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Fantasia International Film Festival · 2026

Fantasia International Film Festival 2026

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Programme

8 films · 7 reviews

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Castration Movie Anthology III: A Fragmentary Passage

A telephone helpline operator experiences a crisis when her partner comes out as a trans woman and begins to transition.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2026; Director: Louise Weard; Writer: Louise Weard; Stars: Avalon Fast, Henri Gillespi)

See: Interview with Louise Weard about Castration Movie

Dance Freak

Review preview for Dance Freak

The emotional punch is the one you won’t see coming.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A dangerous experiment goes awry resulting in a Dance Freak running wild.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: Robby Rackleff, Alan Resnick; Stars: Sarah Sherman, Conner O'Malley, Rachel Kaly, Stavros Halkias, Anthony Oberbeck)

Full review

Insecstasy

Review preview for Insecstasy

Whenever the narrative threatens to stagger, one of those wonderful little leaps of porn logic gets it back on track.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Sadie struggles to find balance as she juggles work, her social life and her erotic fascination with insects.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2026; Director: Angus Silver; Writer: Angus Silver; Stars: Tirion Healy, Lyndall Huber, Emmett Roiko, Kelsey Thompson, Jan Roeth, Rand Walsh)

Full review

I Love Paris

Review preview for I Love Paris

This incorporates a great deal more petulance and whining than the average mockumentary, but is sufficiently astute in its observations to remain entertaining.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
After being transformed into a vampire, a Parisian singer pursues stardom at the cost of her soul.

(Country: France; Year: 2026; Director: Nicky Murphy; Writer: Nicky Murphy, Aminata Thiboult; Stars: Aminata Thiboult, Leonor Oberson, Louiza Aura, Noé Hermelin, Romane de Stabenrath, Antoine Dumortier, Anton Salachas)

Full review See: Interview with Nicky Murphy, Aminata Thiboult, Leonor Oberson and Louiza Aura about I Love Paris

Matapanki

Review preview for Matapanki

The energy of it, combined with Gálvez’s endearing performance, means it’s likely to work well in any environment.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A punk kid gets superpowers from alcohol and tries to reshape society, but a violent error sparks global tensions with him at the centre.

(Country: Chile; Year: 2026; Director: Diego Fuentes; Writer: Diego Fuentes; Stars: Diego Bravo, Ramon Galvez, Rodrigo Lisboa, Antonia Mccarthy, Rosa Peñaloza)

Full review

Our Effed Up World

Review preview for Our Effed Up World

It...contains one of the most ruthless break-ups in recent cinematic history.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Sheri thought her biggest problem in life was dealing with the recent loss of her beloved grandma. But when a mysterious entity crash lands in the woods, only she and her group of friends are what stands in the way of an insatiable, intergalactic hunger.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2026; Director: Alice Maio Mackay; Writer: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson; Stars: Kerry Armstrong, Jordan Dulieu, Brandon Flynn, Tim Franklin, Chris Gun, Scott Major, Jess McLeod, Karis Oka)

Full review

The Peril At Pincer Point

Review preview for The Peril At Pincer Point

Joseph Field Eccles and Nick Smyth’s sound design...is magnificent from start to finish, and full of playful touches.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A lazy sound designer is sent to the remote island where a film was shot to capture a sound powerful enough to elevate its finale. Once there, eerie local fables surface: for years, ambitious and headstrong youth have lost their souls to a ghostly sea captain for his spectral crew.

(Country: UK; Year: 2025; Director: Jake Kuhn, Noah Stratton-Twine; Writer: Jake Kuhn, Noah Stratton-Twine; Stars: Jack Redmayne, Alyth Ross, Os Leanse, Mike Mackenzie, Dashiell Upton, Jason Hogan, Mat Wright, Noah Stratton-Twine, Isobel Laidler, Oliver Woolf)

Full review

When You Open The Door

Review preview for When You Open The Door

Katagiri’s work utilises a dramatic form which breaks down over time, becoming increasingly surreal as Miki disconnects from the world as we know it.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A 27-year-old working in an architectural firm wakes up in her small apartment, pulled out of her sleepy memory. Her world is quiet and strange, but will soon be interrupted by a transformative experience spurred by a half-remembered wolf bite.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2026; Director: Eriko Katagiri; Writer: Eriko Katagiri, Tomoko Shinozuka; Stars: Serena Motola)

Full review See: Interview with Eriko Katagiri about When You Open The Door