The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its 29th edition from July 16 to August 3, 2025. Screenings, workshops, and launch events will be offered to festival-goers at the SGWU Alumni Auditorium (Hall Theatre) and Concordia University’s J.A. de Sève Cinema, as well as at the Cinéma du Musée, the Cinémathèque québécoise, and the BBAM Gallery.
More than 125 feature films and 200 short films will be presented this year, including notably Fixed, an animated film by Genndy Tartakovsky which will close the festival; a special screening of Les Schtroumpfs, courtesy of Paramount Pictures; Michel Gondry’s new feature film, opening the “Mon Premier Fantasia” section, Maya, donne-moi un titre; Cielo by Alberto Sciamma; as well as Good boy by Ben Léonberg. Let’s also remember that Ari Aster’s film Eddington (which we will talk about), starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, and Austin Butler, will be presented at the Festival’s opening on July 16.
Closing and Cheval Noir Award
An animated comedy by Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania), Fixed is vulgar, irreverent, and hilarious, and pays homage to the spirit of classic animation. Featuring the voices of Adam Devine, Idris Elba, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, and Kathryn Hahn in the role of a band of dog friends who embark on a crazy race against time to experience one of their last adventures before he gets neutered. Presented in the Animation Plus section as a Canadian premiere.
Dracula (Brian Hull) with Mavis (Selena Gomez) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: TRANSFORMANIA.
A key figure in animation for over 30 years, Genndy Tartakovsky has distinguished himself in cult series as well as in family successes or adult projects. His work is characterized by audacious storytelling, a unique graphic style, and an exceptional sense of design. On the occasion of the premiere of Fixed at Fantasia, the festival will pay tribute to his exceptional career by awarding him the Cheval Noir Award.
Various Career Awards and Recognitions
Cheval Noir Award for Lifetime Achievement: Danny Elfman
A major figure in film music, Danny Elfman stands alongside great masters like Morricone and Hermann. He is especially recognized as the emblematic composer of fantastic and unconventional universes. His collaboration with Tim Burton, which began 40 years ago with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, gave birth to classics like Edward aux mains d’argent, Beetlejuice or Batman. But Elfman also composed the memorable scores for Men in Black, Spider-Man, Good Will Hunting or Doctor Strange. On the occasion of the presentation of Eddie Alcazar’s animated short film Bullet Time, for which he composed the music, Fantasia celebrates this master whose music continues to profoundly mark cinema.
Canadian Pioneer Award: Sheila McCarthy
Fantasia will present the Canadian Pioneer Award to Sheila McCarthy, one of Canada’s greatest actresses. Since her leading role in Patricia Rozema’s I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987), which earned her several international awards, she has had a rich career in film and television. Awarded the ACTRA Award for Best Actress for Cardinals (2018), she has notably distinguished herself in Anything for Jackson, Antiviral, Women Talking (Robert Altman Award 2023 for best ensemble), as well as in the series Umbrella Academy and Transplant. Still active, she will soon be featured in the series Copenhagen and The Miniature Wife.
Indie Maverick Award: Lloyd Kaufman
A true pioneer of American independent cinema and co-founder of Troma, an emblematic low-budget exploitation film company, Lloyd Kaufman has produced cult films like The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ’Em High or Tromeo & Juliet. His audacious approach offered a unique playground for emerging talents such as James Gunn, Trey Parker, Matt Stone or Vincent D’Onofrio. With 51 years of career marked by wild and provocative films, Kaufman embodies the rebellious spirit of independent cinema. On the occasion of the world premiere of Occupy Cannes, Fantasia will award him its first Indie Maverick Award, celebrating an inimitable and essential creator.
Free Events
I fell in love with a Z grade director in Brooklyn
This year, Fantasia will offer several free events. Here is a short list.
Traveling Exhibition — I am Frankelda : Marionnettes et cauchemars
Masterclass: Anne-marie Gélinas
Sirènes, mennonites et matriarches : une parole d’artiste avec Sheila Mccarthy
Analysis of Bullet Time with Danny Elfman
Roundtable: Art lives ! Le cinéma outsider canadien vs la machine
Book Launch — Fear, feminism, and the american witch film : discours avec Payton Mccarty-Simas
Masterclass: George Mihalka
Le maire de Tromaville parle : une parole d’artiste avec Lloyd Kaufman
Films in Competition
Cheval Noir Award
La mort n’existe pas
The Cheval Noir Award will be presented to one of the 14 competing titles: Blank canvas: my so-called artist journey (Japan) by Kazuaki Seki, The book of Sijjin and Illiyyin (Indonesia) by Hadrah Daeng Ratu, Cielo (United Kingdom / Bolivia) by Alberto Sciamma; La mort n’existe pas (Canada) – by Félix Dufour-Laperrière, The forbidden city (Italy) by Gabriele Mainetti, I fell in love with a Z-grade director in Brooklyn (Japan) by Kenichi Ugana, I live here now (USA) – by Julie Pacino, Mother of Flies (USA) by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser, New group (Japan) by Yuta Shimotsu, Stinker (Kazakhstan) by Yerden Telemissov, Terrestrial (USA) by Steve Pink, The verdict (South Korea / Indonesia) by Lee Chang-hee and Yusron Fuadi, The well (Canada) by Hubert Davis and The woman (South Korea) by Hwang Wook.
“New Flesh” Award for Best First Feature
The “New Flesh” competing films are: Find your friends (USA) by Izabel Pakzad; Flush (France) by Grégory Morin; Foreigner (Canada) by Ava Maria Safai; Fucktoys (USA) – by Annapurna Sriram; Haunted mountains : the yellow taboo (Taiwan) by Tsai Chia Ying; Hellcat (USA) by Brock Bodell; It ends (USA) by Alex Ullom; Last woman on hearth (South Korea) by Lee Jong-min and Yeum Moon-kyoung; Peau à peau (Canada) by Chloé Cinq-Mars; Noise (South Korea) by Kim Soo-jin; The school duel (USA) by Todd Wiseman Jr.; The undertone (Canada) by Ian Tuason ; The wailing (Spain / Argentina / France) by Pedro Martín-Calero and Ya boy Kongmin! The movie (Japan) by Shibue Shuhei.
International Short Film Competition
The films in the International Short Film Competition are: Barlebas (Belgium/Netherlands) by Malu Janssen; Bear (Australia) by Rebecca Parker; Chaehwa (South Korea) by Hong Seung-gi; The collector (United States) by Scott Leberecht; Confession (Japan) by Mai Nakanishi; Ever after (Austria) by Helen Hideko; Floor (South Korea) by Jo Ba-reun; Hotel Acropole (France) by Sarah Lasry; How to open the door (South Korea) by Park Ji-wan and Joan Hui Ji-yey; Kill Tradition (Malaysia) by Juliana Reza; Last call (United States) by Winnie Cheung; Let’s settle this! (New Zealand) by Jack Woon; Love machine (United States) by Jon Clark; Magai-gami (Japan) by Norihiro Niwatsukino; Mom, stay dead (South Korea) by Lee Na-hee; Proxy (Japan) by Artem Skiy; The rebirth (United States) by Connie Shi; Shrimp fried rice (Canada) by Dylan Pun; Sonic beat (Japan) by Shunta Seki; Sounds of glass (Canada) by Morgan Abele; Strip mall (Canada) by Andrew Appelle; Le tour du Canada (Canada) by John Hollands; Where roots go (South Korea) by Heo Ga-young and Weird to be human (Poland / France) by Jan Grabowski.
