At The Movies: Fantasia 2026 Must See Films

The Fantasia Film Festival is back for a milestone 30th edition this year from July 16th-August 2nd at the Concordia University Hall Building and surrounding area of downtown Montreal. This premiere genre film festival offers cinephiles from multiple genre interests a way to beat the heat this July and be entertained. Before we get to our top film picks curated by us, Remi and Danny of At The Movies, here are some things to look forward to at this year's edition.

Opening the festival (July 16th at 18H30 at the SGWU Hall Theatre) is a film that I am looking forward to seeing, Her Private Hell  from director Nicholas Winding Reffen (Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives) starring Sophie Thatcher is bound to be an audacious film. The film is set in the future and is about death and resurrection. Reffen is also hosting a masterclass talk (July 17th at 16H at the Cinema Du Muse) the following day at Cinema Du Muse and will also be the recipient of the prestigious 2026 Cheval Noir Career Achievement award. Closing the festival (August 2nd at 18H15 at the SGWU Hall) will be the world premiere of Freaks Part II from directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein. Described as a superhero narrative that features vilified anti-heroes which promises innovative gore, it will certainly be the most seen in a Canadian film this year. 

Remi’s picks From At The Movies

The first film that I really wanted to see at this year’s festival would be the follow up to one of my favorite voices as a director presently working, Jane Schoenburn‘s (We’re All Going To The World’s Fair, I Saw The TV Glow) Teenage Sex and Death and Camp Miasma (July 17th at 21H30 at the SGWU Hall Theatre). Sadly I will be at another viewing of The Odyssey from director Christopher Nolan, as my friend's birthday falls at the same time as the biggest film of the year’s release. Starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson the film pays homage to classic slasher films, and guessing from the title the Friday The 13th series as well. However where Schoenbrun truly shines is using the horror genre to give a voice to characters who find their own identity, most of the time going through a crisis, with heavy LGBTQ+ thematics and representation that often goes unrecognized in the modern day hollywood horror genre. The following day, you can join a creative panel of guests in conversation including Jane Schoenburn, Hannah Einbinder, Alice Maio Mackay and Lousie Weard moderated by Avalon Fast happening July 18th at 12 PM SGWH Hall Building. 

One of the sections that I always love to start my festival run with is Documentaries from The Edge, which doesn’t always have a lot of films to offer but is a definite gem of the festival for me. There is the documentary film project The Origin of Ultraman (June 17th at 18H30 at the Cinéma du Musée) celebrating the character of Ultraman’s 60th anniversary with interviews from Guillermo del Toro, Hideo Kojima and Nicholas Winding Refen, just to name a few. And finally, the documentary that I want to highlight is The Soul Guardians (July 22nd 21H15 Cinéma du Musée) from directors Kim Jong Woo, Kim Shin-Wan and Cho Chul-Young that follows the events that transpired on December 3rd 2024 as the president of South Korea declared martial law, claiming that the opposition was communist and in the pocket of North Korea. The public was in a state of shock and traumatic memories of the 1980’s Gwangju Massacre resurfaced. The documentary follows the elected representatives that summoned their courage to vote against the motion, despite the armed forces, and the people who rose up with their voices, who were able to remove this dangerous politician from office; a brilliant showcase of the power to the people's movement. 

The next section to highlight would be the prestigious Cheval Noir, Fantasia’s flagship juried competition that boasts a global selection of varied genre works from bot new and established and groundbreaking unconventional auteurs. Corpus (July 26th at 21H35 at the Salle Salle J.A. De Sève and July 27th at 16H20 at the Salle J.A. De Sève) from director Corrin Evans is described as a sensual horror film set in the summer of 1998. Nightlife photographer and drug dealer Sayo’s (Jeff Whalberg) life gets upended when he’s invited to a party upstate by his longtime crush, and movie star on the rise, Vince Marlow (Browdie Townsend). The party is far from in full swing upon his arrival where he encounters three mysterious women Billie (Lily Cowles), Wren (Nuha Jes Izman) and Cata (Ching Valdes-Aren) whose disturbing agenda draws the boys into a dark web of seduction and terror. What interests me the most about this film is the cinematography from Charlie Cole that is described as dreamy, colourful and smokey alongside Sayo’s photography that drives the pulsing rhythms of music and drugs. 

The core of the Fantasia film festival is found in the Horizon 2026 section, featuring a range of distinctive works from different  countries, utilizing various styles and tones. The Leader (July 30th at 18H15 at the SGWU Hall Theatre) follows the dramatized true story of the cult group known as “Heavens Gate” from director Michael Gallagher. Bonnie (Vera Formiga) dissatisfied by her home life and her cheating husband, finding a soulmate in the deeply devout religious Marshall Herff Applewhite (Tim Blake Nelson). Calling themselves “Do” and “Ti” they form the group that would become known as “Heavens Gate”. They bestow new names to their followers and indoctrinate them into a strictly regimented new life, where freedom of choice is removed and “desires of the flesh” are verboten. From a tragedy that happened 30 years ago, The Leader has much to say about susceptible minds that can be twisted towards blind allegiance. 

After watching multiple trailers for the festival, my final selection comes from the Underground section, where the revolution starts with bold super independent outsider films that possess a purity of vision and are wholly unafraid to take daring risks. Are you tired of the recycled Marvel films that make you watch endless hours of content just to keep up? Then maybe a refreshing take on the superhero genre with Matapanki  (July 24th at 17H10 at the Salle J.A. De Sève) from director Diego “Mapache” Fuentes might be for you. Ricardo (Ramon Galvez) is a young punk and gets alcohol-fueled super powers to change society. The film's aesthetic choices, with black and white textured images, frantic montages and animated elements, are used to illustrate the character's spirit; painting the canvas like graffiti, in line with the film's rebellious spirit. The big "Thanos"-like villain in this film is indeed the American President who turns this fun punk film into a social critique that is as humorous as it is intellectual. 

Fans of animated films must be sure not to miss out on the Animation Plus section, which may not be for the kids (but don’t worry, Fantasia has them covered with the My First Fantasia section). Septentrion Shadows highlights films from Canada while Quebec is highlighted with Les Fantasiques Weeke-Ends du Cinéma Québécois & Genre Du Pays. Don’t miss out on some retro films that are revisited in Fantasia Retro.

As always, bon festival, meow, et bon cinema! 

For a full list of films Remi is looking forward to seeing fallow along with his Letterboxd List 

Danny Aubery's picks from At The Movies 

Hey movie fans, what's up? Are you in the mood to watch films with really cool fight scenes? Are you in the mood to watch films that are so chilling that they keep you at the edge of your seat? Well, I know that I am, which is why when I watched the movie trailers for Fantasia this year, there were particular movies that really stood out to me. These are five movies that I would love to see, so buckle up!

Blades of the Guardians, Directed by Yuen Wo-Ping, Genre: Action, Country: China

Section: Horizon 2026, July 19th at 14H15 at the SGWU Hall Theatre

Bounty hunter Dao Ma and his young nephew have been entrusted by the chief of the Mo family clan to protect a rebellious masked man, who is the most wanted man in the empire. While doing this, they are eventually met with resistance by opportunistic swordsmen in the desert. As a fan of martial arts, this film looks very promising to me with the martial arts moves seen within the film, not only with punching and kicking, but with sword fights as well, which appear to be beautifully choreographed.  

Colony, Directed by Yeon Sang-Ho, Genre: Horror, Action, Country: South Korea

Section: Horizon 2026, July 29th at 18H35 at the SGWU Hall Theatre

Professor Se-Jeong goes to work expecting a simple day involving attending a biotech conference, but later finds her life, and the lives of others at stake, as a dangerous virus mutates people in the building into mindless cannibalistic zombies. Although there appeared to be scenes within the trailer that were quite grotesque, it is nevertheless a film that I'd love to see because it has a very interesting story line, and I feel that the actress who plays the professor shows a lot of promise.

Penny Lane is Dead, Directed by Mia’Kate Russell, Genre: Horror, Thriller, Country Australia

Section: Horizon 2026, July 20th at 21H25 at the SGWU Hall Theatre

After getting accepted into University, Penny Lane decides to celebrate by partying hard with her closest friends. The party gets crashed by Penny's toxic cousin Kat, who is accompanied by friends of hers. Circumstances go from bad to much worse, as Penny's friends find themselves in a fight for survival. Every now and again, I do like to see a good horror film, and just watching the trailer gave me the chills. I do feel that what often makes a horror film interesting is when the "bad guy" has some kind of a grudge against the main character, as it appears to be the case with this film.

Cape Fear (2026) Episodes 9 and 10, Directed by Amanda Marsalis and Jonathan Van Tulleken, Genre: Thriller, Country: USA

Section: Horizon 2026, July 30th at 21H25 at the Cinéma du Musée

The lives of happily married attorneys Anna and Tom Bowden are threatened as the notorious killer, Max Cady, who they jailed years ago is let out of prison. Cady stocks them relentlessly. As someone who loved the 1991 version of Cape Fear which starred Robert De Niro as Max Cady, I am extremely curious to see this version of the story. The acting within the mini series appeared to be very impressive, and Javier Bardem appears to portray the psychopath Max Cady all too well. The final two episodes, 9 & 10, will be screened with Nick Antosca in attendance. Catch up on the current episodes on Apple TV. 

Hong Kong Godfather, (1985), Directed by Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Genre: Drama, Action, Country: China 

Section: Fantasia Retro, August 1st at 19H20 at the Salle J.A. De Sève

Within the lucrative Kowloon District of Hong Kong, a gang war erupts involving machetes, bullets, kidnapping and killing. This all occurs as new crime boss Lan seeks to claim the territory of the old crime boss, Han. I am someone who enjoys a good gangster film, and of course when you see mob families fight for territory and power, that especially makes things interesting. The scenes within the film appeared to be beautifully choreographed.

As I observed the trailers and the storylines of all these films, I noticed that what they all have in common is that they all involve fighting for survival. For example in the movie Colony, the Professor fights for survival against the zombies, and in Penny Lane is Dead, Penny's friends fight for survival against the psychotic friends of Penny's cousin. Ultimately, what the movies have in common is companionship. For example in Blades of the Guardians, Dao Ma has his nephew as a companion and in Cape Fear, the married attorneys are companions. The point that I am trying to make is that I find this fascinating because in the dystopian film retrospective this summer, we've dabbled with how the main characters within these dystopian films fight for survival and have companions to rely on. I don't know about you guys, but I am very excited about Fantasia this year, and I look forward to seeing you there. Bon cinema!