Fantasia Film Festival 2023 – Alan’s First Picks of the Fest!

My favourite film festival is back for another year! With its wide variety of films, spanning almost every genre, there’s literally a film for everyone, and this year’s Fantasia is no different. Although the full line-up has yet to be announced, he’s a handful of the movies to be looking out for already.

• Lovely, Dark and Deep – This is the directorial debut of Teresa Sutherland, writer of The Wind and on Midnight Mass – a small but excellent C.V. Starring Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell in its lead, she plays a park ranger in an isolated forest post, the site of multiple disappearances. This genre movie promises to be visually stunning while also bringing the scares. Fantasia will host its World Première.

• Aporia – Another World Première, this one from writer/director Jared Moshe. A time-bending, character-driven sci-fi movie starring Judy Greer. That description is enough to garner most peoples interest but if you need more this film covers people making impossible choices after experiencing a life full of struggles.

• Mayhem! – You guessed it, another World Première. From director Xavier Gens (Frontier(s), Gangs of London), it’s no surprise this is a ‘blood-soaked revenge thriller’. After starting slow, expect action, blood and some unbelievable fight scenes!

• Mother Land – As if to prove the variety of films on offer, Mother Land is a stop-motion adventure like no other! Director Park Jae-beom makes South Korea’s first stop-motion feature film in almost half a century. It tells the story of Krisha, whose mother has fallen ill and, on the advice of the village shamen, follows the North Star to the Ancient Forest to find its master and guardian – the great red bear of legend.

• The Sacrifice Game – Jenn Wexler is back! She directed the excellent but criminally underseen The Ranger in 2018 and is now back with a ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy’! The Sacrifice Game promises to be a non-stop horror movie full of gore!

I’ve picked five films for now but check back in when the full line-up is announced and I’ll be back with a whole host of new recommendations!