The Fantasia International Film Festival returns to cinemas for its 27th edition taking place once again in Montreal from July 20 to Aug. 9. This year’s festival will have a special focus on South Korean cinema marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations including the latest blockbusters such as the third instalment in the popular Roundup series, and a screening of the 4K restoration of 2001 classic Take Care of My Cat. The second wave of titles will be announced early next month with the full programme following in July. Here are the East Asian Films so far confirmed for Fantasia 2023.
Japan
- People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind – a collection of sensitive uni students pour out their worries to cuddly toys to avoid burdening others with their fears in Yurina Kaneko’s charmingly empathetic drama. Review.
- Tokyo Revengers 2 Parts 1 & 2 – the long-awaited two-part sequel to the timeslip drama.
South Korea
- Mother Land – stop motion animation from Park Jae-beom.
- New Normal – horror anthology from Jung Bum-shik (Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum)
- The Night Owl – period conspiracy thriller in which a blind acupuncturist witnesses the death of the crown prince.
- The President’s Last Bang – Im Sang-soo’s ironic take on the assassination of Park Chung-hee.
- The Roundup: No Way Out – third instalment in the popular series starring Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) as a maverick policeman.
- Take Care of My Cat – much loved female friendship drama from 2001 revolving around five friends heading in different directions after high school. Review.
The Fantasia International Film Festival runs in Montreal, Canada, July 20 to Aug 9. Full details for all the films will be available via the the official website, and you can also keep up with all the latest news via the festival’s official Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram, and Vimeo channels.
Windows on Worlds 