Under the aegis of Manoel de Oliveira
QUALITY AND TALENT COMPETE IN THE WEEK OF DIRECTORS

The Directors Week Section of Fantasporto is always a program of discovery of new trends and new values of the Seventh Art. Under the aegis of the dean of all the filmmakers worldwide, Master Manoel de Oliveira, who has been the patron of this prize since its inception and gives his name to the award, it is definitely a place of worship of Fantas. The selection of films this year favored the geographic diversity and multiplicity of proposals and styles. From revived Italian pictures to a booming Argentine cinema, passing through an amazing discovery from Slovakia, the Week promises quite a spectacle.

Special attention goes to "Inhale" by Baltazar Kormákur, a highly relevant film on organ trafficking that reveals a new facet of American cinema. Actors Sam Shepard (nominated for Oscar in "The Right Stuff "), Diane Kruger ("Inglorius Basterds"), Dermot Mulroney ("My Best Friend's Wedding") and Jordi Molla ("Knight and Day") are the protagonists in this thriller about a couple who risks their lives to get a lung transplant for their daughter. A trip to Mexico that promised to be a place of salvation becomes an epic in the underworld.

From the Official Selection Un Certain Regard from the Cannes Film Festival 2010, "Carancho" by Pablo Trapero represents Argentina in this contest of filmmakers. A fabulous story of love, tough and without redemption, that reminds of "Amores Perros" by Alejandro González Iñarritu. Brilliantly played by Ricardo Darín that Fantasporto's public has already seen in "Nueve Reinas", "The Secret in Your Eyes"(Oscar for Best Foreign Film) and "El Hijo de la Novia". Facing the tragic world of car accidents every day, an emerging relationship between a lawyer and a paramedic serves as pretext for a cynical reflection. The car crashes are actually an entire industry. Although being set in Argentina, this movie presents a truly universal theme.

Another powerful story comes from Canada. Based on a true story, the mysterious return of a teenager missing for many years will intrigue the police. A puzzle that reveals a past full of dark secrets. With memorable interpretations by the stunning actresses Famke Janssen (Jean Grey in "The X-Men" and Bond-girl in "GoldenEye") and Ellen Barkin ("Ocean's 13"), this cast is also noted for Nick Stahl ("Sin City").

If over the last years the Italian cinema has been hiding a little in the shadow, the new generation of filmmakers looks rather promising. This is exactly the case of "Eighteen Years Later" by Edoardo Leo. Italian comedy-drama, awarded at film festivals around the world from Annecy to Trieste, via Rome, Magna (Greece) and Ibiza, takes us to a nostalgic journey to the roots of the characters that is also a voyage to the roots of the great Italian cinema from the 60s.

With the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, via ICA and Municipality of Porto, the European Union via the MEDIA Programme, the Ministry of Economy via the Tourism of Portugal and with SuperBock as the main sponsor, the 31st edition of FANTASPORTO has, as usual, two distinct partitions, the first between February 21 and 24 - called Pre-Fantas and the second, the Festival itself, which officially opens its doors on February 25, ending on March 6 with the display of the award winning films. This year Fantas is back again at the Rivoli Municipal Theatre, having exclusive use of auditoriums, and will have the traditional farewell party, the Vampires Ball, on the Carnival Saturday, March 5, at Teatro Sá da Bandeira.

Directors Week

9:06 - Igor Sterk - Slovakia - 71 min

Carancho - Pablo Trapero- Argentina - 107 min

Eighteen Years Later - Edoardo Leo - Italy - 110 min

Hay Fever/Febre da Fieno - Laura Luchetti - Italy -100 min

Inhale - Baltazar Kormákur - EUA - 100 min

Miyoko - Yoshifumi Tsubota - Japan - 86 min

R U There - David Verbeek - Holland - 90 min

The Chameleon - Jean Paul Salomé - Canada - 106 min

The Housemaid - Im Sang-Soo - South Korea - 106 min (tb OE)

CINEMA NOVO CRL organiza/organizer

31º FANTASPORTO - FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA DO PORTO

Internet Addresses: http://www.fantasporto.com 

Founding member of the / Membro fundador da European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (http://www.melies.org ) e da Coordenação Europeia de Festivais / European Coordination of Festivals

Dates of the 31st edition / Datas para a 31ª edição do Festival

February 21st till March 6th 2011 / 21 de Fevereiro a 6 de Março de 2010