Fantasporto

Filmfestivals.com returns as FANTASPORTO partner and looks forward to catching up with the beautiful city and 55 films in Portuguese Première in the 3 competitions

 

FANTASPORTO 2022 PRESENTS 25 EUROPEAN AND WORLD PREMIÈRES, A RECORD NUMBER IN PORTUGUESE FILM FESTIVALS.

 

The program also includes a retrospective of Classic Movies from the 30-60’s

 

The 42nd Oporto International Film Festival is proud to announce the proof of its international status: of the new 55 films (most in competition) almost half of them, 21 in fact, are in WORLD PREMIÈRE and 5 in EUROPEAN PREMIERE. 

 

This high number of WORLD PREMIÈRES is an example of the impact and excellent image of the festival all over the world and shows the TRUST directors, producers and sales agents put in the festival to launch their films. This applies to big multinationals, big and small producers, state institutes or independent productions and it is well illustrated in the participation of 60 countries who sent their films for selection. Of these, only 27 countries made it to the final line-up, these countries being Afghanistan, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, South Korea, Croacia, Spain, the United States of America,  the Philippines, France, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Ukraine and Venezuela. 

 

WORLD PREMIÈRES (WP) AND EUROPEAN PREMIÈRES (EP) AT FANTASPORTO 2022: 

Not counting the Portuguese world premières, at the top of the list is Japan with 6 WORLD PREMIÈRES and 2 EUROPEAN PREMIÈRES, all of big budget features coming from companies such as Toei, Pony Canyon ou Fuji Film, followed by the USA ( 1 WP and 1 EP) and CHINA (2 EP).

 

HERE IS THE LINE-UP OF THE EUROPEAN AND WORLD PREMIÈRES

xxxHOLiC - Mika Ninagawa – 110´(Jap) WORLD PREMIÈRE

Ox-Head Village- Takashi Shimizu- 115’ (Jap) WORLD PREMIÈRE

Ms Lupin a.k.a. Daughter of Lupin- Hideki Takeuchi- 106’ (Jap) WORLD PREMIÈRE

The Good Father – Sho Kataoka- 100’ (Jap) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Everything, Nothing and Something Else- Marina Kondratieva- 80’ (Ukraine/Lithuania) 2020 - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Riku – 65’ (Jap)- animação- WORLD PREMIÈRE

The Laws of the Universe – The Age of Elohim-Isamu Imakake – 119’ (Jap) – EUROPEAN PREMIÈRE

The Mole Song: final– Takashi Miike- 129’ (Jap) WORLD PREMIÈRE

Baby Assassins- Yûgo Sakamoto 95’ (Jap) - EUROPEAN PREMIÈRE

Follow Her- Sylvia Caminer - 95' (USA) WORLD PREMIERE

Alchemy of the Spirit - Steve Balderson - 92´(USA) EUROPEAN PREMIERE

Annular Eclipse – Zhang Chi – 97'- (China) EUROPEAN PREMIÈRE

Chicken of the Mound- Xi Chen- 83' – (China) EUROPEAN PREMIÈRE

2049: Hedgehog Effect - Chien -Ching Chu – 162' – (Taiwan) WORLD PREMIERE

Saralish – Yaser Ahmadi, Behrooz Bagheri - 76' (Afghanistan/ Iran) WORLD PREMIÈRE

Broken Blooms – Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio – 107'(Philippines) WORLD PREMIERE

Confession- Yoon Jong - seok - 105' (South Korea) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Night Breakers - Gabriel Campoy , Guillem Lafoz – 17' (Spain) – WORLD PREMIÈRE

Amelinda - Miguel Gomes – 114' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Refem- Pedro Mira – 15' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Skull 2: A Variation or the Wars to Come - Luís Miranda – 2' (Port) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Jornada de Papel – Emanuel de Oliveira, Maria Ana Marques-7'40'' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Fruit Touched by Lack of Gardener – Pedro Senna Nunes- 8' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Deluge- Eduardo Cruz – 35' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

Behind the Door – Tom Freitas, Bruno Acosta, Inês Paredes- 9'05'' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE Misericórdia- Gonçalo Loureiro 11'20'' ( Port ) - WORLD PREMIÈRE

(This information has been provided by the people responsible for the entries).

 

FANTASPORTO 2022 is also the launching pad for screening new directors, most of the times with their first features. In the 42nd edition these first films come from the USA, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Hungary France, Italy, Argentina and Belgium, all of them reinforcing the role of the festival as a discoverer of new film talent.

Among past discoveries of the festival as names such as Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Luc Besson, David Cronenberg, the Coen brothers, the Wachovki’s, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, David Lynch and many others.

 

AN HOMAGE TO THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AT FANTASPORTO’2022

 IN THE CLOSING NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL, THE AWARDS NIGHT, FANTASPORTO PRESENTS THE WORLD OPENING OF THE UCRANIAN NEW FILM “EVERYTHING, NOTHING AND SOMETHING ELSE” 

 

The Organizing Committee of the 42^nd Fantasporto has the honour to join the waves of solidarity around the world towards Ukrainians. 

On its Closing Award ceremony, on April 9^th, the OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL- FANTASPORTO is going to screen in WORLD PREMIERE the feature EVERYTHING, NOTHING AND SOMETHING ELSE by Marina Kondratieva. It is a dramatic comedy that illustrates the life of a taxi-driver and of the people who enter his taxi in one night only. The human variety of people crosses roads with the small and big dramas, in a story based on nine real life stories of life and death, humanity and chaos. The film was shot in the streets of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and presents all its architectural beauty and the buzz of a big city. 

This feature is the first by Ukrainian director Marina Kondratieva and has popular actors such as Denis Granchak, Tatiana Ignashkina, Anton Ravitskiy, Yuriy Kondratiev, Kateryna Molchanova.

 

 

 

ORIENT VS OCIDENT AT THE 42^nd edition of the PORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

SEVERAL WORLD OPENINGS WILL CREATE THE ATTENTION OF THE CINEPHILES 

 

The Popular Fantasporto is back, after two editions dominated by the pandemic regulations. But the Oporto Film festival moves on, holding its 42^nd edition back at the Rivoli Theatre in the centre of the city. 

Looking at the line-up and the films in the two most important competitions, there is a definite balance although countries like Japan or the United States and Europe lead the way, a great number in WORLD PREMIERE, EUROPEAN PREMIERE and INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE.  

It will be an edition dominated by science-fiction, technology, and the latest concerns of the world, including the aftermath of the pandemic, curiously not always on dramatic terms as several comedies are among the selected films. Likewise, animation is rather present, manga and animé included, as well as productions from Europe such as acclaimed French film Vortex: The Dawn of Sovereignty.

 

THE JAPAN INVASION

 

The most expected “XxxHolic”, will make his World Première in Porto among many others, has received the honour to open the festival on the 1st April, a much expected big budget live image recreation of a very popular manga. 

Also to be screened at Fantasporto are many heavy weights from Japan.  Japanese thriller “Baby Assassins”, a box-office hit, “Ms Lupin”, an homage Japanese style to the infamous burglar Arsène Lupin, and to the popular manga with the same characters “The Mole Song” by Takashi Miike, the always polemic but hugely popular director, and last buy not the least, “Ox-Head Village”,another World Premiere by Takashi Shimizu, himself the winner of Fantasporto 2021. 

 

CHINA, more JAPAN, and TAIWAN against GERMANY and FRANCE

 

The participation of many countries clearly shows a pendant for Sci-fi, confirming the worries about our future. The best examples in competition come from Germany, with a sophisticated and political approach with “The House”, but also from China’s “Annular Eclipse” or Taiwan’s “2049: Hedgehog Effect”, all with stunning visions of our possible future or the fantastic animé “ The Laws of the Universe”.

Animation is also inevitable in Fantasporto due to its capacity to reproduce the wildest produce of the imagination. That is the case for French “Vortex: The Dawn of Sovereignty”, by Michel Rousseau, Chinese “Chicken of the Mound” or “The Laws of the Universe – The Age of Elohim” by Isamu Imakake ans many shorts in the Short Fantasy Competition. 

THE RETURN OF KOREA, IRAN, with a WORLD OPENING, HUNGARY, SPAIN AND ENGLAND

 

The social media, with its massive influence, especially on the young, and its invasion of privacy, is also a concern in many of the selected films. Examples of that are “Follow Her”, a first fiction film by American Sylvia Caminer, the alienation of youth in Japanese feature “Baby Assassins” or Hungarian  “Soul Park”.  

Place in the line-up for great stories of humanity such as fabulous “Escape from Mogadishu”, Korean candidate to the 2022 Oscars, or “Saralish” from Iran about the drama of child marriage, the latter presented in a special Human Rights Screening.

The occupation of rural areas by housing investments or by city people are also frequent in the concerns of today’s film makers. Such is the case of Hungarian “Eviction”, a first film by Maté Fazekas, “Jacinto” by Spanish Javi Camino or British“Barbarians” a first feature by Charles Dorfman, a twice Oscar nominated producer (The King’s Speech” and “The Lost Girl”). 

 

EUROPEAN FILMS against PHILIPINES, EUA and ARGENTINA

 

Following the matrix of the festival that started as a fantasy event and became a general one in 1991, are the incursions in more classic approaches with films such as the extraordinary Italian feature “Sometimes in the Dark” by Carmine Cristallo Scalzi , “Entombed “ from Norway,  “The Unburied” from Argentina , “Night at the Eagle Inn” by Erik Bloomquist, “Alchemy of the Spirit” by  Steve Balderson,  “The Exorcism of God” by Alejandro Hidalgo, or an historical view over Inquisition horror in “Duyster”by Thomas Vanbrabant and Jordi Ostir,  about the violence against women. 

The suspicion of the different are subjects that always elicit new films. Apart from Spanish “Jacinto”, also “Broken Blooms”from the Philippines remind us of the struggles in common people’s lives. 

A most varied and strong competition is surely going to dominate the main official sections, Fantasy Cinema and Directors’ Week, with 58 countries sending films for selection.  

 

FANTASPORTO´2022 WILL BE THE PLACE TO DISCOVER THE GREAT FILMS AND ACTORS OF THE STORY OF THE CINEMA MADE IN THE STATES AND A PRECIOSITY THAT WAS DISCOVERED IN BRAZIL

 

A great part of the FANTASCLASSICS section which brings to the big screen iconic features of the past, is going to present and celebrate anniversaries of films such as “The Curse” by Brasilian Mojica Marins, in a restored version, the 70^th anniversary of “Singin’ in the Rain,” by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donnen and 80 years of “Casablanca”. “THX 1138” by George Lucas celebrates 50 years and Fantasporto’s favourite “Blade Runner” by Ridley Scott, 40 years since its European Premiere in the festival, were not forgotten. The Retrospective HOLLYWOOS STARS brings (again) to the theatre room the faces of the great ACTORS AND DIRECTORS of the 40’s till the 60’s, among them Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Sidney Poitier, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman or Humphrey Bogart, in some of their fundamental features. Also works by John Ford, Ernst Lubitsch or Joseph L. Mankeiwicz

 

THE LINEUP 2022

 

42nd PORTO INTERNATIONAL CINEMA FESTIVAL

APRIL 1st to 10th | RIVOLI THEATER

 

OPENING NIGHT

xxxHOLiC - Mika Ninagawa – 110' ( Jap ) WORLD PREVIEW

 

CLOSING NIGHT

Everything, Nothing and Something Else - Marina Kondratieva - 80' ( Ukraine / Lithuania ) 2020 - comedy drama - WORLD PREVIEW

 

FANTASTIC CINEMA | FANTASY CINEMA

( Competition)

Feature Films / Features

 

xxxHOLiC - Mika Ninagawa – 110' ( Jap ) WORLD PREVIEW

Alchemy of the Spirit- Steve Balderson - 92´(USA) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

2049: Hedgehog Effect - Chien -Ching Chu – 162' – (Taiwan) WORLD PREVIEW

The Laws of the Universe – The Age of Elohim-Isamu Imakake – 119' ( Japan ) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Annular Eclipse – Zhang Chi – 97'- (China) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

The Unburied / El Cadaver Insepulto – Alejandro Cohen Arazi- 84' (Argentina)

EVENTUALLY SHOCKING SCENES

Night at the Eagle Inn - Erik Bloomquist - 70' (USA)

SoulPark - Robert Odegnal , Illes Horvath – 77' (Hun)

Entombed - Kjell Hammerø - 99' (Norway) INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW

Ox-Head Village- Takashi Shimizu- 115' (Jap) WORLD PREVIEW

The House- Rick Ostermann- 90' ( Alem )

Vortex, Dawn of the Sovereignty- Michel Rousseau- 72' (Fra)

Sometimes in the Dark / A Volta Nel Buio - Carmine Cristallo Scalzi - 122' ( Ita )

follow Her - Sylvia Caminer - 95' (USA) WORLD PREVIEW

Barbarians - Charles Dorfman- 90' (UK)

Chicken of the Mound- Xi Chen- 83' – (China) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

The Mole Song – Takashi Miike - 129' ( Jap ) INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW

EVENTUALLY SHOCKING SCENES

Ms Lupine aka Daughter of Lupine- Hideki Takeuchi- 106' (Jap) WORLD PREVIEW

Duyster - Thomas Vanbrabant , Jordi Ostir - 80' (Belgium)

EVENTUALLY SHOCKING SCENES

The Exorcism of God - Alejandro Hidalgo – 99' (USA/ Mex /Venezuela)

The Good Father – Sho Kataoka- 100' (Jap) - WORLD PREVIEW

 

shorts Films / Shorts

 

Fledge - Hanni Dombe , Tom Kouris - 15'25'' (Israel)

Visitors – Kernichi Uganda - 16'21 '' (Japan)

Elena - Birute Sodeikaité – 13' (Lithuania/France/Croatia)

Night Breakers - Gabriel Campoy , Guillem Lafoz – 17' ( Sp ) – INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW

Zmiena - Pierre Renverseau - 13'46 ( Fra )

part Forever - Alan Chung-An Ou – 12' 33'' (Taiwan)

Unheimlich – Fabio Colonna – 15' (Mexico)

Grandpa – Valentine Rolland, Théo Bongiovanni, Hugo Martins, Sophie Ouvrard , Thomas Piot, Nell Molinier - 6' 46'' (Fra)

The Flight of Banog – Elvert Bañares – 9' (Philippines) INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW

Told You – Shell Horgan- 9' ( Ireland )

Tranvia – Carlos Baena - 8'50'' ( Esp )

While we Stayed at Home - Gil Versely -5 '(Israel)

Shiny New World – Jan van Gorkum - 8'43'' (The Nederlands )

Partial total: 153'

 

DIRECTORS WEEK | DIRECTOR'S WEEK

(Competition)

Feature Films / Features

 

Escape from Mogadishu – Seung - wan  Ryoo - 153' (South Korea)

Eviction - Maté Fazekas – 87' (Hun)

Confession - Yoon Jong-seok - 105' (South Korea) INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW

Baby Assassins - Yugo Sakamoto 95' ( Jap ) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Jacinto- Javi Camino 95' ( Esp )

Saralish – Yaser Ahmadi , Behrooz Bagheri - 76' (Afghanistan / Iran) WORLD PREVIEW

broken Blooms –Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio – 107'(Philippines) WORLD PREVIEW

The Good Father- Sho Kataoka- 100' (Jap) WORLD PREVIEW

 

ORIENT EXPRESS

(Competition)

Feature Films / Features

 

Escape from Mogadishu – Seung-wan Ryoo - 153' (South Korea)

Confession - Yoon Jong-seok - 105' (South Korea) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Baby Assassins - Yugo Sakamoto – 95' ( Jap ) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Chicken of the Mound- Xi Chen- 83' – (China) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

2049: Hedgehog Effect - Chien -Ching Chu – 162' – Taiwan - WORLD PREVIEW

The Laws of the Universe – The Age of Elohim-Isamu Imakake 119' ( Japan ) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Annular Eclipse – Zhang Chi – 97' (China) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

ox-head Village - Takashi Shimizu- 115' ( Jap ) WORLD PREVIEW

The Mole Song – Takashi Miike - 129' ( Jap ) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Ms. lupine aka . Daughter of Lupine - Hideki Takeuchi - 106' ( Jap ) WORLD PREVIEW

The Good Father- Sho Kataoka- 100' (Jap) WORLD PREVIEW

xxxHOLiC - Mika Ninagawa – 110' ( Jap ) WORLD PREVIEW

 

CHEER UP

(Non-competitive)

Feature Films / Features

 

Vortex, Dawn of the Sovereignty- Michel Rousseau- 72' (Fra)

The Laws of the Universe – The Age of Elohim-Isamu Imakake – 119´ ( Japan ) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Chicken of the Mound- Xi Chen- 83' (China) EUROPEAN PREVIEW

Riku – 65' ( Jap )- animation- WORLD PREVIEW

 

Short Films /Shorts

 

Fledge - Hanni Dombe , Tom Kouris - 15'25'' (Israel)

Grandpa –Valentine Rolland, Théo Bongiovanni, Hugo Martins, Sophie Ouvrard , Thomas Piot, Nell Molinier - 6' 46'' (Fra)

Elena- Birute Sodeikaité – 13' (Lithuania/France/Croatia)

 

PORTUGUESE CINEMA AWARD

(Competition)

feature films

 

Amelinda - Miguel Gomes – 114' ( Port ) - WORLD PREVIEW

 

short films

WORLD PREVIEW

 

Hostage- Pedro Mira – 15'

Skull 2: A Variation or the Wars to Come- Luís Miranda – 2' (English)

Paper Journey – Emanuel de Oliveira, Maria Ana Marques-7'40'' ( Port )

Fruit Touched by Lack of Gardener – Pedro Senna Nunes- 8' ( Port )

Deluge- Eduardo Cruz – 35' ( Portugal )

Behind the Door – Tom Freitas, Bruno Acosta, Inês Paredes- 9'05'' ( Port )

Misericórdia- Gonçalo Loureiro 11'20'' ( Port )

 

(Out of Competition)

Meu Castelo, Minha Casa – José Mira- 15' ( Port ) 2021

 

SPECIAL SESSION | SPECIAL SCREENING

WOMAN

Consent cannot be bought- Inês Renda, Ana Sofia Fernandes- 26' ( Port )

with

Saralish – Yaser Ahmadi , Behrooz Bagheri - 76' (Afghanistan / Iran) – WORLD PREVIEW

 

FANTASCLASSICS

 

MOJICA MARINS

The Last Plague of Mojica Marins- 17´ (Brazil)

The Plague – José Mojica Marins- 52' (Brazil)

Unreleased film by the director (restored version)

 

EPHEMERIDES

CLASSIC FANTAS

Casablanca – Michael Curtiz - 102' (USA) 1942 – 80 years

Singin' in the Rain- Stanley Donen , Gene Kelly – 103' – (USA) 1952- MGM – 70 years

 

EPHEMERIDES

CULT MOVIES

THX 1138- George Lucas – 86' (USA) – 1972 - 50 years

Blade Runner - Ridley Scott -117' (USA) 1982 – 40 years

 

HOLLYWOOD STARS

Casablanca – Michael Curtiz - 102' (USA) 1942 – 80 years

Singin' in the Rain- Stanley Donen , Gene Kelly – 103' – (USA) 1952- MGM – 70 years

High Society- Charles Walters- 101' (USA) - 1956

Mogambo- John Ford - 116’ (EUA) -1953

Guess who’s Coming to Dinner- Stanley Kramer – 108’ (EUA) -1967

Suddenly, Last Summer- Joseph L. Mankiewicz- 114’ (EUA) -1959

All About Eve- Joseph L. Mankiewicz- 138’ (EUA) - 1950

Ninotchka - Ernst Lubitsch- 110’ (EUA) - 1939

 

Once again, welcome to the 42^nd edition of FANTASPORTO, most likely the last one at the Rivoli Theatre as the BATALHA FILM CENTER is due to open soon. See you there!