The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its 30th edition from July 16 to August 2, 2026 with a rich program bringing together more than 125 feature films and more than 200 short films, as well as several special events and master classes at the Hall Theater and the J.A. de Sève room at Concordia University and at the Cinéma du Musée in Montreal. For this anniversary edition, Fantasia unveils an imposing final wave of titles which notably includes HER PRIVATE HELL by Nicolas Winding Refn, presented at the opening of the festival, the world premiere of FREAKS PART II by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein at the close, the most recent works of Japanese horror master Takashi Shimizu, the new film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, as well as numerous world, international and North American premieres.
HER PRIVATE HELL by Nicolas Winding Refn presented at the openingNicolas Winding Refn will present his new opus HER PRIVATE HELL, in Canadian premiere on July 16 at 6:30 p.m. to open this 30th edition of Fantasia. Combining neo-noir and a psychedelic tale, the film takes the viewer into a futuristic city bathed in fog where memory, mortality and identity merge. Worn by Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth and Dougray Scott, HER PRIVATE HELL once again demonstrates the aesthetic and narrative audacity that characterizes the work of its director.
For thirty years, Nicolas Winding Refn has built a bold and personal cinema through landmark works, such as Pusher, Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon, as well as the series Too Old to Die Young and Copenhagen Cowboy. The festival will award him the Cheval Noir Prize, rewarding his entire career on July 17 at 4 p.m. at the Cinéma du Musée. He will look back on the major stages of his career, from Pusher to Her Private Hell, while addressing his vision of contemporary cinema, his commitment to the preservation of cinematographic heritage and the challenges of creation in the digital age.
FREAKS PART II by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein presented as a closing The festival will conclude with the world premiere of FREAKS PART II, a science fiction thriller by Canadian filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, to whom we owe the cult success Freaks as well as Final Destination: Bloodlines. A few years after the events of the first film, Mary and her daughter Chloe live in hiding to escape a paramilitary unit tasked with eliminating beings with supernatural powers. Combining spectacular action scenes, impressive visual effects and reflections on family, marginalization and police states, FREAKS PART II promises to be an event not to be missed during this anniversary edition of the festival. Presented in competition for the Cheval Noir prize.
Different career awards and recognitions
Black Horse Prize for his entire career: Takashi Shimizu A major figure in Japanese horror cinema, Takashi Shimizu has established himself as one of the most influential filmmakers in the genre thanks to the Ju-on series. The first Japanese director to dominate the American box office with his Hollywood adaptations of The Grudge, he has also directed notable works, such as Marebito, Reincarnation, Homunculus, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Sana. Fantasia will present him with the Cheval Noir Prize for Lifetime Achievement on the occasion of the presentation of two new feature films: the world premiere of VILLAGE OF EIGHT GRAVESTONES deconstruction of the classic Japanese thriller in the form of a story bloody folk horror, where superstitions, family secrets and criminal investigation intertwine; and the North American premiere of THE MOUTHS, an atmospheric horror film in which a group of college students experience a night of terror as they visit a supposedly haunted cemetery to investigate the legend of a cursed tree.
Indie Maverick Prize 2026: Don Hertzfeldt Fantasia will present its Indie Maverick Prize 2026 to American filmmaker and animator Don Hertzfeldt, a key figure in independent animated cinema. A two-time Academy Award nominee, he is the creator of such memorable works as It’s Such a Beautiful Day, the World of Tomorrow series, Rejected, The Meaning of Life and On Memory. His unique style, mixing absurd humor, philosophical reflection and visual experimentation, has profoundly influenced contemporary animation and humor on the Internet.
2026 Canadian Trailblazer Award: Bruce McDonald Fantasia is pleased to present its 2026 Canadian Trailblazer Award to director and producer Bruce McDonald, a filmmaker whose audacity, curiosity and commitment to Canadian cinema have deeply impacted several generations of creators. For over forty years, he has built an eclectic filmography with feature films such as Roadkill, Highway 61, Dance Me Outside, Hard Core Logo, and Pontypool, as well as episodes of popular series like Heartland, Dark Matter, and From.
Many special eventsA new generation of filmmakers in conversation – Saturday July 18 at 12 p.m. Fantasia will bring together Jane Schoenbrun, Hannah Einbinder, Alice Maio Mackay, Louise Weard and Avalon Fast for a discussion dedicated to new voices in genre cinema. The artists will discuss their creative approaches, their collaborations and the new narrative forms that shape independent fantasy cinema today.
Hard Core Language: meeting with Bruce McDonald – Monday July 20 at 3 p.m. On the occasion of the presentation of his Canadian Trailblazer Award, director Bruce McDonald will look back on more than forty years of career, from Roadkill to Hard Core Logo, via Pontypool, Hellions and the From series, during a discussion moderated by Justin Langlois.
Master class: Blood Brothers FX – Monday, July 20 at 5 p.m. The Montreal team Blood Brothers FX, responsible for the special effects of many notable Quebec films, will celebrate its tenth anniversary during a master class devoted to practical effects. This meeting will also pay tribute to co-founder Carlo Harrietha, who died in 2025. Excerpts and filming images will accompany the discussion.
Master class: Louise Portal – Sunday July 26 at 4 p.m. An essential actress in Quebec cinema, Louise Portal will look back on a career spanning more than fifty years in cinema and television, during an encounter illustrated with extracts from her most notable works.
Artists’ words: Matt Johnson and Grace Glowicki Wednesday, July 29 at 5 p.m. – Cinéma du Musée On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Fantasia, filmmakers and actors Matt Johnson and Grace Glowicki will discuss their respective careers, their most recent creations and the evolution of Canadian independent cinema.
Master class: Robert Lepage – Saturday August 1 at 3 p.m. A major figure on the Quebec cultural scene, Robert Lepage will offer a reflection on his cinematographic work and his creative process, through a master class devoted to his feature films and his vision of cinematographic language.
An evening with Don Hertzfeldt Tuesday, July 21 at 5:30 p.m. – Museum CinemaRecipient of the 2026 Indie Maverick Prize, Don Hertzfeldt will participate in a major meeting punctuated by screenings of several of his most famous short films. The filmmaker will discuss his background, his influences and his unique approach to independent animation.
Final Exam Horror Trivia Saturday, July 18 – Reggies Bar (free activity)The popular Final Exam Horror Trivia competition, hosted by Ted Geoghegan, Michael Gingold and Cam Maitland, is stopping in Montreal for the first time. A mix of trivia, horror cinema history lessons and a celebration of fantasy culture, the event is presented in collaboration with Hollywood Suite.
Fantasia posters: meeting with Donald Caron Monday July 20 at 5 p.m. – York Amphitheater (free activity) Iconic illustrator of the festival, Donald Caron will look back on thirty years of creating Fantasia posters during a meeting hosted by Rupert Bottenberg. An opportunity to rediscover the evolution of the visual identity of the festival and behind the scenes of its graphic universe.
The Testament of the Mexican Mummy Friday, July 24 at 5 p.m. – York Amphitheater (free activity) Historian and curator Abraham Castillo Flores will present a multimedia conference devoted to the history of Mexican mummy films. Through extracts, photographs and archival documents, it will explore the links between folklore, history and popular cinema.
20th anniversary of Severin Films Saturday July 25 – Reggies Bar (free activity)Fantasia will mark twenty years of Severin Films with the launch of the board game Street Warriors: The Game of Cine Quinqui, in the presence of producer Kier-La Janisse and designer Zach Clark.
A new wave of premieres from around the world Among the many world premieres presented at this year’s festival are ATTACK ON PARADISE by Bob Colaers, a Belgian action film filled with spectacular fights; GROTESQQQUE by Atsushi Nishigori, an animated work composed of three independent stories where aliens, vampires and pop culture meet in a visually exploded universe; the Canadian PERMANENT DAMAGE by Seth A. Smith, a surreal satire of the housing crisis from the director of Lowlife and Tin Can; WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR by Japanese director Eriko Katagiri werewolf film which navigates between psychological horror, Japanese folklore and quest for identity; LES REGARDS PARALLÈLES, second feature film by Quebecer Vincent Bonin-Arena, a story at once tender, absurd and deeply Quebecois where three young people take to the road in a stolen car to escape their daily lives; ROMIN by Quebecois Jassen Charron, an initiatory adventure story that follows four Quebecois teenagers embarked on an expedition that will take them from the forests of Quebec to the Bahamas in order to lift an ancient curse; and THE GALACTIC GHOUL, the first feature film by Canadian Simon Harrison, an independent space opera brimming with imagination and humor; THE LAST FOOTAGE, by Myanmar director Arkar Soe Oo, which plunges the viewer into a haunted forest where a nocturnal expedition quickly turns into a nightmare; GODHEAD by the American Mark H. Rapaport, a fable as strange as it is disturbing about religious fanaticism and the excesses of faith; JUNCTION ROW, the first feature film from Ashlea Wessel, an action thriller tinged with cosmic horror and disturbing creatures that meet in a deeply Lovecraftian universe; and INSECSTASY by Angus Silver, a mix of Italian giallo and erotic thriller from the 1970s, offering a universe as strange as it is sensual. In North American premiere, we will find THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a fascinating mixture of historical film and striking mystery; the French film JIM QUEEN by Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, an apocalyptic story that combines animation for adults, irreverent humor and reflection on identity, inclusion and contemporary queer culture; UNIDENTIFIED MURDER by Jack Lee Chun-Kit and Kwok Ka-Hei, a black comedy in which police investigation, science fiction and explosive action scenes come together; TRISTES TROPIQUES by Korean Park Hoon-jung, a spectacular revenge thriller where shootouts and sword fights follow one another in a hostile jungle; A NEW DAWN first feature film by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, a Franco-Japanese animated film made using artisanal techniques rarely used today which transforms an intimate story into a true pictorial work. Presented at Berlinale 2026, the Taiwanese film BLISS: BEYOND THE EDGE OF TIME, an ambitious animated anthology bringing together six directors around the links between humanity, spirituality and technology; SICKO by Kazakhstani director Aitore Zholdaskali, a fierce satire on the excesses of crowdfunding; BOWELS OF HELL by Brazilian Gurcius Gewdner which pushes the limits of bad taste with an improbable mix of horror, scatological comedy and family drama; BEASTS CLUTCHING AT STRAWS by Japanese director Hideo Jojo, thriller adapted from the award-winning novel by Keisuke Sone.
International successes expectedSeveral films noted at the biggest international festivals will also be at Fantasia this year. This selection includes, among others, the Canadian premieres of COLONY by Korean director Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan), presented at Cannes 2026; the drama THE LEADER, starring Tim Blake Nelson, Vera Farmiga and Jim Parsons, dedicated to the tragedy of Heaven’s Gate, presented at Tribeca 2026; DRAG by Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer, dark comedy produced by Danny DeVito with Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito and John Stamos, presented at SXSW 2026; THE PLACE by Louis Godbout, presented in official competition at the 2026 Shanghai International Film Festival; THE PERIL AT PINCER POINT by Jake Kuhn and Noah Stratton-Twine, an absurd tribute to British cinema, also presented at SXSW 2026 and RECLUSE, first feature film by the American Henry Chaisson, co-writer of Antlers, presented at Tribeca 2026. Finally, let us mention PAPAYA by Brazilian director Priscilla Kellen, an animated ecological tale intended for the whole family, presented at the Berlinale 2026.
Fantasia Retro celebrates the great classics For its 30th anniversary, Fantasia Retro will offer an impressive program of restorations, projections on 35mm film and rare copies from the most important international laboratories and distributors. The public will notably be able to rediscover several major works of genre cinema, including CITY WAR (Hong Kong, 1986) by Sun Chung, in a new 4K restoration; LE CONFESSIONAL (Canada, 1995) by Robert Lepage, presented in 35 mm copy; WOLVES (Canada, 2014) by Sophie Deraspe with Evelyne Brochu and Louise Portal; METAL MESSIAH (Canada, 1978), retrofuturist rock opera by Tibor Takács in restored 4k version; THE DELINQUENT (Hong Kong, 1973) by Chang Cheh and Kuei Chih-Hung; FORTY DEUCE (USA, 1982) by Paul Morrissey; FULL BLAST (Canada, 1999) by Rodrigue Jean; GOZU (Japan, 2003) hallucinatory masterpiece by Takashi Miike; HAYOP KA! (Philippines, 2021) animated film by Avid Liongoren; and HONG KONG GODFATHER (Hong Kong, 1985) – by Johnny Wang Lung-Wei presented in 35mm print.
Juries made up of major figures from the film industry The Cheval Noir Prize jury is made up this year of Youngjoo Suh (producer and founder and CEO of Finecut Distribution) Catherine Corcoran (actress, author, producer and festival programmer), Karin Hussain (cinematographer, director and screenwriter) Bob Murawski (Oscar-winning editor and co-founder of Grindhouse Releasing), and Jennie Punter (journalist for Variety, member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, producer, and editor at Musicworks Magazine). Together, they will have the task of seeing and awarding a Dark Horse Prize to one of the 14 titles in competition.
The jury for the “New Flesh” competition for best first film is chaired by Brandon Hill (senior director of acquisitions and co-productions at Lionsgate), supported in his role by Jasper Basch (partner and head of distribution at Greenwich Entertainment), Julien Fonfrède (producer, programmer at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and critic) Markus Keuschnig (critic, writer and co-founder and artistic director Slash Filmfestival Vienna) and Hillary Webber (production manager for Film Tampa Bay and industry programmer at Gasparilla International Film Festival).
The jury for the International Short Film Competition is chaired by Adèle Banks (author, editor, radio personality, festival director and founder of Dead by Dawn International Film Festival in Scotland), accompanied by Abraham Castillo Flores (film historian, author and producer), Fatima Hayward (producer and distribution director at Blue Finch Films), Terry Leung (director, author and music producer) and Nick McCabe (director at Anonymous Content).
The jury for the SATOSHI KON Award for Excellence in Animation is composed of president Sylvie Trouvé (co-founder and creative director at See Creature Animation), Peter Ferguson (artist and illustrator) and Jeff Waye (A&R and co-owner of Third Side Music) The jury for the Northern Excellence Award for filmmaking is chaired by Kier-La Janisse (filmmaker, writer, acquisitions and production at Severin Films and Spectacular Optical) and composed of Matthew Hays (film critic, journalist and author), Kelly Kay Hurcomb (filmmaker, author and actress), Naomie Jaye (filmmaker and installation artist), Mike Peterson (filmmaker and producer), and James Watts (filmmaker, author and actor). The jury for FANTASTIQUES WEEK-ENDS DU CINÉMA QUÉBÉCOIS is made up of president Manon Dumais (journalist, film critic), Marc-Antoine Lemire (director) and Marie-Chantal Perron (actress and author). The AQCC Prize jury is made up of Alexandre Blasquez (film critic), Rachel Goulet (film critic), and Sylvain Lavallée (film critic).