At Frontières Market and Forum, it’s all about the exploding heads.
“Big, bloody and messy explosions of heads. Old-school style explosions à la ‘Scanners’,” enthuses director Olivier Godin, who will bring neo-noir comedy “Anna Will Talk to Us” to its official selection, about a book that literally blows people’s minds.
The much-anticipated event, back for its 15th edition, is bound to satisfy the oddest of tastes, delivering the likes of “Animal Realm” – “Full on Wuxia. Total cyberpunk. Stop-motion animation in full action,” teases director Caochong Maing – or vampire story “Drawn” in which the bloodsuckers don’t actuallydrinkblood.
“They infuse it, fueled not by visceral needs but capitalist demands for youth and beauty. The horror portrayed in this film is in equal parts beautiful, grotesque and unflinching,” says Cosmo Salovaara about his“class exploitation buttressed by vampiric motifs.”
Many projects, however, will also reflect current reality from the perspective of women, including the ongoing battle for reproductive rights – just like in Rhona Rees’ “Freya,” where she imagines a “truly dark pro-birth future.” As birth control is only available to men, her protagonist is tricked into getting pregnant after a one-night stand.
“Think ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ without the religion, in a not too distant future reminiscent of ‘Black Mirror’,” she explains.
In “Animal,” a co-production between Czech Republic and Slovakia, a wannabe “perfect” mother gives birth to a cat.
“The protagonist finds herself in a neighborhood whose residents live a life advertising motherhood. Everyone here knows how to raise a child properly, only Fanynka feels completely useless,” says director Milada Těšitelová.
“We gradually descend into a surreal horror in which perfect mothers and their perfect houses with perfect furnishings become a mortal danger. In ‘Animal,’ I come to terms with my own experiences. It took me a long time to admit that the status of a ‘perfect mother’ is an ideal you don’t really need to aspire to.”
“Married to Murder,” “Mt. Asha” and Michelle Godoy Priske’s “Our Blood is Thicker Than Water” will also explore the dark side of motherhood.
“The film explores the moral conundrum of whether violence perpetrated in the name of those we love is ever justified, and how the relationship between a parent and a child is an ever-shifting power struggle,” she says.
Inspired by an upsetting true story, in “Alligator,” Hayley Gray will take on a professional cheerleader who goes on a murderous spree following an attempted assault.
“From poisoning men with benzo-laced cocaine to serving them shots of rat poison and bleach, to stabbing them through the eye, Grace begins to understand her rage is not only justified by what these men attempt to do to her, but by what was done to her mother by this same team years ago,” she notes.
“Within the entertainment industry, whether sports or film, women are routinely told that they have to say ‘yes’. We are meant to feel lucky to be here, but in reality the gatekeepers are profiting off our smiles, our sexuality and our bodies.”
Indigenous stories will also make their mark, starting with TJ Cuthand’s Indigiqueer thriller “Macîskotêw.”
“It’s a socially relevant Indigenous LGBTQ2S genre film with the cocky bravado of ‘Foxy Brown’ mixed with the vengeance of ‘Promising Young Woman’ and supernatural powers of ‘Carrie’,” says the director.
“I aim to not only draw attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirits, but also to empower the viewer by providing a much-needed outlet for Indigenous rage and love.”
Frontières will spotlight “Taniwha” as well, about the titular creature.
“It’s the first authentically New Zealand monster film,” says helmer Libby Hakaraia.
“Authentic Māori storytelling is the backbone for our story. For Māori, Taniwha are real and not myth. They are embedded within our culture and exist in our rivers, mountains, oceans, forests and landscapes. They can be both the guardians and killers of humans.”
Interestingly enough, magic realism also seems to be making a comeback, led by Ryan Ward’s “Pure Science Fiction” about a man who believes he can see his past and future lives, casting a “revealing light on the dark side of technology and inviting us to reclaim a deeper, more enduring connection with each other amidst the digital noise,” notes producer Mackenzie Leigh.
Noah Wagner’s Forum proposition “The Dirty Oyster” will also dabble in fantastical elements.
“Enchanting, evocative and enigmatic, it’s a genre-bending celebration and deconstruction of ‘true love’ that fuses the philosophical romance of ‘Before Sunrise,’ the whimsical magic of ‘Spirited Away’ and the absurdist fever dream of ‘Alice in Wonderland’,” he shares.
Time to plunge into the rabbit hole:
Official Selection:Market Projects
“Alice”
The Netherlands
Director: Jan Verdijk
Genre: Psychological Horror
Vincent van der Valk stars in this horror, now in pre-production, about parents who, faced with their unborn daughter’s dire complications, turn to a mysterious midwife. What begins as harmless alternative therapies soon descends into life-threatening rituals. “It delves into the profound desires and fears of every aspiring parent,” says producer Daniel Dow of DPPLR. “It is a deeply personal narrative for the filmmakers, inspired by their own challenging journeys towards parenthood. The movie predominantly focuses on the male perspective, setting it apart from many other movies with similar themes.”
“Animal”(“Zvíře”)
Czech Republic, Slovakia
Dir: Milada Těšitelová
Genre: Horror Comedy
Although she is trying to fit in, Fanynka’s life in the suburbs full of perfect families gets complicated when she… gives birth to a cat. She decides to steal a baby to cover it up. The film is produced by Nochi Film and Hitchhiker Cinema, while Vojtěch Vodochodský and Antonie Formanová, Miloš Forman’s granddaughter, will star. Producer Julie Marková Žáčková says: “It’s a stylized parable of modern-day motherhood. Employing elements of horror and dark comedy, and surrealist form, it tackles the issue of societal expectations forced onto women, whether they decide to have children or not.”
“Anna Will Talk to Us”(“Anna nous parlera”)
Canada, QC
Dir: Olivier Godin
Genre: Dark Comedy
Nemesis Films, also behind Fantasia opener “Red Rooms,” is on board for this title, currently in development. “Our dream cast would include Roschdy Zem, Mathieu Amalric and Adèle Exarchopoulos. We hope their agents will get in touch!,” laughs producer Dominique Dussault while discussing a dark investigative comedy about a novel that makes the head of anyone who finishes reading it explode. “Olivier Godin is one of the most prolific and singular Canadian film directors out there and this promises to be his most explosive project,” she adds. Entract Films is secured as the Canadian distributor.
“Champagne Living”
Canada, QC
Director: Jeanne Leblanc
Genre: Horror
Leblanc sets her sights on Patrick Champagne, a real estate agent who wants to sell the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, for the perfect life. But his charm conceals a bottomless pit of greed. once a new recruit arrives, he sees his feminine alter ego in her: an unstoppable rising star. “It’s an incisive, precise, frightening journey into the real estate world,” says the director. “I want to push the language of elegant yet daring cinema and I’ll be quoting filmmakers like Jeremy Saulnier, Ti West and some of the South Korean masters.” Montreal-based Caramel Films is producing.
“Daddy’s Little Girl”
U.K.
Directors: Coral Amiga, Nicole Hartley
Genre: Psychological Horror, Thriller
Laura and her boyfriend are heading to her father’s villa in Italy. However, when her dad interrupts their holiday, the unsettling nature of daddy and daughter’s relationship drives a wedge between the couple. Terrified she’s turning into her manipulative father, Laura’s sanity is pushed to the brink. “This darkly comic psychological thriller exposes an insidious type of dysfunction between parent and child, skewing the patriarchal dynamics within a family via a toxic relationship between father and daughter like an inverted Oedipal complex,” say the directors in a statement. Federica Omodei produces, Nick Nessling-Jessup writes.
“Drawn”
U.S.
Director: Cosmo Salovaara
Genre: Horror, Vampire, LGBTQ
In the immediate future, a blood transfusion app connects the aging upper class with desperate donors willing to sell their youth. When Marcel, a jaded twenty-something enters into a romantic relationship with his client Justin, he is pulled into the transfusion black market. “Although the vampire sub-genre has experienced a renaissance in the last decade, the depiction of the storied protagonist/antagonist has remained largely unchanged. With ‘Drawn,’ I’m hoping to do something a little different,” says Salovaara, who co-writes with Sessa Englund. Produced by Cousins Company.
“Freya”
Canada BC, Australia
Director: Rhona Rees
Genre: Science Fiction
Kristyn Stilling and Athena Russell produce this dark take on the “truly pro-birth” future, when abortion is completely outlawed and birth control is available only to men. Rhona Rees’ protagonist, Jade, must fight for her autonomy and her life when she is tricked into getting pregnant after a one-night stand. Soon, she is caught buying black market abortion pills and thrown into a conversion therapy jail for pregnant women. “The message will be a divisive one: Her ability to raise a child has nothing to do with her choice to become a mother,” says the director.
“Hall of Dullness”(“Pabellón de los aburridos”)
Colombia
Director: Ángela Tobón Ospina
Genre: Science Fiction
The electric light has stopped working, forcing the government to create a service center called Sirus. Raúl is confined there, along with a group of men who do not remember who they are. In exchange for the rehabilitation of his memory, he will have to generate light on stationary bikes. “I believe in Latin American science fiction,” says the director. “It can talk about complex issues that overwhelm us as human beings. This film will focus on those who seek light in the midst of darkness and flee from the shadows of their true monster.” The team, led by production company Máquina Espía, is looking for international co-producers.
“Krampusnacht”
Austria
Dir: Peter Hengl
Genre: Horror
From Vienna-based Capra Film and co-founder Peter Hengl, following “Family Dinner,” with “Bug Boy” also in the works. This time, it will dive right into the time when young men in alpine villages dress up in wooden masks and fur costumes to become the “Krampus.” But visiting siblings Val and Mat suspect one of them may be the devil himself, and he’s out for Val’s soul and sanity. “The concept of ‘Krampus’ is known internationally because of all kinds of media treatments, including a Hollywood film, but nobody has used the actual local tradition we grew up with in a film before,” says the director.
“Light of the Void”
Canada
Director: Ashlea Wessel
Genre: Horror
Wessel’s second feature following “Junction Row,” already backed by Raven Banner, sees a young photographer on the cusp of her big break. Capturing a photo of an unwilling subject, she finds herself at the center of a series of mysterious, violent deaths. Crafthaus produces, with Jeff Boulton stating: “It’s always a pleasant surprise when a captivating story, with all the right elements to make an effective genre picture, arrives in your inbox. ‘Light of the Void’ is a genre-fluid picture, a heightened slice of life, a psychological supernatural horror that will take the audience on a nightmarish journey through love, consequences and despair.”
“Northpole”
Greece
Director: Yannis Veslemes
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Period Drama
Granted development funding from the Greek Film Centre and produced by Blonde, the film is named after a steam-powered spaceship, built by Peter Blackforest to save him and his wife – Alice Webber – from a great flood they both believe will soon annihilate the Earth. They also believe they can journey to the moon, where they will live and procreate, quite sure the place is suited for such things. “Northpole” is “a pocket-sized space opera,” says producer Fenia Cosovitsa, mentioning its headstrong characters and one “very cool” robot. “An anti-coming-of-age story about the desire to stay forever young.”
“Prism Lake”
U.S.
Director: Carl W. Lucas
Genre: Cosmic Horror
EchoWolf Productions introduces a couple who set out for a weekend in the mountains, finding themselves embroiled in a secret society’s plot to resurrect a long-forgotten Mesopotamian god. “It’s a cosmic horror film broken up into three parts, playing with the ‘Groundhog Day’ trope. But one where the characters are not consciously reliving the same day and where each day starts the same, but devolves into a different subgenre of horror,” explains Lucas. “Part One is ‘a haunted house,’ Part Two is ‘a monster in the woods’ and part three is ‘the town with a secret,’ all connected to tell one complete story.”
“Pure Science Fiction”
Canada
Director: Ryan Ward
Genre: Magic Realism
Memory Pill is keeping busy, also bringing Ward’s “Daughter of the Sun” to Fantasia. “And it’s all during the week of our wedding anniversary. It has been hectic!,” laughs producer and spouse Mackenzie Leigh. In development, “Pure Science Fiction” focuses on an architect whose life unravels when he starts to believe he can see his own past and future lives. Retreating into wilderness, he seeks answers to life’s most profound questions. “As the world grapples with the rapid advancement of technology and AI, it emerges as a timely reflection on the profound clash between the virtual and the real,” she says.
“Sub”
Director: Peter Modestij
Genre: Body Horror, Drama
Teenager Nina is desperately trying to win her best friend Cici back, while at the same transforming into something less human. Sweden’s Hobab, behind “Hatching,” and Denmark’s Motor are producing, completing financing and eyeing a 2025 shoot. “‘Sub’ is a visceral body-horror drama on normality as being sick,” Modestij tellsPvNew. “Subsequently, it’s an audiovisual and emotional experience, pushing the limits and making its audience go: ‘WTF, are you allowed to do this?’” Modestij, who directed “6A,” also co-wrote Ninja Thyberg’s arthouse hit “Pleasure.”
“Taniwha”
“New Zealand”
Director: Libby Hakaraia
Genre: Monster, Thriller
When their peaceful world is destroyed by a brutal tribe, Keiha and Waikura, a devoted young couple, are chosen to lead the survivors to safety. However, as people start to disappear one by one, Keiha disregards his wife’s astute advice. He veers away from the agreed destination, and they all venture into a strange yet seductive valley. “Working alongside Wētā Workshop, ‘Taniwha’ is the first authentically New Zealand monster film,” says Hakaraia, who will direct. “Authentic Māori storytelling is the backbone for our story.”
“Thank God It’s Friday”
The Netherlands
Director: Michiel Ten Horn
Genre: Dark Comedy
High school teacher starts his first day at a new school, but the teens seem more brutal than ever. Luckily, Joe connects with other tormented colleagues during their weekly game night, when they hypothetically murder their students. However, when one of them really gets under their skin, it pushes the game into a more realistic territory. “We are choosing the perspective of a teacher, but in its bones, it’s still very much a high school comedy,” says the helmer. “Even though our main character is in his 40s, and it takes him a murder to get there, it’s about people growing up.” Maarten Swart produces for Kaap Holland Film.
“The Eyes of Another”
Brazil
Director: Maria Arida
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Biônica Filmes makes its first English-language film, focusing on a choreographer trapped in a psychologically abusive marriage and starting an affair with one of her dancers, Julien. When a fight ends with her husband dead and Julien disfigured, the lover undergoes reconstructive surgery to look like the husband and hide the murder. “We have continuously sought out stories that not only resonate with audiences, but also shed light on societal issues. It’s a powerful addition to our repertoire of thought-provoking films, as it exposes the dark underbelly of abusive relationships,” say producers Karen Castanho and João Macedo
“Worm”
Canada, QC
Director: James Watts
Genre: Horror
After swallowing a tapeworm to lose weight, a former child star undergoes a transformation. Her hunger intensifies and her behavior becomes disturbing. “Worm” examines a woman’s “fraught” relationship to her body and the world around her, specifically the entertainment industry,notes co-writerKelly Kay Hurcomb, who co-produces alongsideMitchell Stafiej of Type One Films.“By pushing herself beyond limits, could she become one of the lucky exceptions who can make sustainable lives for themselves in such a cruel and classically inhabitable space? Or is she just like the rest of the desperate has-beens?,”she wonders.
The Genre Film Lab
“Aisha”
Canada
Director: TBD
Genre: Speculative Fiction
When sinister corporate and religious institutions unite to change the face of an archaictown, a rebellious girl must plot her escape or risk becoming a pawn in a power game. Brishkay Ahmed, who also writes, and Bonnie Do, will produce for Digital Warriors Productions. “Aisha’ is an eye-for-an-eye dystopian tale of vengeance that shows a girl’s rageagainst developers and fundamentalist leaders who want to control her,” they state. “It imagines possible worlds but is firmly rooted in the raging spirit of an Afghan writer speaking up against the oppression of women and girls.”
“Alligator”
Canada
Director: Hayley Gray
Genre: Thriller
In this revenge thriller (made by High Deaf Productions) a cheerleader for the Alligators professional football team finds herself doling out the kind of justice the police can’t provide. When a sponsor attempts to assault her, she bludgeons him to death with a bottle of tequila. This sends her on a spree. “In 2018 I read an article about the Washington Commander’s Cheer Team and how they were coerced into a nude photoshoot,” says the director. “They said they felt ‘pimped out,’ that they were beingtold, not asked. ‘Alligator’ is a wild reimagining inspired by the lives and experiences of cheerleaders in professional football.”
“Married to Murder”
Canada
Director: Samantha Loney
Genre: Dark Comedy
Kyra Weston is cast as a housewife who, after discovering she can’t get pregnant, kills the men in her neighborhood. She must thwart local detective’s efforts to discover she’s the murderer, while coming up with a submission for the community bake off. “The film is a twisted tribute to our grandmothers, trapped in a time where they couldn’t follow their dreams,” says Loney. “With the use of virtual production, we will be able to provide a unique look as we transition from the bright happy facade of the past to the dark reality of women’s issues today.” Leave It to Beavers Productions and Win Girl Productions are behind the film.
“Mt. Asha”
Canada
Directors: Alex Vance and Stephanie Izsak
Genre: Folk Horror, Science-Fiction
When a married couple attend a fertility retreat in an isolated mountain town, they miraculously become pregnant, only to realize they have fallen into the town’s cult. And they want the baby. Naltobel Productions Inc. is on board. “A contemporary spin on classic folk horror, ‘Mt. Asha’ turns the socially charged issues of motherhood and female empowerment on their head by highlighting the absurd pressures women are under and the extreme lengths they will go to in order to have a family,” notes Vance, also mentioning “stunning vistas of a mountain town and a dizzying sci-fi twist that is sure to shock.”
“Our Blood is Thicker Than Water”
Canada
Director: Michelle Godoy Priske
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Supernatural
After moving into a small-town B&B, two adolescent sisters begin to question their controlling mother when they discover there’s no trace that they exist. Their previous house was lost in a fire, but one that might not have been an accident. Determined to unravel the truth, the sisters uncover more secrets their mother has been keeping from them. “This film, with its morally grey characters and tense psychological elements, shows that the choices our parents make have the power to shape us in irrevocable ways, and that the consequences of our actions are never far away,” says the director. Produced by ondaefect Studios.
Shorts to Features
“Animal Realm”
China
Director: Caochong Maing
Genre: Fantasy, Wuxia, Stop-motion Animation
This stop-motion animation from China, produced by Kytoon Studio, takes placein the depths of Gobi Desert in a “dystopian Wuxia future,” when a series of killings unfold. Wolves and humans, and the mechanically enhanced, engage in mutual slaughter and deceit. This is a story about greed, notes the team, which leads to schemes, deception, conflicts and death. Short film “Innermost,” the first story created within the same universe, has been selected for Fantasia this year. “Animal Realm” will bring “the best craftsmanship from the Orient,” promises the director.
“The Dam”(“Barrage”)
Canada, QC
Director: Rémi Fréchette
Genre: Horror Comedy
Camera Chaos-produced film will transport Serge Boulianne, Dominic St-Laurent and Crystelle Quintin to the 1960s, when Raymond, a struggling musician turned reluctant worker, and Fleurian, a stubborn and proud veteran, are tasked with repairing a phone line at a dam construction site. But a malevolent witch lurks within the site, transforming workers into tree-like creatures to protect her sacred resting place. “It combines legends with historical facts. In this film, I draw on the culture of the 1960s, the electrification of Canada, the pre-Quiet Revolution mentality and the music which was popular at the time,” admits Fréchette.
“Variations on a Theme”
U.S
Director: Peter Campbell
Producers: Moon and America LLC
Genre: Body Horror, Romance
Peter Collins Campbell (who co-wrote the script with Sophia Dunn-Walker) shows a graphic designer who, after her boyfriend texts her an urgent message, rushes home to find an identical copy of herself. Apparently, they are splitting into multiple versions, causing chaos and complex relationships to emerge. “Using the larger-than-life setup, what could be done as a small indie dramedy becomes a mind-bending, surreal deep dive into a fracturing relationship,” says the director, calling his film a “unique animal.” “It’s exploring the most intimate and personal things two people can share.” In early pre-production.
Forum
“And You As Well Must Die”
U.S, Poland
Director: Audrey Ewell
Genre: Horror
While battling survivor’s guilt, a young woman attempts to contact her dead fiancé. In a psychedelic-fuelled ceremony, a terrifying dark figure follows her out into the real world. A mysterious neighbor appears and offers to help, but he’s not who – or what – he seems.Luca Borghese and Amanda Marshall produce for AGX and Field Pictures. Before, Ewell co-directed “Until the Light Takes Us” and “99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film,” as well as short “Memory Box” starring Shane Carruth and Mackenzie Davis.
“High Pressure”
France
Directors: Jean Mach, Nicolas Alberny
Genre: Aquatic thriller, Survival
Produced by Mad Films, this underwater thriller is based on a terrifying concept: “Two brothers. 80 meters down. 24 hours of oxygen,” shares one of the directors, Jean Mach. While the cast is to be determined, its makers aim high: “We would love to have James Marsden,” adds Mach. “We are planning a classical theatrical release but also a VR experience. The audience will have the possibility to see four underwater action scenes with a VR headset, to feel like they are diving with the actors and are a part of the movie.” The duo collaborated on 2008 “8th Wonderland,” awarded at Fantasia.
“In the Heart of the South”
Canada, ON
Director: Nyla Innuksuk
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Originally from Nunavut, a writer for Marvel Comics Nyla Innuksuk – known for alien invasion film “Slash/Back,” which premiered at SXSW, and short “Breaths” about Inuit singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark – will now deliver her second feature. Sphere Media Productions and Mixtape VR Inc. are producing.
“Macîskotêw”(“Evil Fire”)
Canada, QC
Director: TJ Cuthand
Genre: Indigiqueer Thriller, Adventure
After seeing a mysterious green light in the sky, Kîsik gains the power to set things on fire with her mind, but she must learn to harness it. Seeking information on her mother and other missing Indigenous women, Kîsik and Jackie, her new girlfriend, uncover a conspiracy involving some of the very people sworn to protect their community. “In the world I have created, victims of trauma vindicate themselves through vengeance and catharsis, backed by some seriously bad-ass spiritual forces beyond our knowledge,” says Cuthand. Anne-Marie Gélinas and Sera-Lys McArthur produce.
“The Dirty Oyster”
USA
Director. Noah Wagner
Genre: Magical Realism Romance
Now in advanced development, and inspired by Noah Wagner’s personal experiences, the film centers on a journalist who ends up in a mysterious restaurant that guarantees that eating its oyster bisque will reveal your true love. Upon meeting her supposed “soulmate”, they both set out to possibly expose its chef and uncover the whole truth, heading down an increasingly bizarre rabbit hole. “It invites us to question our own assumptions about love, relationships and destiny,” teases the director. Written by Michael Koehler, with Echobend Pictures on board.
“The Hymn of Evil”(working title)
Norway
Director: Rikke Gregersen
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Johan Fasting and Gregersen are behind the story of a journalist returning to her hometown to make a podcast series about the wave of suicides, hanging like a dark cloud over the village’s black metal scene. She unearths truths that put both her and others in danger. “It’s a northern gothic story set in a small valley in the Norwegian hinterlands, a suspenseful thriller-horror with a relatable relationship drama at its core,” says Petter onstad Løkke (Maipo Film), who produces with Cornelia Boysen. “Helmed by one of our most talented up-and-coming directors, it’s centered around a captivating female lead diving into a chilling conspiracy.”
