Asia has great predominance in this year's selection.

The 41st edition consecrated the Japanese "Suicide Forest Village", by Takashi Shimizu, as the Best Film in the Fantastic Film Competition and, in 2022, it is expected that other Asian films will shine in the same way in the main competition of the event. In all, there are seven works from this continent that are part of the selection of feature films for the fantastic cinema competition, among which "The Mole Song" stands out, the latest project by the iconic Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, a regular presence in the FantasPorto. As we mentioned at the beginning, Shimizu took home the Best Film award in the 2021 edition and will try to repeat the feat this year, as he will return to FantasPorto to present "Ox-Head Village" which is expected to be another beautiful example of J-Horror style. Hideki Takeuchi, a big name in Japanese cinema, will also be present at Fantas with "Ms Lupin", his latest feature film based on a series also created by him and which was inspired by the mythical French character Arsène Lupin. It's not just Japan that will represent Asia in Fantas, Taiwan and China will also be present in the fantastic film competition, highlighting "Annular Eclipse", a sci-fi thriller that demonstrates the strength that Chinese cinema has conquering in bolder productions.

 

South America will also have a strong presence in the central competition of Fantas, as is already the habit, but it is from two French-speaking countries that the two big surprises of this edition of Fantas may come. At the head we highlight the Belgian "Duyster", by Thomas Vanbrabant and Jordi Ostir, a found footage that promises to give a touch of difference to horror. From France comes "Vortex, Dawn of the Sovereignty", by Michel Rousseau, a sci-fi film already highly acclaimed at several film festivals that promises to be one of Fantas' big surprises. Of course, the United States also has a strong presence in this section of Fantas, where the return of Erik Bloomquist with Night at the Eagle Inn to the event stands out.

From Argentina, where good surprises have come to the festival, the highlights are the new film by Alejandro Hidalgo, “The Exorcism of God”, a director already with awards at Fantas and the much talked about “TheUnburied / El Cadáver Insepulto” by Alejandro Cohen Arazi.

We move on to the Directors' Week - Manuel Oliveira Award which, in feature films, is made up of an eclectic selection of eight films from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. And this selection includes differentiating works such as the Spanish "Jacinto" or the Hungarian "Eviction". The great highlight, however, belongs to "Escape from Mogadishu", a South Korean work highly acclaimed in its country of origin that gives us a premise that, in an unusual but original way, promotes a rapprochement between South and North Korea. . The extravagant Japanese blockbuster "Baby Assassins" will also certainly be one of the featured films in this Fantas.

 

The Fantastic Cinema section is also made up of a strong variety of short films that promise to give that touch of irreverence to an already dynamic selection. Feature films from Asia featured in both sections will also compete for the Orient Express Best Film award. One of the other great sections of FantasPorto is the Portuguese Cinema Award which, this year, has a feature film and seven short films in competition. its national debut in this event. On the sidelines of the competition, Fantas will screen "A Praga", a 1980 film by José Mojica Marins, master of Brazilian horror cinema. Deceased in 2020, this session will honor Mojica's great career and his contribution to the seventh art.