Fantasia International Film Festival — A–Z of films

A splatter-happy romp through one night in the organ trade.

Delicately scored by Katsuhiko Maeda, the early part of the film has a real magic about it, its sweet-natured heroine conveying an infectious sense of wonder.

Although this is familiar territory, with a long pedigree going back through cinematic history, it's no less watchable as a result.

It takes real craft to hold something like this together for 75 minutes - not to mention tremendous effort on Campbell's part.

Whilst a less skilled filmmaker might have added a sexual connotation to this, Moses opts for something simpler and yet more intangible.

Despite its initial openness and the length of time it takes for subtle clues to build into something on which theories can be built, it's dramatically consistent throughout and very effective at mood-building.

Some of the participants are incredibly generous with their time and advice, and overall there is a welcoming atmosphere, and excitement at the prospect of engaging with new filmmakers.

The message seems to be: you have permission to enjoy yourself - just please, please don't try this at home.

Climate of The Hunter is a joyous exercise in filmmaking for fun, made with no apparent concern for bank books or balance sheets.

The magic of Ivo van Aart's film lies in its balance.

Has some smart observations to make.

There's a good deal here about the importance of family and friendship, imagination and courage, but the central take-away is an interesting one: that nightmares are simply part of life, not things we should try to avoid.

A dazzling piece of work.

Witchcraft is a difficult subject for today's filmmakers, not least because of the public's shifting sympathies, but Lee has found a story in which it is a perfect fit.

The film contains grotesque violence and slapstick humour in a nonetheless affectionate take on the horror genre.

What would it mean to live in a world where damnation was a very real and tangible prospect and yet, because of one's immutable nature, nothing one did could make a difference to one's fate?

The adventure of teenage life is represented in all its glory.

Cinematographer Li Hsien-chou deserves praise for the immersive way that he has recreated the atmosphere of the game.

Adam Rehmeier's latest film arrives with the anarchic energy of a cherry bomb tossed into the bathroom toilet of Middle America.

Don't Text Back looks much more polished that one would expect on its small budget.

Portaluppi makes a great lead, fully invested in his character and easy to relate to no matter one's opinion of his choices.

They say a story can grow legs and, here, it does that and then hops off in surprising directions - taking us on a journey not just into the world of memes and their manipulation but also into considerations of 'ownership' and misappropriation.

For The Sake Of Vicious demonstrates that you don't need exotic settings to make a pulsing action film.

In keeping with his previous work, Alvart invites us to find little islands of hope and warmth in an otherwise grim scenario, only to undermine them.

Achieves remarkable poignancy for something so irreverent.

If Waiting For Godot's Vladimir and Estragon had a couple of American cousins, they might look a little like Mary and John.

The film is literally very dark, which can be frustrating in the dramatic scenes but works well with the approach taken to special effects, adding to the sense of threat and general unpleasantness.

With simple but beautiful animation that really captures the atmosphere of Iona and its surrounding waters, this film is a delight to watch.

The language captured here speaks volumes. The animals’ faces, their reactions and movements, remind doubters of their sentient nature in every shot.

It's effective in capturing the passion of the fans and is likely to become a treasured collectible itself.

Raw, immediate and unrelenting, Hunted is a film designed to speak directly to the wild part within each one of us.

It's a far from perfect film, but it's a lot better than the critical consensus suggests, and at the heart of it is a fascinating character study.

Production designer Eri Sakushima and costume designer Atsuko Shiraishi have done a magnificent job of bringing the manga's striking imagery to life.

Like most occult horror, Kriya will have its most profound effects on those raised within the minority traditions it addresses, or at least something close to them.

Part slowly unfolding mystery, part attack on exploitation in the gig economy, Lapsis is a character-driven drama with some smart comic moments.

Yuen had a career in advertising and making music videos prior to stepping up to film and perhaps that's why he's still better at creating memorable moments than structuring an entire movie.

Yamada uses popular comedy tropes to draw in viewers, then invites them to question what they just saw.

Grant, who wrote the script as well as starring, submits completely to the logic of the role even as her character grows increasingly outraged by the absurdity of it all.

Marygoround is the perfect showcase for Misiorowska.

You can get a way with a lot when you deliver it with this much panache.

Jung's feature début is packed full of twists but succeeds because of its focus on character - something that seems to remain consistent even when the characters' circumstances have changed.

What marks it out is Sridharan's mastery of an incredibly difficult acting task.

It is strongly advisable that you have sushi to hand.

This leads to a degree of unevenness in the film, and at times it meanders in odd directions, but overall Hess and Peppard do a good job of pulling it back together.

Brown gives the film the kind of iconic weight of past masters like Christopher Lee and Vincent Price.

Few films have ever depicted the art of storytelling as brilliantly as this.

Bao Tran is as creative with his characters' weaknesses as with their strengths.

Tim Mielants's quirky comedy is shot through with melancholy and holds a deep affection for its earnest hero even when he seems to be the butt of everybody's jokes.

There's a lot of talk here about actual engineering, presented in such a way that viewers are able to solve problems alongside the characters even if they are armed only with imagination and not much expertise.

The various torture devices used here are all real but lose much of their horrific impact because the film is so over the top.

A film you should see as soon as you can, on the biggest screen you can.

Kaufman remains one of the sharpest interpreters of Shakespeare out there..

A consistently smart, well-structured film with well-drawn characters, superb performances and a serious point to make.

One doesn't need to look far beyond the surface to understand that something is amiss.

Special Actors is full of twists and turns but resolves everything nicely in the end.

Each of the girls who plays Stephanie is remarkable in a different way.

The dystopian stories in Spanish director Chino Moya's feature debut nest within one another like a series of Russian dolls - dolls that have been carved by someone with a soft-spot for JG Ballard.

Overall, the story is slight, but Lee Eun-ah's atmospheric cinematography enables Unearth to punch above its weight.

Well realised and engaging, with impressive production design.

Not everything works all the time but Fung's attention to character detail pays off, so that they carry you through the weaker moments of the story.

For all its elegance, there's a neediness and an inherent dishonesty about it which continually distract from the development of its central ideas.

By far the most brazen piece of fan service at Fantasia 2020.

Arquette’s personal journey reaffirms that wrestling may be one of the most consistently misunderstood sports in the history of Hollywood and beyond.

A simple idea but very nicely executed.

There's some gory comedy here that will appeal to a certain sort of genre fan, including one of the best uses for intestines since Machete.