Fantasporto

DIRECTORS OF THE FILMS IN COMPETITION PRESENT IN PORTO

RUSSELL OWEN

Born in North Wales (United Kingdom). He studied illustration and screenwriting at the University of California. He started out as a storyboard artist and worked on the “Doctor Who” series and “Tomb Raider” games before becoming artistic director for very popular TV series. He made his first short film “Anglesey Road” (2009), highly awarded. This was followed by the feature film “Welcome to the Majority” (2013). He made advertising films for brands such as American Express, Armani or L'Oreal. He also directed the short film “Love In The Asylum” (2018) based on a poem by Dylan Thomas and “Patients of a Saint” (2020). At Fantasporto 2023, he presents “Shepherd” in the opening session, his third feature film.

EIJI UCHIDA and a team of 5 members of the crew

This Kyoto-born Japanese director and screenwriter was responsible for the feature films “The Burning Buddha Man” (2013), “Fool Japan” (2014) and “Violence Voyager” (2018), winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Festival de Buenos Aires. “The Life of Mariko in Kabukicho” won the White Raven at the Brussels Film Festival (Belgium)

PRESENTS AT FANTASPORTO 2023 THE FEATURE FILM LIFE OF MARIKO IN KABUKICHO.

NOTE: Accompanied by actor TARO YABE, producers HIDETOMO SUGAYA and KOJI FUGII, and publicity agent KYOKO MARUYAMA.

KARIM OUELHAJ and FLORENCE SAÂDI

Belgian director best known for “ L'Oeil Silencieux” (2016), winner of several awards, including the Best Short Film Award at the Festivals in Brussels, Leeds, where he won the Mèliès d'Or, and Lund. He also directed, among others, the feature films “Parabola” (2005) and “Le Repas du Singe” (2013 ). Presents at Fantasporto 2023 the feature film MEGALOMANIAC.

Accompanied by the film's producer, Florence Sâdi.

PAUL WILKINS

“THE GHOSTWRITER” is the second feature film by the English director, after “7 Lives” (2011) and the short films “Call Me” (2004), “Blink” (2013) and “Blood and Chocolate” (2021). It is presented at Fantasporto 2023 in competition.

KRZYSZTOF ZANUSSI

Born in 1939 in Warsaw, Poland. Director of documentaries, fiction films and screenwriter. He studied at the Lodz Film Academy in 1966. His graduation film, “'Death of a Provincial” (1968) won prizes in Venice, Mannheim, Valladolid and Moscow in 1967. Other early films include “Structure of a Crystal” (1969) which won in Mar del Plata 1970; “Family Life” (1971) which won in Chicago, Valladolid and Colombo; “Illumination” (1973) was Grand Prix of Locarno 1973 and awarded in Gdansk; “Quarterly Balance” (1975), “Camouflage” (1977) and “Spiral” (1978) followed. He won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with “Constans” (1980). The feature film “Eter” (2018) preceded “ PERFECT NUMBER” (2022) which is presented at Fantasporto 2023 in Competition.

SERPIL ALTIN and producer KOTHAN UGUR

“ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE FUTURE: 2121”, PRESENTED AT THE CLOSING SESSION AT FANTASPORTO 2023, is the 1st feature film by the Turkish director, the first woman to approach science fiction in the country. Her films "The Holiday Gift (2014)" and "Learning How to Swim” (2017) have already won awards at festivals, accompanied by film producer Korhan Ugur.

FERDINAND LAPUZ

Ferdinand Lapuz is a multi-award winning Filipino producer, decorated by the government of his country. Migrated to Canada in 1990, promoting Filipino films at festivals. He returned to the Philippines in 2005 and works exclusively as a film producer, with over 90 productions to date. His filmography includes the 10 feature films included in the retrospective that Fantasporto includes, plus two others that are screened in competition at the Directors' Week, “ KARGO” AND “ABOUT US BUT NOT ABOUT US”. Working with the biggest festivals in the world, his productions have already been screened at festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Cairo, Toronto, Tokyo, Karlovy Vary, Tallinn, Shanghai and New York. It is a member of the Asian Film Awards and the Asia Pacific Film Festival. Ferdinand Lapuz has been a regular contributor to Fantasporto for over a decade, having already received various awards for his films. At Fantasporto 2023, it presents a retrospective of 10 Films, the first Philippine cinema held in Portugal.

ELMO NÜGANEN

The trilogy “MELCHIOR” (2022), PRESENTED AT FANTASPORTO 2023 OUT OF COMPETITION, consists of three independent feature films by this director and director born in 1962, and artistic director of the Municipal Theater of Tallinn and one of the most prestigious in Estonia, known for its his work directing the great classics. As a film director, he has already been responsible, among others, for the feature films “Names Engraved in Marble” (2013), Mushrooming” (2012), “Purge” (2012) and “1944” (2015). He also participated as an actor in “Tangerines” (2013 ), a film nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and for a Golden Globe.

MANUFACTURE BLIN

French director of “The Thing Behind the Door”, his first feature film. Director and screenwriter, he is known for the documentary “Super 8 Madness! (2014) and the short films “Mandragore” (2011), “Monsieur Méchant” (2008) and “Lobotoman” (2002). He wrote a book about animation director René Laloux and wrote articles about cinema.

LAURIE WINKEL

Actress of the film “THEY WAIT IN THE DARK” (USA) presented at Fantasporto 2023 in competition. He lived in France where he studied at the Florent Course. She works in television and cinema and is known for her work in the films “Order 86” (2020) and “Father of the Bride” (2022) . Other works include “ The Sublime and Beautiful ” (2014), “ State of the Union ” (2015), “ The Profit ” (2017) and “ The Donald Gordon Story ” (2014), presented at the Cannes Film Festival.

VASSILIS MAZOMENOS

Greek director, producer and screenwriter, already honored by Fantasporto, is known for his vanguardism in visual and artistic terms. Founder and director of Horme Pictures, he has a filmography of ten feature films and numerous short films already awarded at many international festivals such as Montreal, Cairo, Puchon, Sitges, Fantasporto, Chicago and many others. “Lines”, presented at Fantasporto 2017, won several international awards. “Exile”, from 2020, was also seen on Fantas. He was President of the Greek Film Commission . Fantasporto Career Award in NO FANTASPORTO 2023 PRESENTS “ PURGATORY”.

JULIAN RICHARDS

Born in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom, and trained at the National Film School, Julian Richards directed the documentary “A Mutter of Voices” (1994) for the BBC, about the genocide in Rwanda, and has also worked for Channel Four Television. For Steven Spielberg 's Amblin Entertainment, he adapted “Calling All Monsters” for a screenplay. He later directed “Darklands” (1996), Meliès D'Argent Best European Fantasy Film of 1997 and awarded at Fantasporto. This is followed by “Silent Cry” (2002), “The Last Horror Movie” (2003) which was Meliès D'Argent. “Summer Scars” (2007) won two BAFTA Awards. Then came the documentary “Charles Dickens' England” (2009 and “Shiver” (2012) in the US. (2013). “Daddy's Girl” (2018) and “Reborn” (2018) were in competition at Fantasporto 2019. “ DARKLANDS ” celebrates in 2023 its 25 years of debut at FANTASPORTO 2023.

VANESSA TOCA

Freak Agency representative presenting special retrospective at Fantas 2023

VINCENZO RICCHIUTO

“L'Orafo /The Goldsmith” is the first feature film by this director, known for “ Milano in the Cage ” (2016) and “ Matu ” (2009).

TIAGO SANTOS

Director, musician and composer, he has already made “A Gota de Água” (2020) about the psychology of loneliness, “Sprint” (2020), a documentary, “Alpha” (2021), a short film that won two awards and “ Tunae” (2022), a documentary about academic tunas. PRESENTS AT FANTASPORTO “ S.Ó.S.”, HIS FIRST FEATURE FILM, IN COMPETITION IN THE FANTASTIC CINEMA AND PORTUGUESE CINEMA SECTIONS.

PÉTER FAZAKAS

Born in 1967 in Budapest, Hungary. Director and screenwriter, he is known for the TV movie “ Árulók ” (2017) and the short film “ Mindjárt meghalok ”(2003). He is also recognized as a director of commercials and television films. He participates in Fantasporto 2023 with his second feature film, “The Game”, in competition at the Directors' Week, a film that has already received the awards for Best Film, Actor, Actress and Screenplay at the Hungarian Film Festival in Los Angeles.

HANS HERBOTS

Film and Television director, born in 1970 in Antwerp, Belgium, he is mostly known for “The Serpent” (2021), “Riviera” (2017), “De Behandeling” (The Treatment) (2014) and “Het Goddelijke Monster” (2011). He received a special mention from the jury at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival and was nominated for an Emmy for the film “The Spiral” (2012). Presents at Fantasporto 2023 his latest feature film, “Ritual” (2022)

TM MALONES

Filipino director and cinematographer, “KARGO” is his second feature film, after “Salvi: Ang Pagpadayon (2013). “ KARGO” , winner of the Audience Award at the Cinemalayan Film Festival IS PRESENTED IN COMPETITION AT FANTASPORTO 2023.

MILCHO MANCHEVSKI

He is a Macedonian director, screenwriter and writer, photographer and artist. He was nominated for Oscars with his first feature film, “Before the Rain (1994) which also won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, more than 30 awards and is included in the best 1000 films ever by the New York Times. He made 6 feature films, all shown at Fantasporto, namely Willow (2019), Bikini Moon (2017), Mothers (2010), Shadows (2007), Dust (2001) and Before the Rain (1994). It was selected for prestigious festivals including Venice, Berlin, Toronto, Sundance, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Shanghai, Fantasporto, Aspen, Warsaw, Madrid, Locarno. At Fantasporto 2017, which revealed him in Portugal, he personally received the Career Award and, in 2020, he visited us again and took home the Directors’ Week Prize/Manoel de Oliveira Prize for “Willow”. Presents AT FANTASPORTO 2023 THE FEATURE FILM KAYMAK IN COMPETITION .

TO CONFIRM

MARC REEL

Director, screenwriter and producer, he was born in Barcelona in 1970. He worked for some years with the biggest advertising agencies in Spain. In 2015 he founded “Creatures of the dark” and started to develop and produce independent horror films. He directed “Asmodexia” (2014), his first feature film shown at Fantasporto, and “After the Lethargy” (2018). PRESENTS AT FANTASPORTO 2023 ”LAGUNAS, LA GUARIDA DEL DIABLO”. (2022)

MARTIJN DE JONG

Director and actor, already with 5 international awards, he is known for the short film “Vrij” (2014), winner at the Oldenburg festival. PRESENTS IN COMPETITION AT FANTASPORTO 2023 “NARCOSIS” (2022) his first feature film, a candidate for an Oscar nomination in Holland , winner of the International Panorama at the Cairo Festival, Best Film at the Netherlands Film Festival and Audience Award at the Festival de Thessaloniki.

RUBEN BROEKHUIS

“Exibit # 8 ”, which is screened at Fantasporto 2023, is the 1st fiction feature film by this Dutch director, after short films such as “Circus” (2009), awarded at the Encounters Film Festival or “Als de Oorlog over is” (2017). ) and “Het Feyenoord-DNA” (2018) and the documentaries “Power & Martial Arts (2020) and “Kiezen voor Liefde” (2018).

TAKASHI SHIMIZU

Born in 1972 in Japan. Director and screenwriter, he is known for “ Ju On: The Grudge ” (2002), “ The Grudge ” (2004) and “ The Grudge 2 ” (2006). He was the first Japanese to reach No. 1 at the box office in the United States with “Ju-on/The Grudge”, which was followed by the success of the “Village” trilogy that Fantasporto has already presented. He won the Best Fantastic Film Award at Fantasporto 2021 with “Suicide Forest Village” (2021). Presents AT FANTASPORTO 2023, in WORLD PREVIEW , THE FEATURE FILM “IMMERSION” .

Considered, along with Hideo Takata, as the masters of current Japanese fantastic cinema.

FRANCESCO PICONE

“Dead Bride” is the second feature film by this Italian director, after “Age of the Dead”, (2013) which won the Jury Prize at the Kimera Film festival. His short film “Anger of the Dead” (2014) was in competition at Fantasporto 2014.

THE GLOBALITY OF THE DIRECTORS AND INTERVENERS OF THE PORTUGUESE FILMS PRESENTED AT THE FESTIVAL WILL ALSO BE PRESENT