Fantasia Festival

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Fantasia Festival (Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, Fant-Asia) is North America's premiere (and largest) genre film festival.[citation needed] It usually takes place in the month of July, in the city of Montreal. It is a place where distributors come to pick up genre films from around the world for North American release, and where fans come from all over North America to see films that normally would not even be screened on the Art House or repertory circuit for fear of low turnout.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Overview

Created by Pierre Corbeil, André Dubois and Martin Sauvageau, Fantasia started in 1996 screening Asian films from Hong Kong and Japan, with Japanese anime as well. In 1997, the festival expanded its focus to bring in genre films from around the world, not just East Asia. Since then, Fantasia has featured many North American premieres and some world premieres.[citation needed] There have also been films screened in pre-final-cut condition, just to be there, find distributors, or build buzz.

Fantasia is the only member of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation outside of Europe.[citation needed]

[edit] Venues

The festival started in the old Imperial Theatre, a grand old theatre with full balcony and backstage areas. The festival for a time also used the cinemas at Ex-Centris. When in 2002, the theatre was unexpectedly late on renovation and repairs, the festival had to be cancelled, and the next year moved to Concordia University's screening rooms. For Fantasia Under the Stars at the 10th anniversary festival, free showings were organized outdoors at Parc de la Paix (Peace Park), near the old venues of Ex-Centris and Imperial.

A spinoff festival in Toronto was tried, using the Bloor street theatre, but in the end, the endeavour failed due to time constraints and planning issues.

[edit] Festivals

[edit] Inaugural Festival

Fant-Asia 1996
Fant-Asia 1997
Fant-Asia 1998

Fantasia's Toronto edition premiered at the Bloor Cinema

Fantasia International Film Festival 1999

The 1999 edition of Fantasia was the only one which utilized the ex-Centris facilities. The two venues, Imperial and Ex-Centris are something like 5000ft apart. This year also featured the second Toronto edition.

FanTasia 2000

The 2000 edition of Fantasia featured the debut of the Just For Laughs film festival, Comedia, as a selection of comedy films were shown with the regular Fantasia fare. This was also the final year that a Toronto edition of the festival was presented.

FanTasia 2001

[edit] Missed Year

FanTasia 2002

Fantasia 2002 was cancelled due to problems with the Imperial Cinema. The air conditioning system was broken, and it could not be fixed in time for Fantasia. Indeed, the theatre was not repaired until 2004. Due to the lack of assurance that the theater would be available, and the fact that it broke four months before the festival, meant that alternate bookings were not available. The lack of assurance for the 2003 festival meant a change in venue.

[edit] Move to Concordia University

FanTasia 2003

Fantasia 2003 was held for the first time on the Concordia University campus, using the DeSeve Cinema and Henry F. Hall Alumni Auditorium. The venue change was instigated by the lack of consideration that the Imperial Theatre gave in informing the festival organizers on the status of Imperial.

Fantasia 2004
Fantasia 2005

Fantasia is now 10 years old. However, this is the 9th edition of the festival, due to a missed year in 2002.

[edit] 10th Edition

FanTasia 2006

Fantsasia's 10th edition, 2006 edition, is the first to feature free outdoor shows. The outdoors shows are at Parc de la Paix and are free. Outdoor projections included films from the previous editions: Kamikaze Girls, the last four episodes of Goldorak, Night of the Living Dorks and Attack the Gas Station. The indoor shows use the same Concordia University facilities as since the move to Concordia. The outdoor shows are several kilometres away from the indoor shows.

With the 10th anniversary, Fantasia is helping to launch an associated but separate Toronto festival Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

[edit] Festival #10

Fantasia 2007
This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future events.
It may contain information of a tentative nature and the content may change dramatically as the event approaches and more information becomes available.

The edition will be held from July 5th to July 23rd 2007 at the Concordia University.

[edit] Video Publications of Fantasia

  • Small Gauge Trauma
Small Gauge Trauma is the name of the film shorts component of Fantasia. A DVD anthology of various shorts shown over various editions of Fantaisa has been published.
  • Red to Kill
Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of the Hong Kong film Red to Kill, for release in Quebec.
  • Run and Kill
Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of the Hong Kong film Run and Kill, for release in Quebec.
  • Jackie Chan's Greatest Stunts
Fantasia has published a subtitled VHS version of the Hong Kong action scenes compilation Jackie Chan's Greatest Stunts Volumes 1 & 2, for release in Quebec.
  • Trailer DVD
For the 2006, 2005, and 2003 festivals, a DVD filled with trailers has been provided for purchase.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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