Fantasia 2025 First Wave: 29th Edition bursts with bold Premieres

Fantasia International Film Festival has revealed the first wave of titles for its 29th edition, running July 17–August 3, 2025, in Montreal. Returning to Concordia Hall, J.A. de Sève, and Cinéma du Musée, this year’s lineup promises a thrilling mix of world premieres, genre experiments, and breakout voices.

Among the early highlights:

• Steve Pink’s TERRESTRIAL shifts the Hot Tub Time Machine director into darker sci-fi thriller territory, starring Jermaine Fowler and Pauline Chalamet.
• Kenichi Ugana’s I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN offers a hilarious, heartfelt tribute to indie horror and DIY filmmaking.
• Julie Pacino’s I LIVE HERE NOW dives deep into Lynchian dream-logic and trauma, with Lucy Fry leading an impressive cast.
• YA BOY KONGMIN! THE MOVIE catapults the hit manga/anime into a wild, J-pop-fueled cinematic adventure.
• INFLUENCERS, Kurtis David Harder’s chilling sequel, sees Cassandra Naud’s CW return to wreak havoc in the South of France.
• Hwang Wook’s THE WOMAN delivers a taut Korean psychological thriller loaded with eerie tension.

Fantasia’s first wave also includes:

• HOLD THE FORT, a hilarious horror-comedy about a suburban battle against monstrous forces.
• THE WELL, Oscar nominee Hubert Davis’ grim eco-thriller predicting a future of water scarcity and social collapse.
• BODYGUARDS, a fast-paced, absurd manga adaptation about secret protection and hidden dangers.
• CHAO, an anime reimagining of The Little Mermaid with a cyberpunk Shanghai twist.
• ANYTHING THAT MOVES, Alex Phillips’ gritty, erotic horror shot on Super 16mm.
• HELLCAT, a supernatural survival thriller unfolding inside a speeding camper.
• MOTHER OF FLIES, The Adams Family’s latest haunting meditation on life, death, and magic.
• BURNING, a Rashomon-style mystery exploring gossip, tragedy, and black magic in Kyrgyzstan.
• THE BEARDED GIRL, a Western-tinged queer coming-of-age fairy tale.
• I AM FRANKELDA, Mexico’s first stop-motion feature from Guillermo del Toro’s protégés.
• THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH, a satirical look at gender dynamics in the film world.
• A GRAND MOCKERY, an Australian 8mm descent into psychological horror and surrealism.
• MONONOKE THE MOVIE: CHAPTER II, the Medicine Seller’s latest psychedelic adventure.

Fantasia promises its full lineup reveal in early July, but this first glimpse already hints at a year of audacious, genre-defying storytelling.

Stay tuned.