Apart from the 3 competitive Sections- Fantasy , Directors Week and Orient Express- the festival pays tribute to Portuguese Director José Fonseca e Costa who will receive a Career Award .
A retrospective of Galicean Cinema will highlight the festival as one of the most promising in modern Europe. Jorg Buttgereit and a retrospective of his work offer a glimpse of the complex and polemic work of this German filmmaker. And a selection of the Best European shorts will be presented in a fabulous retrospective.
Among the films in the various competitions are examples of the finest film production. “Delta” by Kornél Mundruczó, was Hungary representative in the latest Cannes Official Selection. The director was first introduced in Portugal by Fantasporto with “Pleasant Days” and “Johanna”, this one winning the Best Actress Award and the Special Juri Award in 2006. “Delta” is a disturbing story of brother and sister in the Danube Delta and has already won the FIPRESCI Award in Cannes.
The Korean cinema comes back with two masterpieces, “Hansel & Gretel”, a horrific and very original revisitation of the tale, and “The Chaser” which was Best Film Award in the Puchon International Film Festival, urban terror in the world of prostitution.
“Absurdistan”, by former winner in Fantasporto (with “Tuvalu” ) the German director Veit Helmer , brings back a truly original folk tale set in a village with a water supply problem.
Fantasporto 2009 Honoree is Portuguese director José Fonseca e Costa.
With a career spreading for half a century, and one of the fundamental names of the Portuguese film scene, Fonseca e Costa will attend the festival for a retrospective of his work which includes his latest film dating from 2007, “Viúva Rica, Solteira Não Fica”.
Persisting in opening the Portuguese Cinema to the world, other screenings are dedicated to Portuguese Cinema, including the best of last years production, both in shorts and full-length films.
A showcase of student films is also offered to the audiences at the Rivoli Theatre, the center of the festival. Galicean Films have a special place in Fantasporto 2009. After the wins of “El Bosque Animado” and “Un Franco, Catorce Pesetas”, winner of the Directors Week of Fantasporto 2007, and a regular presence in the festival, Galicean films are going to have a place of their own in the next edition of the festival. In a programme organised by the Axencia Audiovisual Galega and the Xunta da Galiza, Fantasporto is proud to a announce a selection of the most recent and successful cinema of this autonomous region in Spain. In a altogether personal way of filmaking which includes a lot of gore, German cult director Jorg Buttgereit returns to Oporto, as provocative as always, with a retrospective of his classic gory films, such as “Schramm” or “Nekromantik”.
“Best of Shorts”- this is the name given to an extensive programme dedicated to short films from European countries, namely Spain, Belgium, France, The Nederlands and the United Kingdom. The screenings will be held in Space “Cidade do Cinema”, right opposite the Rivoli Theatre.
13.02.2009 | Fantasporto's blog
Cat. : Absurdistan actress Belgium Cannes Cannes Cinema of Portugal Director Entertainment Entertainment Europe fantasporto Fantasporto Fantasporto Film France Galicean Cinema Galicean Films Human Interest Human Interest Jörg Buttgereit Jörg Buttgereit José Fonseca José Fonseca e Costa José Fonseca e Costa Person Career Portugal Portuguese cinema representative Spain the Best Actress Award The Chaser” which was Best Film Award the FIPRESCI Award The Korean cinema the Puchon International Film Festival the Special Juri Award United Kingdom Veit Helmer Honors