FANTASTIC
7
SITGES FILM FESTIVAL
Descripción de la actividad
Programa que ofrece una vista previa de las próximas producciones en la industria del cine de género fantástico global, promoviendo la conexión de estos proyectos con representantes de la producción y distribución internacional.
Descubre las próximas tendencias del género fantástico internacional
Domingo 21 Mayo
12h-13h50
LUGAR: PALAIS K
El evento se celebrará de forma física y online a través de la plataforma marchedufilm.online platform.
El Sitges – Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, con la colaboración del Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes y el Director de Asuntos Internacionales del INCAA, Bernardo Bergeret, presentan la quinta edición de Fantastic 7, un programa que ofrece una vista previa de las próximas producciones en la industria del cine de género fantástico global, promoviendo la conexión de estos proyectos con representantes de la producción y distribución internacional.
Fantastic 7 está diseñado para conectar proyectos en diferentes etapas de producción -o que hayan sido finalizados- con agentes inversores internacionales, con el propósito de promover su comercialización final.
Siete festivales de primer nivel presentan un proyecto cinematográfico de género de su respectivo territorio en una sesión de pitch que se celebra de forma anual durante el Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes. Fantastic 7 muestra los proyectos de género más prometedores a nivel mundial, representando las nuevas tendencias de cada continente.
Álex de
la Iglesia
Padrino Fantástico 2023
Este año, el padrino del evento será Álex de la Iglesia, director, productor y guionista de cine.
La Entrevista
Hay maestros del género fantástico y hay amantes del género, y luego está Álex de la Iglesia, que suda, consume y sueña con cine, con cine de género fantástico, por supuesto. Su filmografía incluye películas de género como El día de la tía, El último circo, La riqueza común y Acción mutante. Ahora, a los cincuenta y seis años, de la Iglesia es uno de los creadores más autorizados de la industria cinematográfica y el mejor padrino de los Fantástic 7. Así lo demuestran sus reflexiones durante una excelente clase magistral, impartida en la edición de la ‘año pasado del Sitges – Festival Internacional de Cine Fantástico de Catalunya.
Lucía Nieto
Nuevos Talentos
La Entrevista
Los orígenes del programa WomanInFan giraron en torno a la promoción y el reconocimiento de mujeres cineastas creativas dentro de la industria del género fantástico. Para esta edición de 2023, nos estamos enfocando en poner las bases de la narrativa femenina, una narración única que diferencia historias e intereses desde el punto de vista de una mujer. Éste es el germen de WomanInFan Fant.Latina, una iniciativa en colaboración con Blood Window, que reúne proyectos de género liderados por mujeres y que, en el pasado mercado de Ventana Sur, entregó un premio a Lucía Nieto Salazar, que aspira a debutar con su primer largometraje Los Visitantes.
Los siete Festivales Fantásticos son:
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
Guadalajara International Film Festival
New Zealand International Film Festival
SXSW Film & TV Festival
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
LA ERMITA
SITGES - FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA FANTÀSTIC DE CATALUNYA, presenta:
Título original: La Ermita
Título en inglés: The Chapel
Directora: Carlota Pereda
Cast: Maia Zaitegi, Belén Rueda, Josean Bengoetxea, Loreto Mauleón, Jon Olivares, Elena Irureta, Nagore Aranburu
Género: Supernatural drama
Nacionalidad: España
Idioma: Español
Productores: Laura Fernández, Carlos Fernández, Iñaki Gómez, Pablo Echart
Sinopsis: Una fábula fantástica que navega entre el pasado y el presente, el mundo real y lo paranormal, a través de los ojos de Emma, una joven que quiere continuar comunicándose con su madre, aunque esto signifique contactar con la otra banda. Emma quiere aprender a comunicarse con el espíritu de una niña que lleva siglos atrapada en una capilla y por eso intenta convencer a Carol, una médium escéptica y falsa, para que le ayude. Ponerse en contacto con el espíritu le ayudará a permanecer cerca de su madre enferma una vez que muera. Lo que Carol no sospecha es que Emma realmente tiene “el don” y, si sigue intentando utilizarlo sin su ayuda, pondrá en riesgo su joven vida.
THE FIN
BUCHEON INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL, presenta:
Título original: 지느러미
Título en inglés: The Fin
Director: Syeyoung Park
Cast: Yeji Yeon, Goh-woo, Pureum kim
Género: Sci-Fi, Independent, Disaster
Nacionalidad: República de Corea
Idioma: Coreano
Productor: Heejung Oh
Sinopsis: Ambientada en una futura Corea distópica, The Fin sigue a tres personajes y sus encuentros inesperados entre sí finalmente se convierten en un grito rasgador. Un tritón moribundo pide a un amigo que dé sus restos a su hija, escondiéndose entre los humanos. Encargado de ese peligroso viaje, el tritón se dirige en secreto a la tierra de los humanos. Es perseguido por un nuevo empleado civil alimentado por la curiosidad y el odio.
THE SHELTER
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, presenta:
Título original: Le Refuge
Título en inglés: The Shelter
Director: Talal SELHAMI
Cast: TBC
Género: Psychological Horror
Nacionalidad: Francia – Marruecos
Idioma: Árabe, Francés
Productor: Lamia Chraïbi
Sinopsis: Leila, cuarentona de Alepo, era una famosa pianista, ahora está refugiada en París. Debe cuidar a Georges, un anciano, inválido y mudo. A Georges no le queda mucho tiempo de vida. Por la noche, Georges sufre, sus gritos son insoportables.
Leila no puede dormir. Una presencia aparece en las sombras y le hace el amor, es confuso. Es su marido, fallecido durante la guerra. Leila enciende la luz, ve a Georges, paralizado, con los ojos llenos de incomprensión. Más tarde, es el hijo muerto de Leila quien habla, con la boca de George. Al principio asustada, Leila entra en un juego extraño e insano; Un juego que la hace…
CORPUS
GUADALAJARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, presenta:
Título original: Corpus
Título en inglés: Corpus
Director: Pablo Delgado
Cast: Carlos Bardem, Harold Torres, Armando Espitia, Adrián Rossi, Kanerit (Karen García), Matías del Castillo, Raúl Briones
Género: Terror
Nacionalidad: México
Idioma: Español
Productoras: Eva Ruiz de Chávez, Mariana Rodríguez
Sinopsis: México, 1928. El gobierno está en guerra con los Cristeros. Una luna roja está saliendo. Risas y susurros se escuchan en lo alto de los pinos. Dos chicos se enamoran en el peor lugar del mundo. Un joven rebelde es abandonado por su madre. Un presbítero y sus alumnos han vagado sin rumbo durante días. Todos los caminos se cruzan en el mismo sitio: San Miguel Arcángel. Un seminario olvidado en medio del bosque. Los rumores de federales en la zona siembran el miedo… Sin embargo, alguien sabe que la verdadera amenaza se encuentra dentro de Sant Miquel, en lo profundo de sus mazmorras. Lo que pronto encontrará la salida.
THE TELEVANGELIST
WHĀNAU MĀRAMA NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, presenta:
Título original: The Televangelist
Título en inglés: The Televangelist
Director: Tom Levesque
Cast: TBC
Género: Psychological thriller, black comedy
Nacionalidad: Nueva Zelanda
Idioma: Inglés
Productores: Kevin DeWalt, Matt Noonan
Sinopsis: Tras fingir un intento de asesinato por aumentar su audiencia online cada vez más reducida, el televangelista de Internet Hendrick Powell cree que un predicador cibernético rival está detrás de su continuo declive. Mientras Hendrick planea un evento para aparecer en los titulares y ser el centro de atención, su matrimonio empieza a hundirse cuando su mujer, Patty, tiene un despertar sexual tras obsesionarse con una persona influyente en el fitness . Al enredarse en un horrible crimen, la paranoia y las obsesiones de Hendrick llegan a proporciones similares a las de la histeria mientras pronuncia un sermón que se vuelve global por las razones equivocadas. A medida que se revela la verdad sobre su espectáculo fraudulento, Hendrick descubre que sus sospechas de sabotaje pueden estar justificadas, pero la pregunta continúa: ¿quién es el responsable?
DEAD ENDERS
SXSW FILM & TV FESTIVAL, presenta:
Título original: Dead Enders
Título en inglés: Dead Enders
Directores: Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker
Cast: TBD
Género: Horror, Comedy, Coming of Age
Nacionalidad: USA
Idioma: Inglés
Productores: Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker
Sinopsis: Maya es una joven y agotada empleada de una gasolinera en el pequeño pueblo de Tanglewood, Texas. Pero su cómoda vida dibujando cómics con su mejor amigo, Charlie, se ve alterada después de que un accidente de fracking libera a una especie de parásitos que controlan la mente y convierten a las personas en zánganos condenados a realizar tareas serviles que terraforman Tanglewood en una colonia de insectos. Seis meses después: la ciudad está bajo confinamiento en medio de la amenaza de los Headsqueezers. Cuando Maya se entera de que Charlie ha desaparecido, recurre a sus antiguos compañeros de trabajo para reconstruir los hechos. Para recuperar su mejor amistad, Maya deberá aventurarse a las profundidades de la ciudad exterior infestada de insectos, enfrentarse cara a cara con los horrores que acechan bajo la plácida fachada de Tanglewood y descubrir el oscuro precio que pagó Charlie para recuperar la vida de la forma en que solía ser. Es seguro decir que podría llegar tarde al próximo turno.
RESTORE POINT
TALLINN BLACK NIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL, presenta:
Título original: Bod Obnovy
Título en inglés: Restore Point
Director: Robert Hloz
Cast: Andrea Mohylová, Matěj Hádek, Václav Neužil, Milan Ondrík, Karel Dobrý, Agáta Kryštůfková, Katarzyna Zawadzka, Jan Vlasák, Iveta Dušková, Richard Stanke, Adam Vacula, Jan Jankovský, Lech Dyblik
Género: Science fiction
Nacionalidad: República Checa
Idioma: Checo
Productor: Jan Kallista
Sinopsis: En 2041 todas las personas tienen el derecho constitucional de vivir una vida entera. Si alguien muere de una muerte no natural, reviven y pueden continuar con su vida. Todo lo que hace falta es crear regularmente un punto de restauración, una copia de seguridad donde se guarda su memoria. En esa sociedad, el asesinato es casi imposible. El joven detective Me Trochinowska debe resolver un misterio de asesinato donde el único testigo es una de las víctimas resucitadas.
La Entrevista: ÁLEX DE LA IGLESIA
There are fantastic genre masters and there are genre lovers, and then there’s Álex de la Iglesia, who perspires, consumes and dreams of film, of fantastic genre film, of course. As a Renaissance man, he has cultivated comics and writing, and film he’s done the same in the areas of screenwriting, directing and, recently, production. His filmography includes seminal entries in the history of genre films such as The Day of the Beast, The Last Circus, Common Wealth and Mutant Action. Now at the age of fifty-six, de la Iglesia is one of the most authoritative creators in the film industry and the best godfather for Fantastic 7. This is something evidenced by his reflections during an excellent masterclass, given at last year’s edition of the Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.
The Enjoyment of the Fantastic Genre
I genuinely enjoy genre not because fantastic films are lowbrow, but because they don’t pretend to be intelligent, because they aim to make you enjoy yourself as a viewer. And then, in fact, it turns out that the most intelligent films are found within the fantastic genre.
From my point of view, the fantastic genre is the one that best expresses feelings and that leaves the most room for creation. I go to the movies to have a good time. Movies brings me out of my problems, I don’t want movies to be my problem.
In other film genres it’s easy to slip into boredom or a false pretension, whereas in the fantastic genre, even bad movies are cool. And I love that director who has only managed to make one decent film, because I know why he did it. I understand every shot, I understand the problems he’s had, the failings, the shortcomings. I understand all of it. And despite it all, he’s still delivered the fucking vampire. He’s delivered the fucking zombie. He’s had the balls to deliver that zombie who is his brother-in-law with shitty make-up. And the thing is that in the fantastic genre it’s very common to work with more passion than money. But if on top of that someone with no money and a huge amount of passion achieves a perfect product, then the only thing left for you to do is to kneel down and tell him I love you, you’re the fucking man.
The Spectacle of Film
Film starts from a lie; it starts from a spectacle that has a lot to do with the spectacle of a fairground attraction. In fact, film was born at a fair, sharing the billing with the bearded woman, the boy with seven heads, the cow with four arms, and there was the film spectacle. And in that absurd place, full of mud and smelling of feces, they show a train coming towards you and you think it’s going to kill you. And that’s film. And from that point on, we are lucky that someone also tells us how man can go to the moon or fight against animals from space, or against some fish-shaped men, thanks to Méliès, who establishes both the fantastic genre and film. And the fact is that film starts off being fantastic.
Film itself in its very language has an intention to entertain and to capture viewers’ attention in such a way that you can be in several places at the same time. In that regard, film enhances life because it gives you very different points of view. And that’s your responsibility as a director, to offer viewers a richer life than the one they are living.
The Role of Festivals
I come to Sitges because it’s necessary, because I need to come here, because my food is here, as if I were
a vampire. At this festival we all want to enjoy what we’ve done with our friends and that doesn’t happen at other festivals. There are other festivals where I don’t have a good time because people don’t come to enjoy themselves. They come to impose their genius on you or to explain their brilliant topic to you, and that’s a mistake. If the rest of us don’t have fun, why do you do it? Who do you want to impress or what is it you want to do? It’s something that bothers me deep-ly. How is it possible for someone to want to explain something that’s so important to them and forget about the entertainment?
It seems to me that this is what film is all about. Film is emotion; it’s about moving you with something. I don’t understand people who only want to impress.
Repeating the Formula for Success
I really love the industry and I really love being suc-cessful. And I’m convinced that if we were to make a sequel to The Day of the Beast, as bad as it might be, we would make a lot of money. But you have to have respect for the The Day of the Beast brand because it’s a great movie that many people I love very much were involved in and I think it’s something that shouldn’t be touched. Its time already passed.
We also thought about doing a Mutant Action prequel, but it’s something I rule out every time. It would be like denying myself. In other words, I think that if we move forward, we move forward.
On Elevated Horror
I can’t stand it. I can’t stand the label, but do I love elevated horror. I think we’re living in a golden age of horror movies similar to the great era of Universal, which gave birth to the world of Frankenstein, the werewolf, the mummy and all those films that changed or laid the foundations of horror movies. But today we don’t have the power to make the kind of films that were made back then, when there was nothing else and everything was focused on that. However, right now we have the filmmaking of Ari Aster or the filmmaking of Panos Cosmatos. And it is a very good filmmaking, but it’s not elevated or it’s not as elevated as others.
Let me clarify: we can’t say that Carpenter is banal. He’s a filmmaker with a very specific way of working, that addresses a very specific audience and has a very specific style. And The Thing is as good as Alien, I think. And I don’t feel it’s fair to say that Alien is more exquisite or deserves more respect. These are absurd industry factoids.
Elevated filmmaking is, shall we say, a pejorative concept if we use it to discredit all other horror movies. We all agree that a lot of very good films are branded with that label. In that regard, I think that Midsommar isn’t normal. Ari Aster’s filmmaking isn’t normal because it’s very powerful, very hallucinatory. Hereditary is one of the most terrifying films I’ve ever seen in my life. I saw it with my daughter, and we were terrified watching it because it suddenly works with a new kind of horror, a different way of presenting horror and playing with people, but it’s not more elevated than others. That assessment seems to me to be a belittlement of genre.
The Hardest Part of the Producer’s Role
I don’t usually interfere as a producer because it’s very hard to know what the director has in his/her head at any given moment. With Jaume Balagueró, for example, when he did the first edit, he showed it to me and that was enough. The film is extraordi-nary. As simple as that. It’s true that I commented on certain things to him as a viewer: what you see and how you could improve it in case he wanted to improve it. And yes, he told me he would think about it and in the final result, I was able to see that there were things he listened to me on and others that he didn’t. But the truth is that the film he has made is unsurpassable. It’s perfect.
La Entrevista: LUCÍA NIETO
The origins of the WomanInFan program were shaped around the promotion and recognition of creative female filmmakers within the fantastic genre industry. For this 2023 edition, we are focusing on establishing the foundations of female narrative, a unique storytelling that differentiates stories and interests from a woman’s point of view. For decades, the history of the fantastic genre has been populated by monsters, nightmares and traditions created by male filmmakers. We have learned to shudder in a movie theater with stories told from the male point of view, while the intervention of women has been residual or barely acknowledged.
This is why the WomanInFan initiative has been travelling around markets and festivals for three years now, recalling the role of past, present and future female filmmakers. And not only for their unique cinematic vision but also for their indispensable work as transmitters of legends, traditions and stories, which are relevant to their particular filmographies. This is the seed of WomanInFan Fant.Latina, an initiative in collaboration with Blood Window, which brings together genre projects led by women and which at the past Ventana Sur market, granted an award to Lucía Nieto Salazar, who aspires to make her debut with her first feature film Los Visitantes (The Visitors).
Genre, A Vanishing Point
Ever since I was a child, I lived more in my imagination than in reality. I looked for that escape to other worlds in cinema and literature. I liked to play that life was
a dream (and I still do to this day). So I was always fascinated by the dreamlike, magical realism, fantasy. It is a way I have of living life; imagining that there are other places, other characters, hidden in reality itself. I play at believing that they exist, at imagining where they come from, where they are going. It is the engine I have to live: to believe that there is an intangible magic that surrounds me and that generates a constant fascination for the world around me.
Influences Between Film and Literature
My main influences in the realm of film are Roman Polanski, David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick. In literature: Mario Levrero, Mariana Enriquez, Felisberto Hernandez, Horacio Quiroga, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allan Poe, among others.
The Creative Impulse
What usually happens to me is that, from an experience, an idea is triggered, and I quickly develop a story. For example, a few weeks ago I was in the kitchen, and I looked outside and for a few seconds I saw myself in the garden watching me, as if there was another me. I quickly wrote The Other, a short film in the development stage. That’s why I love to inhabit different environments, to meet new people, original characters; because it is in reality where I find the triggers.
Women in the Fantastic Industry
I think the difficulties that women have when it comes to evolving professionally in different positions within the film industry are not alien to the rest of society. If we take a closer look, most successful directors are men. The discrimination that we suffer as women usually occurs in power relationships.
In this regard, I have never experienced (at least in the film industry up to now, although I have in others) any degrading situation, possibly due to the circumstances of my environment: I live in a small place, Maldonado. Uruguay is a little country where all of us who are involved in this field know each other. Also, and fortunately, in recent years certain social policies have been put into practice that favor greater equity with regard to national public funds. Likewise, in international market and film festival sections, a greater inclusion of women and minorities is being achieved. But, on an industry scale, I do believe that there is still a glass ceiling, and particularly in genre filmmaking.
Debuting in Feature Film
Los Visitantes (The Visitors) is my debut feature film. A psychological thriller that follows the life of Helena, a young woman in her thirties, who moves to a sprawling estate on the outskirts of the city with her boyfriend. But the couple breaks up and Helena is left alone. This causes her to experience an enormous depression, because she suffers from an emotional imbalance that, at times, distorts her perception of reality. She feels threatened by the world that surrounds her, but especially by the male gender, which she finds to be very hostile. A visitor, a friend of the owner’s, is expected to arrive. A man arrives at the residence, but then, a few days later, another one shows up. Helena will have to discover who the impostor is and what his dark intentions are.
The film inhabits a strained, dark atmosphere, with surreal and hallucinatory moments. Suspense runs throughout the story: Who is the impostor? Who is the real enemy? This is the question that harasses Helena regarding her lovers and that immerses her in unremitting doubt: Does he love me, or does he want to hurt me?