THE OPENING FILM IS POLARIS BY KC CARTHEW
AN HONORARY CAREER AWARD FOR JOHN WOO
FROM JULY 14 TO AUGUST 3, 2022
It’s tomorrow, at 6:30 p.m., in the SGWU Alumni Auditorium at Concordia University (Hall Theatre) that the 26th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival will kick off with the film POLARIS by Canadian director KC Carthew. The next day, Fantasia will present an honorary career award to John Woo at the screening of HARD BOILED. The famous Hong Kong filmmaker will then give an exceptional master class, Saturday, July 16 at 3 pm, at the Cinéma du Musée, free access.
POLARIS by KC Carthew presented as the opening film
A post-apocalyptical film with an all-female cast, KC Carthew’s POLARIS will open this edition in the presence of the film’s team. A Canadian film shot in the Yukon, POLARIS takes the form of an ecological action film that features Sumi (Viva Lee) and her adoptive mother, a polar bear, heading to the star Polaris, crossing an arid and dangerous land. It should be noted that the project was presented at the Frontière Coproduction Market in 2019. The film is distributed in Canada by FilmOption International.
Honorary Career Award for John Woo
For this 26th edition, Fantasia will present an honorary career award to John Woo during the screening of HARD BOILED on Friday, July 15 at 9:30 pm. The Hong Kong filmmaker will also give a free access master class on Saturday, July 16 at 3 pm at the Cinéma du Musée. With his distinctive approach to directing, Woo has reinvented the aesthetics and narrative codes of action cinema. His filmography presents a deeply moral vision, exploring the themes of friendship and trust in a moving and sincere way. Following martial arts films such as Hand Of Death (1976) and Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1979), and comedies such as Money Crazy (1977) and Plain Jane To The Rescue (1982), Woo established himself through films such as A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Killer (1989) and Bullet In The Head. (1990). Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, Chiu-Wai and others owe him their international recognition. Subsequently, Woo worked both in Hollywood and China, on major productions such as Hard Target (1993), Face/Off (1997), Mission: Impossible II (2000), and epics such as RED CLIFF I & II (2008, 2009) or The Crossing I & II (2014, 2015). He is currently completing Silent Night, his return to American cinema, starring Joel Kinnaman and Kid Cudi.
Coupez! by Michel Hazanavicius is on the schedule for the first weekend
The first days of Fantasia will see many expected films on the screens. Thus, Friday, July 15 at 7 pm the public will be able to discover COUPEZ! by Michel Hazanavicius in its North American premiere. It was previously presented at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival last May, this zombie comedy stars Romain Duris (Dans la brume) and Bérénice Bejo (The Artist). Also on July 15, the Fantastiques Week-Ends du Cinéma Québécois will host moviegoers at the Cinéma du Musée at 7:00 p.m. for L’extraordinaire ouverture, where short films from across Quebec will follow one another on the screen. Then, Saturday, July 16 at 9:35 pm, Spanish filmmaker duo Raúl Cerezo and Fernando González Gómez will present THE ELDERLY, a second feature film where old age is approached through the prism of pure horror. Finally, Sunday, July 17 at 4:00 pm in the J.A. room. From Sève, viewers will be able to rediscover John Woo’s FACE/OFF, this cult thriller by the Hong Kong director starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
The 26th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is taking place until August 3, 2022 in theatres in Montreal. Moviegoers are invited to purchase their tickets online at the festival website now.
The full list of titles for the 2022 selection is available at https://fantasiafestival.com/.
