Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Fantasia >> 2023 >> General Features
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Eight Eyes and Restore Point
The Abandoned
(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2022; Director: Tseng Ying-Ting; Writer: Lin Pin Chun, Tseng Ying-Ting, Yang Yi-Chien; Stars: Ethan Juan, Chang Janine Chun-Ning, Chan Wei-min)
A suicidal police officer discovers the body of a young Thai woman whose missing finger and heart point to murder. Then more bodies are found.
Apocalypse Clown
(Country: Ireland; Year: 2023; Director: George Kane; Writer: Shane O’Brien, James Walmsley, Demian Fox; Stars: David Earl, Natalie Palamides, Amy De Bhrún, Fionn Foley, Tadhg Murphy, ivan Kaye)
The tale of a troupe of failed clowns and an ambitious reporter who embark on a chaotic adventure of self-discovery after a mysterious solar event plunges the world into anarchy.
Aporia
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jared Moshe; Writer: Jared Moshe; Stars: Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Payman Maadi, Faithe Herman)
Since losing her husband, Sophie has struggled to manage grief, a full-time job, and parenting her devastated daughter, but when a former physicist reveals a secret time-bending machine, Sophie will be faced with an impossible choice.
As Long As We Both Shall Live (My Happy Marriage)
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Ayuko Tsukahara; Writer: Akumi Agitogi, Tomoe Kanno, Tsukiho Tsukioka; Stars: Manabu Hamada, Shôhei Hino, Yusuke Hirayama, Mio Imada, Renji Ishibashi)
An unhappy young woman from an abusive family is married off to a fearsome and chilly army commander. But as the two learn more about each other, love may have a chance.
The Becomers
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Zach Clark)
A romantic tale of two body-swapping aliens trying to find their place.
Blackout and Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls
Blackout
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Larry Fessenden; Writer: Larry Fessenden; Stars: Addison Timlin, Kevin Corrigan, James Le Gros, Barbara Crampton, Marshall Bell, Joe Swanberg, Ella Rae Peck)
A fine arts painter becomes convinced that he is a werewolf, wreaking havoc on a small American town under the full moon.
Booger
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Mary Dauterman; Writer: Mary Dauterman; Stars: Grace Glowici, Sofia Dobrushin, Marcia DeBonis, Garrick Bernard)
After she's she's bitten by her dead friend's cat, Booger, a woman's life starts to get stranger every day: she's hungry for canned fish, she keeps swallowing her hair, and her predator instincts are out of control.
Daughter Of The Sun
(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Ryan Ward; Stars: Nyah Perkin, Lennox Leacock)
A man with Tourette syndrome and his daughter join a community of friendly nomadic strangers whose kindness conceals a darker intention
A Disturbance In The Force
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak; Stars: Seth Green, Kevin Smith, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Bonnie Burton, Weird Al Yankovic, Bruce Vilanch, Gilbert Gottfried, Donny Osmond, Miki Herman)
The story behind the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which was watched by 13 million people but never re-aired and is considered one of the worst shows to ever air on TV.
Divinity
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Eddie Alcazar; Writer: Eddie Alcazar; Stars: Stephen Dorff, Moises Arias, Jason Genao, Karrueche Tran, Bella Thorne, Scott Bakula)
Two mysterious brothers abduct a mogul during his quest for immortality. Meanwhile, a seductive woman helps them launch a journey of self-discovery.
Suitable Flesh and Late Night With The Devil
Eight Eyes
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Austin Jennings; Writer: Austin Jennings; Stars: Emily Sweet, Brad Thomas, Bruno Veljanovski)
At the breaking point of their dysfunctional marriage, a couple take a trip through Serbia. After meeting a mysterious local who eagerly offers to be their guide, they embark on an impromptu sightseeing expedition that soon takes a series of sinister turns.
Empire V (Ampir V)
(Country: US, Russia; Year: 2023; Director: Victor Ginzburg; Writer: Victor Ginzburg, Viktor Pelevin; Stars: Igor Zhizhikin, Vladimir Epifantsev, Fedor Bondarchuk, Maxim Drozd, Marina Zudina)
A film which chronicles how loader Roman Shtorkin becomes a vampire and receives the title of Rama II.
Emptiness
(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Onur Karaman; Writer: Onur Karaman; Stars: Stephanie Breton, Anana Rydvald, Julie Trépanier, Marc Thibaudeau, Alexandre Dubois, Rebecca Rowley)
A lonely woman is looked after in a house where she is haunted by the shadows of her past.
Fantastic Golem Affairs (El Fantástico Caso Del Golem)
(Country: Spain, Estonia; Year: 2023; Director: Juan González, Nando Martínez; Writer: Juan González, Nando Martínez; Stars: Brays Efe, David Menéndez, Luis Tosar, Bruna Cusí, Aimar Vega, Clara Sans)
Two friends find themselves on a rooftop terrace after an intense party in Madrid. Juan witnesses David falling to the void, and his body disintegrating into ceramic pieces after hitting a car.
Flaming Cloud (San Qui Qing Shi)
(Country: China; Year: 2023; Director: Liu Siyi; Writer: Liu Siyi; Stars: Zhouu Ye, Chen Yao, Zhou Yiran, Hu Xianxu)
Cursed by mischievous deities with a sleep-inducing kiss, Sangui sets out on a journey to find a cure and his long-lost love in Liu Siyi’s début feature, a distinctive, whimsical and romantic fantasy.
T Blockers and Y'A Une Étoile
Insomniacs After School (Kimi Wa Hokago Insomnia)
(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Chihiro Ikeda; Writer: Chihiro Ikeda, Makoto Ojiro, Izumi Takahashi; Stars: Nana Mori, Denden, Yuki Sakurai, Megumi, Masato Hagiwara, Minori Hagiwara)
Two insomniac students meet and start to spend their nights in an observatory together.
In My Mother's Skin
(Country: Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan; Year: 2023; Director: Kenneth Dagatan; Writer: Kenneth Dagatan; Stars: Angeli Bayani, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, Beauty Gonzalez, Felicity Kyle Napuli)
Stranded in the Philippines during World War II, a young girl finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy.
It Lives Inside
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Bishal Dutta; Writer: Bishal Dutta, Ashish Mehta; Stars: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay)
Sam, an Indian-American teen, lives in an idyllic suburb with her conservative mother and her assimilated father. Sam’s cultural insecurities grow due to her estranged friend, Tamira, who mysteriously carries around an empty mason jar all the time. In a moment of anger, Sam breaks Tamira’s jar and unleashes an ancient Indian demonic force that kidnaps Tamira.
Killing Romance
(Country: South Korea; Year: 2023; Director: Lee Won-suk; Stars: Lee Hanee, Lee Sun-kyun, Yoo-ram Bae)
A retired actress, who marries an island chaebol and meets a three-time-test-taker who lives next door, decides to do away with her boring husband.
Late Night With The Devil
(Country: Australia, UAE; Year: 2023; Director: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes; Writer: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes; Stars: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Fayssal Bazzi, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Josh Quong Tart, Georgina Haig)
October 31, 1977. Jack Delroy’s syndicated talk show Night Owls has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country, but a year on from the tragic death of Jack’s wife, ratings have plummeted. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.
Skin Deep and Apocalypse Clown
Lovely, Dark, And Deep
(Country: Portugal; Year: 2023; Director: Teresa Sutherland; Writer: Teresa Sutherland; Stars: Georgina Campbell, Nick Blood, Wai Ching Ho, Edgar Morais, Ana Sofia Martins, Paul S Tracey, Soren Hellerup)
A new back-country ranger travels alone through the dangerous wilderness, hoping to uncover the origins of a tragedy which has haunted her since she was a child.
Mad Fate (Ming On)
(Country: Hong Kong, China; Year: 2022; Director: Cheang Soi; Stars: Lam Ka Tung, Lokman Yeung, Berg Ng, Ng Wing Sze, Chan Charm Man Peter)
A woman seeks the help of a fortune teller to solve a murder.
#Manhole
(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri; Writer: Michitaka Okada; Stars: Nakajima Yûto, Nao, Nagayama Kento)
A real estate worker who is about to marry his boss' daughter falls down a deep manhole and can't work out how to escape.
Marry My Dead Body (Guan Yu Wo Han Gui Bian Cheng Jia Ren De Na Jian Shi)
(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2022; Director: Cheng Wei-hao; Stars: Greg Han Hsu, Lin Po-hung, Wang Gingle, Tsai Chen-nan, Wang Man-chiao)
One day a police officer finds a red wedding envelope, only to find out that the owner is in fact a ghost asking for the officer's hand in marriage before reincarnation. What will happen when a human and a ghost form a special bond?
Mayhem! (Farang)
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Xavier Gens; Writer: Xavier Gens, Guillaume Lemans, Magali Rossitto; Stars: Nassim Lyes, Kenneth Won, Vithaya Pansringarm, Olivier Gourmet)
A professional boxer, recently released from prison, is forced to break probation and flee to a faraway island in Thailand. He starts a family there, only to have to deal with blackmail.
Vincent Must Die and What You Wish For
Miss Shampoo (Qing Wen Hai You Na Li Xu Yao Jia Qiang)
(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2023; Director: Giddens Ko; Stars: Yu-hong Hong, Vivian Sung, Kai Ko, Tsai Emerson, Ying Wei-min)
When a mafia member is chased by a gang into a hair salon, a young apprentice saves his life. He returns the favour by making all his gang members have their hair done by her, but she is put in danger when they try to find a traitor.
Molli And Max In The Future
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Michael Lukk Litwak; Writer: Michael Lukk Litwak; Stars: Zosia Mamet, Aristotle Athari, Danny Burstein, Arturo Castro, Okieriete Onaodowan, Erin Darke, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Michael Chernus, Aparna Nancherla, Matteo Lane)
The story of a man and woman whose orbits repeatedly collide over the course of 12 years, four planets, three dimensions and one space cult.
New Life
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: John Rosman; Writer: John Rosman; Stars: Sonya Walger, Tony Amendola, Hayley Erin, Ayanna Berkshire, Nick George, Jeb Berrier, Blaine Palmer)
A fixer is sent out to find a mysterious woman on the run, and the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Andrew Bowser; Writer: Andrew Bowser; Stars: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jeffrey Combs, Ralph Ineson, Rivkah Reyes, TC Carson)
Onyx joins a group of fellow occultists to attend a dark ritual at the mansion of their idol, Bartok. Suspecting Bartok's nefarious intentions, Onyx is suddenly immersed in a world of monsters, mystery, and mayhem.
Pandemonium
(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Quarxx; Writer: Quarxx; Stars: Arben Bajraktaraj, Ophélia Kolb, Manon Maindivide, Hugo Dillon, Sidwell Weber, Carl Laforêt, Jérôme Paquatte)
A confused traveller refuses to abandon all hope as he enters the gates of Hell.
#Manhole and Mayhem!
People Who Talk To Plushies Are Kind
(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Yurina Kaneko)
When a young student joins the Plushies Club, he is encouraged to share his feelings with stuffed animals. You could call it an introvert’s paradise, or better yet, a safe space - but while for some it’s a natural fit, for others it’s an insular distraction.
Perpetrator
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jennifer Reeder; Writer: Jennifer Reeder; Stars: iah McKirnan, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Lowell, Melanie Liburd, Ireon Roach)
On her 18th birthday, tough-girl Jonny eats a cake baked by her aunt according to a magical family recipe and undergoes a radical metamorphosis.
Pett Kata Shaw
(Country: Bangladesh; Year: 2022; Director: Nuhash Humayun; Stars: Chanchal Chowdhury, Shohel Mondol, Shirin Akter Shela)
An anthology inspired by oral legends from Bangladesh.
The Primevals
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: David Allen; Writer: David Allen, Randall William Cook; Stars: Juliet Mills, Robert Cornthwaite, Leon Russom, Walker Brandt, Richard Joseph Paul, Tai Thai)
A civilisation lost in time invaded one million years ago.
Raging Grace
(Country: UK; Year: 2023; Director: Paris Zarcilla; Writer: Paris Zarcilla; Stars: Max Eigenman, Leanne Best, David Hayman)
An undocumented Filipina immigrant is struggling to do the best she can for her daughter when she secures the perfect job, taking care of an extremely wealthy but terminal old man. The new position pays well and guarantees a roof over their heads but very soon, she realise that something is amiss.
Sympathy For The Devil and It Lives Inside
Les Rascals
(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: Jimmy Laporal-Trésor; Writer: Sébastien Birchler, Jimmy Laporal-Trésor, Virak Thun; Stars: Jonathan Feltre, Angelina Woreth, Missoum Slimani, Victor Meutelet, Jonathan Eap, Emerick Mamilonne)
A portrait of a generation caught up in rising fascism, set during the rise of the skinhead movement that swept through Paris in the 1980s.
Restore Point (Bod Obnovy)
(Country: Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Serbia; Year: 2023; Director: Robert Hloz; Writer: Tomislav Čečka, Robert Hloz, Zdeněk Jecelín; Stars: Andrea Mohylová, Matěj Hádek, Václav Neužil, Milan Ondrík, Karel Dobrý, Agáta Kryštůfková, Katarzyna Zawadzka, Jan Vlasák, Iveta Dušková, Richard Stanke)
It’s the year 2041, and humanity has reached the point where it can cheat death. Anyone who dies an unnatural death has the right to be brought back to life. All you have to do is to create a backup of your personality – a restore point – at least every 48 hours. But a movement of people try to sabotage this concept.
Richelieu
(Country: Canada, France, Guatemala; Year: 2023; Director: Pier-Philippe Chevigny; Writer: Pier-Philippe Chevigny; Stars: Ariane Castellanos, Marc-André Grondin, Nelson Coronado, Marvin Coroy, Maria Mercedes Coroy)
After a bad breakup, Ariane moves home and gets a job as an interpreter for seasonal migrant workers. Witnessing workplace abuses, Ariane must decide how far she is willing to go to speak out against injustice.
River
(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Junta Yamaguchi; Writer: Makoto Ueda; Stars: Saori, Riko Fujitani, Shiori Kubo, Kazunari Tosa, Yoshimasa Kondô)
One winter in Kibune, Kyoto, people find themselves stuck in a two minute time loop. As others try to work together to find out what's going on, one woman finds herself increasingly isolated.
The Sacrifice Game
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jenn Wexler; Writer: Sean Redlitz, Jenn Wexler; Stars: Olivia Scott Welch, Mena Massoud, Chloë Levine, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines)
The story of Samantha and Clara, two students who are staying behind for the holidays at their boarding school, who must survive the night against uninvited visitors.
Empire V and Perpetrator
Skin Deep (Aus Meiner Haut)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2022; Director: Alex Schaad; Writer: Alex Schaad, Dimitrij Schaad; Stars: Mala Emde, Jonas Dassler, Dimitrij Schaad, Maryam Zaree, Thomas Wodianka, Edgar Selge)
At first glance, Leyla and Tristan seem like a happy young couple. But when they travel to a mysterious, remote island, a game of identities begins.
The Sparring Partner
(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2022; Director: Ho Cheuk-Tin; Writer: Frankie Tam, Oliver Yip; Stars: Yeung Wai-lun, Pui Tung Mak, David Siu, Nicky Wong)
Based on a shocking case in real life. A young man partners with his friend to murder and dismember his parents. Pleading not guilty to the crime, defence attorneys face each other as nine jurors grapple with the truth.
Stay Online
(Country: Ukraine; Year: 2023; Director: Eva Strelnikova; Writer: Anton Skrypets, Eva Strelnikova; Stars: Oleksandr Rudynskyy, Ekaterina Kisten, Olesya Zhurakivska, Anton Skrypets, Elizaveta Zaitseva)
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a small boy calls the laptop of his missing dad, but it happens to be at a volunteer girl's house. The boy asks her to find his parents, but to save the boy's family, she has to risk the lives of her loved ones.
Suitable Flesh
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Joe Lynch; Writer: Dennis Paoli, based on a book by HP Lovecraft; Stars: Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech)
A psychiatrist becomes obsessed by a young patient who seems to have multiple personalities.
Sympathy For The Devil
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Yuval Adler; Writer: Luke Paradise; Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman, Kaiwi Lyman, Nancy Good, Cameron Lee Price, Burns Burns, Rich Hopkins,
Alexis Zollicoffer)
After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint, a man finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.
Where The Devil Roams and Raging Grace
Talk to Me
(Country: Australia; Year: 2023; Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou; Writer: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman; Stars: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Zoe Terakes, Otis Dhanji)
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an ancient embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill. Until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world.
T Blockers (T-Blockers)
(Country: Australia; Year: 2023; Director: Alice Maio Mackay; Writer: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson; Stars: Joni Ayton-Kent, Lisa Fanto, Chris Asimos, Joe Romeo, Cassie Workman, Patty Glavieux, Stanley Browning, Etcetera Etcetera)
Ancient parasites rise from a small town, taking the most fearful and susceptible hosts. A young filmmaker finds herself as the only one who can sense the possessed resistance before the horror escapes and spreads.
Vincent Must Die (Vincent Doit Mourir)
(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2023; Director: Stéphan Castang; Writer: Mathieu Naert; Stars: Karim Leklou, Vimala Pons, François Chattot, Karoline Rose Sun, Emmanuel Vérité)
Vincent finds himself under attack for no apparent reason overnight. When the phenomenon intensifies, he must run and change his way of life completely.
What You Wish For
(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Nicholas Tomnay; Writer: Nicholas Tomnay; Stars: Nick Stahl, Tamsin Topolski, Randy Vasquez, Penelope Mitchell, Juan Carlos Messier, Brian Groh, Ariel Sierra)
A chef with gambling problems flees to a Latin American villa where he assumes another man's identity.
Where The Devil Roams
(Year: 2023; Director: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser; Writer: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser; Stars: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, John Adams)
A family of murderous sideshow performers travels around the world on the dying carnival circuit.
Talk to Me and The Primevals
White Storm 3: Heaven Or Hell
(Country: China; Year: 2023; Director: Herman Yau; Writer: Herman Yau; Stars: Alex Fong, Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, Suet Lam, Ching Wan Lau, Cullen Lo)
An undercover cop invades a drug cartel led by a notorious Thai drug lord, and the two develop a bond of brotherhood.
Y'A Une Étoile
(Year: 2023; Director: Julien Cadieux; Stars: Samuel Leblanc)
Young transgender musician Samuel Leblanc embarks on a journey across Acadia, on a quest for identity that is as personal as it is cultural.
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
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