Fantasia Film Festival 2025 curtain raising with the full spectrum of weirdo wonder

Now, more than ever, people need to escape. Either way to a lake for some serenity. Drowning out the world with the latest album they can scream at the top of their lungs. The most adventurous type might brave the heat and head to an amusement park to get their adrenaline rush some other way. Though if you’re like me and a fan of movies, then you turn your attention to the international waters and see what’s going on in the film festival scene.

Thankfully, every July, Montreal plays host to the world’s largest genre movie gathering: the Fantasia International Film Festival.

If you’ve been a reader at The Pitch in the past, then you’ve likely read some of our coverage. It might be in the distant land of “Canada”, but Fantasia is probably one of the most exciting events that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, in the US. People often know of AXSW, Fantastic Fest, Tribeca, and Sundance, yet all those festivals in some way owe a bit to Fantasia.

Case in point, their 29th annual edition not only looks to be their best slate of offerings, but they’ve chosen to go all out with amazing repertory screenings and awards for genre luminaries.

As great as that is though, Fantasia is all about the movies. And though there is a veritable smorgasbord to dive into, we wanted to highlight a few titles that stand out. From closed-quarters films, debut features, stunt actors getting lead roles, and even a few anime films, there’s bound to be something to satiate your interest here.

Queens of the Dead

This might be the biggest draw of Fantasia. After premiering at Tribeca last month, Queens of the Dead has become a hot topic among horror fans. Part of that has to do with the plot that follows a group of people attending a massive Brooklyn warehouse party. As a zombie apocalypse breaks out around them, a group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their differences and work together, if they want to make it out alive.

The second reason is that Queens of the Dead is the feature debut of Tina Romero. Yes, she is the daughter of the zombie genre, George Romero. Yet this isn’t a case where nepotism comes into play. Word out of the first showings is that she has not only her father’s gore, but also his ear for social commentary. That is enough to get it on everyone’s “must-see” list immediately.

With a cast that includes Katy O’Brian, Riki Lindholme, Margaret Cho, Tómas Matos, Nina West, and more, everyone should take solace in knowing that Shudder helped produce the film. Making it one of the few festival films that’s guaranteed a release in the near future.

Holy Night: Demon Hunters

Almost as exciting as Queens of the Dead, is the latest Don Lee starring vehicle. This time the international star uses his giant meat hooks and deft charm to take on the world of psychics, demons, and supernatural baddies.

The plot for Holy Night: Demon Hunters sounds barebones at best, dealing with a devil-worshipping criminal syndicate taking over Seoul, and the police having to call in a trio of Demon Hunters to save the day. All that matters, though, is that this seems to be a passion project for Lee. Not only is he the star, but he’s a producer and also has a writing credit on the film. Or that could all just be an excuse to have control over interjecting his trademark sense of humor and desire to punch everything he can into ash. No really, watch the trailer to see exactly what I mean!

Flush

In the world of independent films and film festivals, there is no better hook than a “one location” movie. It instantly demands attention, and the hopes for a creative, insane endeavor run rampant in the mind. The last time such a film burst onto the scene was 2022’s Glorious.

While that film spent the entirety of its run time in the confines of a bathroom, Grégory Morin’s Flush looks to pare down to a single toilet.

Coke fiend Luke (R. Jonathan Lambert) shows up at the club where his ex works, desperate to win her back. After running afoul of a drug dealer & the club’s owner, only to wind up with a bag, Luke finds his head literally trapped inside a toilet.

The plot alone is enough to give it a look. Hearing that it unfolds in real-time should hook you in even further. Then learning that it’s only 70 minutes long? Well, thats the kind of movie worth checking out, even if your interest is mediocre at best. Something that will likely change after seeing the poster.

Hi-Five

Look, summer time might not be the best time to discuss superhero/super power movies. The box office is littered with the umpteenth film in a series or reboot. Everyone is burnt out on the subgenre. Which means it would take something VERY intriguing to bring one up now, right? Right?

Hi-Five both sounds entirely like another wild South Korean thrill-ride while also injecting some much-needed adrenaline into the super. Kang Hyung-chul’s film follows 5 individuals who end up with superpowers and mysterious tattoos after receiving organ transplants from the same body. The downside is that another recipient happens to be a cult leader, whose power is absorbing the life force of others, and is tracking the 5 super individuals down.

See, now you care about seeing a movie featuring people with powers again.

All You Need Is Kill

People tend to get up in arms when they hear a book or comic (or manga) is getting a new adaptation, but there’s always an exception to that rule. The inspiration for the Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt-led Edge of Tomorrow, All You Need Is Kill, is coming at audiences again, this time in the form of an anime!

After an alien flower known as “Darol” unleashes hordes of monsters across Japan, the population is decimated. Among the deceased is young redheaded Rita, who strangely finds herself alive and repeating the same day. Over and over again. As she deftly tries to navigate the time loop and ensuing chaos, she crosses paths with a shy man named Kenji, who is also reliving the day. Together they set off to try to figure out why they are stuck in this mess, how to break free from it, and maybe save the world in the process.

What’s immediately striking about director Kenichiro Akimoto’s take on the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka is its central character. Rather than focusing on the male POV, it switches to the traditionally secondary character, Rita. Throw in the fact that Studio 4°C (Memories, Spiggan, Tekkonkinkreet)  is behind the production, with money from Warner Bros Japan and All You Need Is Kill sounds like a lot of fun.

The Forbidden City

As a giant fan of action films, I’ve always felt bad for stunt doubles. The big-name actors get the money, attention, and glory, while the person doing a lot of the work is only known to their peers. Fantasia seems to feel the same way, as they’ve shown the Baby Assassins films in years past. A series highlighting the work of Saori Izawa, who was the stunt double of Rina Sawayama in John Wick 4.

Now it’s Yaxi Lui’s turn as she takes the stage as the lead of The Forbidden City, after being the lead stunt double in Disney’s live-action Mulan. Taking place in the seedy underbelly of Rome, the film follows two lost souls who unexpectedly cross paths. One is a woman from China who is searching for her missing sister. The other is the son of a restaurateur, who has disappeared with his lover.

Best of all the film is the latest outing of director Gabriele Mainetti, whose prior films They Call Me Jeeg Robot and Freaks Out played Fantasia. The reason that’s of note, is because if someone can make the seemingly mysterious plot above sing, it’s the guy who made a low-level superhero flick and movie a where circus freaks have to take on Nazi’s into indelible works.

Reflection In A Dead Diamond

With a title like that, how could you not want to know what this movie is about? Do you even need to know or can you take the title as a win and go off that?

If you are someone who needs a little more to go off of, Reflection In A Dead Diamond is the latest effort from Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani. The duo behind Amer, The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears, and Let The Corpses Tan. Each film is more or less an exemplification of the saying “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. While most directors might try to ape an aesthetic and miss what makes certain movies special, Cattet & Forzani know how to capture past magic and make it their own.

While their prior works saw them tackle giallos, spaghetti westerns, and poliziotteschi, Reflection In A Dead Diamond sees them tackling Eurosleaze and spy films of the ’60s.

A retired secret agent in his 70s (Fabio Testi) gets more than he bargained for when the woman who lives next door suddenly disappears.

Short and succinct, it’s a plot you can’t really argue with. That makes sense, given that Cattet & Foranzi tend to be directors who get accused of being style over substance. Yet when your visuals are as sumptuous as this pair put on display, it’s hard to argue with. Which is exactly why hearing they’ve made a film that’s part James Bond shenanigans, mixed with the likes of Danger: Diabolik, you sit up and take notice.

Buffet Infinity

There was going to be another film here.

This isn’t a joke.

Originally there was going to be a space here for a typical and interesting festival film. And then, when going over the films at Fantasia, one burrowed its way into my mind. Then into my YouTube feed and then in a Google search. The little bits I found made me confused, a little scared, and very excited. Stay with me here.

Buffet Infinity is a film by comedian Simon Glassman with a wild-sounding setup:

“Picking from hundreds of hours of original, low-budget local TV Ads, Glassman tells the sinister tale of two restaurants battling it out in the town of Westridge County.”

If you search for Buffet Infinity, you won’t find answers. You’ll just find nagging questions brought on by cryptic “commercials” or a website that just feels “off”. Like some demon incarnation of VHYes, The WNUF Halloween Special, and the works of Tim & Eric, you might not have a choice but to seek out Buffet Infinity whenever it comes out. Before it seeks you

That amazing thing about all the titles above is that it makes you just a small fraction of what’s on offer at Fantasia this year. There’s the follow-up to 2002’s Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat In Space. An Indonesian horror film that mentions Fulci & The Evil Dead in its blurb, while also cautioning viewers to the ultra-violence on display. Not to mention, Master of the Macabre, Takashi Miike has 3 projects (a TV show and 2 movies) that are showing at the fest!

With so much in store, there’s a ton to get excited about. The Pitch will bring you select coverage of the Fantasia International Film Festival, when it runs from July 16—August 3, 2025. For more details and a full list of films playing at the event, go to FantasiaFestival.com.