• Jun 18
• First wave of Fantasia 2012 announcements
• Posted by Deljhp - 18/06/12 at 05:49 PM

The 16th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and thrills starting July 19, 2012. The full 2012 line-up of programming and special events will be revealed next month but here’s an early peek of several selected highlights and info to whet your appetite.

FANTASIA LOVES JENNIFER LYNCH : From the day she exploded onto the scene with the largely misunderstood and still-controversial BOXING HELENA nineteen years ago, Jennifer Lynch has been a spellbinding iconoclast on the American indie landscape, her provocative approach to filmmaking seeing her alternately championed and demonized. She is a fascinating filmmaker who has made but several works across her near-twenty year career. Each have been standouts, their connective tissues threaded in baroque aesthetics, unconventional performance styles, darkly eccentric streaks of humour and subversively compelling gazes into our capacities for cruelty, obsession and sexual deviancy. This year, Fantasia will celebrate the wildly individualistic work of Jennifer Lynch with a pair of special screenings.

MARK HAMILL & TONY TODD ARE COMING TO TOWN WITH “SUSHI GIRL” : Among their 150+ feature film line-up, Fantasia will be presenting the international premiere of Kern Saxton’s hotly anticipated crime thriller SUSHI GIRL, featuring Mark Hamill in a startlingly sinister lead. Hamill’s portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the originating STAR WARS trilogy is one of the most iconic performances in Fantastic Film history and remains among the most beloved screen characters in the annals of pop culture. SUSHI GIRL was produced by - and co-stars – the inimitable Tony Todd (CANDYMAN, the FINAL DESTINATION films). Also appearing in the film are Noah Hathaway (THE NEVERENDING STORY, James Duvall (DONNIE DARKO), Danny Trejo (MACHETE), Michael Biehn (THE TERMINATOR) and none other than Sonny Chiba (STREET FIGHTER). Hosting the Fantasia launch will be Mark Hamill, Tony Todd, Michael Biehn and Kern Saxton – with additional guests to be announced!

And the list just goes on and on...........Looks like another epic year at Fantasia. Keep checking the official site for updates and more news here.