successful 2016, maverick, genre-jumping Japanese head Takashi Miike makes his people astatine Fantasia again this twelvemonth pinch not 1 but 3 titles—including an adorable J-horror anime series, with World Premiere episodes! Adapting nan manga written by Hawkman and drawn by Mecha-Roots, and debuting connected Crunchyroll this summer, “Nyaight of nan Living Cat” presents a premise much terrifying than a half-empty nutrient bowl—a microorganism sweeping nan globe, causing anyone who touches a kitty to go 1 themselves! Executive head Miike and head Tomohiro Kamitani present a furry, purring parody of nan natural-horror subgenre, an animated cataclysm of cuteness!

The brace of Miike films celebrating their Canadian Premieres pack a one-two punch, starting with “Blazing Fists,” successful which 2 teenage hoodlums purpose for amended lives for themselves, and fighting successful nan ringing is really they’ll get there. A convincing coming-of-age play pinch a large bosom to equilibrium retired nan bruises and achromatic eyes, its formed features J-pop superstar Gackt and MMA combatant Mikuru Asakura, who appears arsenic himself. “Sham,” inspired by a existent story, follows nan surreal ineligible and media conflict of a coach falsely accused of unit against a student. Miike delivers a breathtaking ineligible thriller that generates arsenic overmuch worry arsenic his champion horrific works, acknowledgment successful portion to nan crackling capacity by Go Ayano (GANTZ).

‘Nyaight of nan Living Cat’

More Presentations

“Find Your Friends”

Director: Izabel Pakzad
World Premiere

For her first feature, head Izabel Pakzad puts a sinister rotation connected statement civilization and nan changeless threat of unit facing young women, featuring a stellar formed including Helena Howard (“Madeline’s Madeline,” “I Saw nan TV Glow”), Bella Thorne (“Divinity”), Zión Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), and Sophia Ali (“Uncharted”). Set against cinematic godforsaken scenery, what starts arsenic a chaotic girls travel quickly turns vulnerable erstwhile nan locals don’t want them there. As nan dispute situation escalates, Amber’s friends uncover her past trauma and go fed up pinch toxic dynamics. Little do they know, their nosy travel will toggle shape into 1 of revenge — building to a jaw-dropping finale that audiences will ne'er forget. Produced by Allison Friedman (“The Mortuary Collection,” “The Fix”), Gary Michael Walters (“Whiplash,” “Drive”), Andrea Iervolino (“Skincare,” “Ferrari”), Luca Matrundola (“To nan Bone,” “Skincare”) and executive produced by Chris Hanley (“The Virgin Suicides,” “Spring Breakers”) and Eric Kohn (“Baby Invasion”), “Find Your Friends” presents astonishing scenarios exploring really vulnerable nan disagreement betwixt nan sexes really is. 

‘Find Your Friends’

“Kazakh Scary Tales”

Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
World Premiere

Continuing a breathtaking marathon of creation, multi-time award-winner Adilkhan Yerzhanov (“Steppenwolf,” “The Owners,” “The Gentle Indifference of nan World”) has turned his visionary lens towards skin-crawling occult scary storytelling. A bull (Kuantai Abdimadi, “Mountain Onion”) ventures into a distant colony to analyse a gruesome bid of inexplicable events and soon finds himself successful nan halfway of an otherworldly large wind of section witchcraft and death. It becomes clear that nan curse of Albasty, a tone said to devour infants, is horrifyingly real.  Bringing nightmarish location people scary to nan surface done a tense, neo-Noir Trojan horse, “Kazakh Scary Tales” was produced arsenic an anthology bid for a home streamer but deemed excessively frightening by attraction groups. Fantasia will beryllium presenting nan first 3 episodes arsenic a complete characteristic narrative, nan first clip that thing from nan bid will beryllium shown anyplace successful nan world. A stunning, disturbing activity featuring a formed from crossed Yerzhanov’s filmography, including Anna Starchenko, assemblage grant victor astatine past summer’s Fantasia for her astonishing capacity successful “Steppenwolf,” Dinara Baktybayeva (“A Dark, Dark Man”), Daniyar Alshinov (“Goliath”), Yerken Gubashev (“The Assault”), and Sanjar Madi (“Yellow Cat”). 

‘Kazakh Scary Tales’

“Death Does Not Exist”

Director: Félix Dufour-Laperrière

Fresh disconnected its world premiere successful Cannes, Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s magnificent animated feature “Death Does Not Exist” (“La mort n’existe pas”) will unfastened Fantasia’s Fantastiques Weekends du Cinéma Québécois. 
 
A group of young activists return up arms against an able family, hoping to works nan seed that sows a rebellion. But erstwhile things don’t spell according to plan, a female finds herself haunted by nan representation of her friend, intertwined pinch nan shadows of her uncertainty and guilt. In a world threatened by increasing inequalities, Félix’s masterpiece embraces nan naiveté of younker to show its story, weighing nan load of one’s responsibilities and nan consequences of repercussions of nan way they’ve taken. Over 10 years successful nan making, “Death Does Not Exist” is arsenic timely a movie arsenic could be, and 1 of nan astir magnificent pictures made successful caller years, wherever each manus drawn framework is simply a breathtaking activity of art. The movie plays disconnected colour and sound to style its story, allowing nan creation to return a life of its own. The gyration whitethorn beryllium bloody and violent, filled pinch nonaccomplishment and sorrow, but it’s ne'er been this beautiful.

‘Death Does Not Exist’

“New Group”

Director: Yuta Shimotsu
North American Premiere

High schoolhouse student Ai (Anna Yamada) sees her world illness erstwhile a unusual cult-like mentality gradually turns group astir her into mindless followers who tin toggle shape elemental gymnastics routines into a nightmarish creation of death. With only his 2nd feature, co-writer and head Yuta Shimotsu (“Best Wishes to All,” produced by Takashi Shimizu) delivers 1 of nan astir well-scripted, masterfully directed, and incredibly creepy J-horror films of nan past 20 years. Imagine a fusion betwixt a harsh critique of Japanese nine and nan weird ideological movements that are increasing successful nan Western World, portrayed successful nan twisted universe of legendary mangaka Junji Ito, writer of nan classical “Uzumaki,” and you mightiness beryllium capable to visualize each nan nosy this movie packs. With its mind-blowing, surreal imagery successful a very realistic context, a perfectly balanced and executed soundtrack, and thing to opportunity astir nan world we unrecorded in, “New Group” will only grow its number of devoted followers astir nan planet.

‘New Group’

“Every Heavy Thing”

Director: Mickey Reece
World Premiere

Mickey Reece, nan inspired maverick down specified singular cult favorites arsenic “Country Hold,” “Climate of nan Hunter,” and “Agnes,” returns to Fantasia pinch “Every Heavy Thing,” a pitch-black drama astir an mean man thrust into bonzer circumstances. Set against nan unsettling backdrop of a drawstring of disappearances, nan movie follows Joe (Josh Fadem, “Better Call Saul”), an unassuming agency worker astatine an online periodical who becomes entangled successful a conspiracy aft witnessing a murder. As a workfellow originates to investigate, Joe struggles to conceal nan truth arsenic his cautiously constructed life falls apart. With his signature blend of lo-fi aesthetics and sharp, high-concept wit, Reece delivers different visionary exploration of Oklahoma and a darkly comic meditation connected nan fractured American soul. Featuring an eclectic formed including Vera Drew (“The People’s Joker”), Tipper Newton (“The Mindy Project”), John Ennis (“Rats!”), and genre icon Barbara Crampton (“Re-Animator”).

‘Every Heavy Thing’

“Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat successful Dark”

Director: t.o.L
Animation Plus Section, World Premiere

An astonishing, avant-garde anime anomaly, 2002’s eerie, erotic, and elaborately esoteric “Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat successful Space,” a Fantasia award-winner, remains an all-time item of nan festival’s animation programming, and much than 2 decades had to walk earlier rumours of a follow-up “Tamala” characteristic could astatine past beryllium proven true. With “Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat successful Dark,” nan mysterious Japanese writer/composer/director duo K. and kuno, known together arsenic t.o.L (“trees of Life”), person resumed, recalibrated, and resolved their communicative of nan cutest girl-cat successful dystopian Cat Tokyo, surpassing themselves successful their power of nan cryptic, complex, and cuddly chaos they’ve unleashed. The kawaii paradigm of Hello Kitty and Hatsune Miku collides pinch cabalistic capitalism, cataclysmic prophecy, and nan ruptured realities of Lynch, Pynchon, and Philip K. Dick successful a deviously dreamlike, metaphysical mind-melt of high-fructose, retro-futuristic, paranoid pop-art brilliance.

‘Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat successful Dark’

“Buffet Infinity”

Director: Simon Glassman
Septentrion Shadows Section, World Premiere

First-time characteristic head and award-winning comedian Simon Glassman comes to Fantasia with the cosmic horror, “Buffet Infinity!” Picking from hundreds of hours of original, low-budget TV ads, Glassman tells nan sinister communicative of 2 restaurants battling it retired successful nan municipality of Westridge County. Insurance ads, utilized car rivals, and plugs for a section belief clever clever and signaling artist, Langdon P. Hershey, all converge to tell the story of an expanding sinkhole, a cult, and an ever-growing edifice that becomes unsettlingly sentient. But don’t beryllium fooled because that sinister vibe is drowned successful a typical condiment that brings laughs astatine lightning speed, and those who emotion absurdist drama like the Canadian classical SCTV aliases “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” will decidedly inquire for seconds of this sure-to-be instrumentality favorite!

‘Buffet Infinity’

“Black Canvas: My So-Called Artist Life”

Director: Kazuaki Seki 
North American Premiere

A young female who dreams of becoming a manga creator enters an creation schoolhouse wherever her mentor uses harsh methods to push his students into classical painting. Fearful astir her tenacious teacher’s guidance toward her concealed passion, she will study to support her crushed and find her place. Based connected an autobiographical manga by renowned writer Akiko Higashimura, “Blank Canvas” is a beautiful hymn to believing successful our passions contempt bumpy roads. Mei Nagano (“My Broken Mariko”) delivers a stellar capacity arsenic Akiko, while Yo Oizumi (“I Am a Hero”) manages to equilibrium nan abusive and endearing sides of his analyzable and often weirdly funny characteristic from different era. Director Kazuaki Seki delivers a poignant movie that embraces nan worth of popular civilization while respecting nan practice of good arts and tradition.

‘Black Canvas: My So-Called Artist Life’

“Foreigner”

Director: Ava Maria Safai
World Premiere

For her debut characteristic film, “Foreigner,” Ava Maria Safai expertly harnesses nan powerfulness of identity, societal acceptance, horror, and comedy. It’s 2004, and Iranian migrant Yasamin, aliases Yasi, is nan caller girl. Her precocious schoolhouse acquisition is daunting, arsenic she tries to amended her English by watching her favorite sitcom and befriends a trio of pastel-clad girls who provender Yasi’s request to fresh in. Desperate for acceptance, she dyes her hairsbreadth blonde and, successful doing so, besides attracts a demonic force. With a nosy retro setting, awesome performances by Rose Dehgan as Yasi, Chloë MacLeod arsenic nan creepy precocious schoolhouse “Queen Bee” Rachel, and a blend of our favourite teen horrors, “Foreigner” takes up abstraction arsenic a caller introduction to “bubblegum horror,” bringing a caller communicative to nan Canadian migrant experience. 

‘Foreigner’

“Cardboard City”

World Premiere

In Longueuil, a writer (Jean-Marc Desgent) stubbornly refuses to waste his location to a predatory, if not somewhat unhinged, existent property developer (Pierre Curzi, “The Decline of nan American Empire”). But nan conflict isn’t new: In 1969, Longueuil absorbed nan overmuch larger, and poorer, metropolis of Jacques-Cartier, wherever galore group had constructed their homes pinch nan materials disposable to them. Standing beardown against nan threat to his neighborhood, Desgent tells nan stories of these women and men who built his city. In “Cardboard City” (“Ville jacque carton”), Jean-Marc E. Roy (“Bleu tonnerre,” “Crème de menthe”) and André Forcier (“Ababouiné,” “Au clair de la Lune”) subordinate forces to create an oddball movie wherever reality and fabrication blend connected a backdrop of poetry. Here, family photographs and archival footage stock nan spotlight pinch stellar performances from immoderate of Quebec’s astir beloved actors, including Gaston Lepage, France Castel, Sandrine Bisson, Charlotte Aubin, and Michèle Deslauriers. It’s funny, beautiful, and touching, but supra all, it’s an ode to our people, our history, and our resilience.

‘Cardboard City’

“The Girl Who Stole Time”

Directors: Yu Ao and Zhou Tienan
Animation Plus Section, North American Premiere

“This very infinitesimal of being together is nan gentlest magic we person against time.” Inspired by their ain acquisition pinch abrupt loss, writer-directors Yu Ao and Zhou Tienan created “The Girl Who Stole Time” arsenic a heartfelt consequence to impermanence. Qian Xiao, a cheerful woman from a sportfishing village, obtains a mysterious pendant, nan Time Dial, which gives her nan powerfulness to power time. But her caller expertise attracts danger, including Seventeen, a cold-faced assassin. When their paths collide, a astonishing escapade begins. With an outstanding sound formed including Liu Xiaoyu (“Arcane”), Wang Junkai (“The Great Wall”), and typical appearances by Zhou Shen (“Suzume” Chinese taxable opus singer) and Huang Bo (“Crazy Stone”), this characteristic debut couples top-tier animation and a coagulated affectional halfway pinch nan co-creators’ signature comedic style, delivering a genuinely moving, laughing-through-tears experience.

‘The Girl Who Stole Time’

“Lucid”

Directors: Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall
Septentrion Shadows Section, World Premiere

After coming to Fantasia as a short movie selected for the Frontierés Market Shorts to Features Lab in 2022, directing duo Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall grow nan world of Mia Sunshine Jones in their darkly trippy feature, “Lucid.” Mia is simply a rebellious creation student who struggles to create nan eventual task for a demanding professor. Desperate to find her creator voice, she takes Lucid, a candy elixir, to entree her creativity, but taps into thing overmuch darker. Starring Caitlin Acken Taylor, who reprises her domiciled from nan short, and Georgia Acken (star of nan 2023 Fantasia deed “The Sacrifice Game”), Milligan and Fendall create a surreal nightmare pinch a vintage look that afloat embraces nan 90s grunge era pinch a punk creation aesthetic. Using unrecorded on-set music, an eclectic cast, and loads of experimental and haunting visuals, nan World Premiere of “Lucid” will beryllium a nightmare-come-true. 

‘Lucid’

“Juliet & The King”

Director: Ashkan Ragozar
My First Fantasia/Animation Plus Sections, International Premiere

Complications abound for a lovestruck monarch, a Parisian actress, and her playwright pal bringing Shakespeare to nan Persian shape successful nan charming, animated musical comedy “Juliet & The King.” Following nan bloody, mythic imagination “The Last Fiction” (2018), nan 2nd characteristic movie from Iranian animator Ashkan Ragozar and his squad astatine Hoorakhsh Studio is thing lighter and brighter. It’s a lively humanities formation of fancy astir Nasser-al-Din Shah, Iran’s first ruler to sojourn Europe, successful 1873, saluting his unfastened mind and appetite for nan arts, though Ragozar doesn’t spare him bouts of animation buffoonery. The frisky tone of Shakespeare’s analyzable ensemble comedies is ever-present, arsenic are nan exquisite delights of classical Persian aesthetics, arsenic “Juliet & The King” counters nan Orientalism successful Western animated visions of West Asia and celebrates cross-cultural curiosity pinch love, laughter, and catchy tunes! 

‘Juliet & The King’

“Old Guys successful Bed”

Director: Jean-Pierre “JP” Bergeron
World Premiere

“Old Guys successful Bed” tells nan communicative of Paul (Duff MacDonald), a 60-year-old movie historian, who meets a man (Paul James Saunders) connected a making love website. Unfamiliar pinch these caller ways of making connections, he discovers a world that is some promising and confusing, 1 that will service arsenic his gateway done a modern and unpredictable travel of love. Directing his first characteristic astatine nan property of 73, celebrated Quebec character Jean-Pierre “JP” Bergeron (“Sticky Fingers”), progressive for almost 60 years connected some nan large and mini screens, has delivered an atypical romanticist drama that is tender, daring, and profoundly human. Bergeron had been directed by immoderate of Quebec’s astir important directors, from André Forcier to Robert Morin, Ken Scott to Robin Spry, and pinch “Old Guys successful Bed,” he explores rarely-tread territory pinch awesome joke and heart. 

‘Old Guys successful Bed’

Additional Second Wave Titles

“Dog of God” (Latvia)
Directors: Raitis Ābele and Lauris Ābele

After nan disappearance of her younger sister, a female pinch a proceeding impediment experiences bizarre happenings and frightening encounters erstwhile mysterious noises echo passim nan building. With superb sound creation and perfectly-dosed jump scares, first clip head Kim Soo-jin blends real-life anxieties pinch stark, supernatural elements to create genuine hostility that ne'er lets go. Official selection: Sitges Film Festival 2024, Kosmorama Trondheim International Film Festival 2025. Canadian Premiere.

‘Dog of God’

“Reflection successful a Dead Diamond” (Belgium-France)
Directors: Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani

In a near-future “Free State of Florida,” weapon power is outlawed, and schoolhouse shootings are astatine an all-time high. When an opportunity for notoriety arises, a tormented 13-year-old (Kue Lawrence, “Marshmallow”) enlists successful a arguable and deadly state-sponsored competition. A heartbreaking imagination of nan future, it co-stars Christina Brucato (“The Menu”) and Oscar Nuñez (“The Office”). Winner of nan 50th Anniversary Canal+ assemblage grant astatine nan 2024 Deauville Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.

“The Serpent’s Skin” (Australia)
Director: Alice Maio Mackay

Fantasia alumni Alice Maio Mackay (“T-Blockers,” “Carnage for Christmas”) returns to nan show pinch her sixth characteristic “The Serpent’s Skin,” a supernatural romance that follows Anna, a young female who leaves her transphobic small-town, and develops a romance pinch a tattoo creator who she shares a supernatural connection. After accidentally unleashing a demon, they must activity together to conclusion nan evil that’s sidesplitting their friends. A colorful but tender exploration of love, gender identity, and individual growth. Official selection: Frameline Film Festival 2025. Underground Section. Canadian Premiere.

“Together” (USA)
Director: Michael Shanks 

Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves astatine a crossroads arsenic they move to nan country, abandoning each that is acquainted successful their lives isolated from each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish brushwood pinch a mysterious, unnatural unit threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh. A smart, shocking matrimony of assemblage scary and troubled-relationship study. Official selection: Sundance 2025, SXSW 2025. Canadian Premiere.

“Transcending Dimensions” (Japan)
Director: Toshiaki Toyoda

A nihilistic hitman successful hunt of a missing monk confronts a sadistic sorcerer successful this potent blend of movie noir, sci-fi, supernatural combat, deadpan comedy, and existential weirdness. A gleefully offbeat brain-twister peppered pinch mysticism and mayhem from nan head of “Blue Spring” and “9 Souls.” Official selection: Rotterdam International Film Festival 2025, Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival 2025 Canadian Premiere.

“The Wailing” (Spain)
Director: Pedro Martín-Calero

Several generations of women, separated by clip and space, are stalked by nan aforesaid terrifying curse. One of nan scariest films of nan past year, vibrantly told successful a multi-chapter structure, taking spot successful Spain and Argentina crossed periods decades apart, showcasing a trio of striking lead performances from Ester Expósito (“Venus”), Mathilde Ollivier (“Overlord”), and Malena Villa (“El Angel”). Official Selection: San Sebastián International Film Festival 2024, BFI London 2024, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2025. Canadian Premiere.