2 FantaStic - Sitges Film Festival · (2007), The Impossible (2012) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). Going to the movies became his passion at a very early age, due in part

F A N T A S T I C 72

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In 2007 the International Critics’ Week presented the premiere of a young Spanish director, J. A. Bayona, accompanied by the established director and maestro of the fantastic genre Guillermo del Toro.

Bayona returns to Cannes with an extraordinary international career to support seven fantastic genre film projects.

A look at the genre film industry. The articles collected in this section show the dynamism of genre production worldwide and the high loyalty of the fan audience.

6.

36.

J. A. Bayona

Perspectives

The most important film market in the world (Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes), the oldest genre film festival (Sitges) and one of the most prestigious international experts and creator of the Blood Window platform, drive Fantastic 7.

4.The genesis of Fantastic 7

3F A N T A S T I C 7

8→35.Film

FESTIVALSSitgeS international

FantaStic Film FeStival oF catalonia

Bucheon international

FantaStic Film FeStival

12.

8.

cairo international Film FeStival

16.

international Film FeStival & awardS -

macao

24.

toronto international

Film FeStival

32.

FeStival internacional de cine

en guadalajara

20.

South By SouthweSt

28.Seven projects will be presented in front of film industry accredited at Cannes in a special session.

The set of projects offers an orientation on the next trends in production of fantastic cinema in the world.

Every edition will be promoted by a recognized filmmaker for his contribution to the fantastic cinema.

7 FANTASTIC PROJECTS



The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is the oldest genre film festival in the world and is especially recognized as a talent factory. Fantastic 7 is precisely that a selection of the best global talent and a reference point for a production that is constantly renewed on the basis of a loyal audience.

Each selection of Fantastic 7 is going to be an exquisite preview of the new trends around the world.

Since its creation, the Marché du Film has relentlessly pursued its commitment to welcome and foster all talents, genres and disciplines in the film industry. This has been particularly true for genre films over the past few years, with our involvement in the Fantastic mixer, Frontières, and Blood Window. Fantastic 7 aims at becoming this special place for all fantastic key players: a place to showcase the most promising projects and to give a voice to upcoming filmmakers.

As in good wines, Fantastic 7 comes to enhance value to the “denomination of origin” (appellation d’origine contrôlée). W7 fantastic festivals each endorsing a project from their region in the fantastic frame of the Marché du Film.

jérôme PaillardExecutive Director of the Marché

du Film Festival de Cannes

mònica garcia maSSaguéFoundation Deputy General Manager

Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia

Bernardo BergeretInternational Advisor


J. A. BayonaBiographyOnce upon a time... a Fantastic Godfather

Juan Antonio Bayona (b. 1975) is an acclaimed Spanish filmmaker. He is best known for directing successful movies such as The Orphanage (2007), The Impossible (2012) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).

Going to the movies became his passion at a very early age, due in part to his father, an artist who used to paint the huge posters that adorned the facades of some of the historic movie theaters in his native Barcelona.

He studied Film Directing at the renowned Escola de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC). After graduating he became a professor alternating this role with his career as a commercials and music videos director for some of the most important companies and popular artists in Spain.

His first two films were the award-winning shorts Mis vacaciones (My Holidays, 1999) and El Hombre Esponja (Sponge-Man, 2002).

In 2004, Bayona met writer-director Sergio G. Sánchez, who wrote Bayona’s first feature film, El orfanato.

The Orphanage, as it is known around the world, premiered at the 2007 Critic’s Week during the Cannes Film Festival. It received a ten-minute standing ovation.

Executive produced by Guillermo Del Toro, the film was a box office juggernaut in Spain, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year. More than 3.3 million people saw it in theaters and its final tally reached almost €19.2 million ($21 million).

At the 2008 Spanish Academy Awards, the movie was nominated to 14 Goyas, winning seven of them, including Best New Director.

His second movie was The Impossible (2012), based on the tragic events that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean’s tsunami.

The Impossible became at that moment the highest grossing Spanish movie ever in Spain. Its worldwide box office crossed the $180 million mark.

Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Geraldine Chaplin were the main stars of the movie which also featured Tom Holland’s film debut. He was awarded the Best Male Newcomer Award at the Empire Awards UK, as well as the Breakthrough Male Performance by the National Board of Review. Naomi Watts was nominated to numerous awards for her courageous performance as a mother fighting to reunite her family against all odds and under the most challenging circumstances. Among them, the Oscar, the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the European Film Awards (EFA) and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.

The Impossible was nominated to 14 Goya Awards, winning five of them, including BestDirector.


In 2013 he directed the first two episodes of Showtime’s praised and revolutionary television series Penny Dreadful, starring Eva Green and executive produced by Sam Mendes and John Logan.

His next film was A Monster Calls (2016), based on the best seller book of the same name by Patrick Ness. The cast included critically acclaimed actors Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones.

Jones played the role of a young mother whose only kid can’t face the fact that she is dying. The role of the young boy was played by Lewis MacDougall, nominated to the Best Male Newcomer Award at the 2017 Empire Awards UK, where the movie won the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy prize.

A Monster Calls also won nine Goya Awards, including, once more, the Best Director prize.

The critically acclaimed movie also became the highest grossing picture of the year inSpain.

1. Knight Fight, A Monster Calls (2016)

2. Conor talks to the monster, A Monster Calls (2016)

3. J. A. Bayona & Guillermo del Toro, International Critics’ Week (Cannes, 2007)

In 2017 he produced Marrowbone, Sergio G. Sánchez’s debut as a director which also became a commercial hit in Spain. The Spanish Academy nominated Sánchez to the Best New Director award.

In 2018 executive producer Steven Spielberg personally choose Bayona to direct Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the fifth title of the extremely successful Jurassic Park franchise.

The movie made more than $1.3 billion (€1.145 million) around the world, becoming the third highest grossing film of the year. As of March 2019, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the 12th most successful movie ever in the world.

Recently Juan Antonio Bayona has been honored with the Retrospectiva Award at the Festival de Málaga, the Espiga de Honor at the Festival Internacional de Cine de Valladolid and the Premio Estrella at the Bilbao Fant Fest for his accomplishments as a filmmaker.


Occus eic tectotatur aritibusam et facestem que sunt volores sitam, cus re ex est, quam, ex eaqui utet quia siminu uaeosam as necto-riam ex eium ium volupta tionse volu ptas alit aditas res.

SITGESSitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia

About SitgesSITGES – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is the number one fantasy film festival in the world and represents, at the same time, the cultural expression with the most media impact in Catalonia. With a solid experience, the Sitges Festival is a stimulating universe of encounters, exhibitions, presentations and screenings of fantasy films from all over the world.

Born in 1968 as the 1st International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies, today the Festival is an essential rendezvous for movie lovers and audiences eager to come into contact with new tendencies and technologies applied to film and the audiovisual world.

Sitges’ status as the number one fantasy film festival in the world allows it to receive visits from top-level movie stars, directors and producers like Quentin Tarantino, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Paul Verhoeven, Ralph Fiennes, George A. Romero, Viggo Mortensen, Terry Gilliam, Rutger Hauer, John Landis, Joe Dante, Dino de Laurentii, Takashi Miike, Wim Wenders, Tony Curtis, David Cronenberg, Darren Aronofsky, Brad Dourif, John McNaughton, Peter Greenaway, John Woo, Park Chan-Wook, Johnnie To, Paul Naschy, Ray Liotta, Jon Voight, Sam Raimi, Robert Englund, Tarsem Singh, Roger Corman, Mira Sorvino, Santiago Segura, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Guillermo del Toro, Kim Ki Duk.

About our choiceTwo films were enough to consolidate Juanma Bajo Ulloa as a master of the dark and anguishing drama. His debut with Alas de mariposa earned him the highest award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, as well as three Goya awards from the Spanish Film Academy (best first movie, actress and original screenplay).

Alas de mariposa showed a shocking visual style and the crude description of a drama inside a problematic family. This painful way of narrating reaches its zenith with his second film: La madre muerta.

A psychopathic murderer kidnaps a mentally disabled girl who, as a child, witnessed the murder of her mother. The obsession and the incapacity of communication between both weave a heartbreaking story.

The new project of Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Baby, is a return to those roots. The film is an allegory about life, love and death, the ruthless struggle for survival and second chances.

Sitges could not miss precisely the opportunity to present the return of this master of dramatic suspense.


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SAVE THE DATE

F A N T A S T I C 71 0

DOLOR Y GLORIA by Pedro AlmodóvarMain Competition

LIBERTÉ by Albert Serra & O QUE ARDE by Oliver LaxeUn Certain Regard

CANCIÓN SIN NOMBRE by Melina León & CANCIÓN SIN NOMBRE by Melina León & JE TE TIENS by Sergio CaballeroQuinzaine des Realisateurs

+

ALCARRAS by Carla Simón &EL AGUA by Elena López Riera Cinéfondation

SINJAR by Anna BofarullSINJAR by Anna BofarullL'Atelier Carles TorrasEFP - Producers on the Move

MEET US AT THE CINEMA FROM SPAINSTAND @ RIVIERA A5

NEWSPANISHFILMS

1 1F A N T A S T I C 7

A young addicted woman gives birth in the middle of one of her crises. Unable to take care of the baby, she sells it to a midwife involved in child trafficking. Filled with remorse, she will try to recover it.

A young upper-class girl, drug addict and failed, gives birth totally alone in the middle of one her breakdowns. For days, she precariously breast-feeds the baby and calms its uneasiness with an old family pacifier. Unable to give proper care to her newborn child, she finally sells him to a disturbing woman who works in the child trade business. The young girl will soon regret her decision and she will try to get her baby back. But to do so, she will have to overcome her weaknesses and face her deepest fears.

original title: Babytitle in english: Baby

director: Juanma Bajo Ulloacast: in progressgenre: Fantastic Psychological thrillernationality: SpainProducer: J. Bajo Ulloa, F. Tomàs Olalla

Status: Preproduction

Budget: 1,500,000 USD

contact: F. Tomas [email protected]+34 675786058

BABY


BUCHEONBucheon International Fantastic Film Festival BIFAN

About BIFANBIFAN has always been a loyal supporter of genre films, diverse spirits of filmmakers and moviegoers, showcasing around 300 films with the participation of 400 international guests annually. Founded in 1997, BIFAN introduces cutting-edge films from all over the world, leading to the success of these films in the Korean market.

Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) was launched in 2008 as the world’s first-ever genre specific film industry program to offer project market It Project with film development, co-production, financing and post production, along with an intensive mentoring program Fantastic Film School.

BIFAN Industry Gathering (B.I.G.) was launched in 2016 aiming to provide more of new directions and possibilities for solidifying its place as a leader of Asian genre film market.

About our choiceFor the inaugural Fantastic 7, BIFAN/NAFF is proud to present SUPERPOWER GIRL, a feature project by the talented Ms. Sooyoung KIM based on her short film of the same title. SUPERPOWER GIRL was an official selection of 2018 NAFF It Project, where it received The Color Award for D.I. support.

With an original story taking place at girl’s missionary boarding school, director Sooyoung and producer Dong H. touch up on the importance of friendship and trust, as they bring to life a story of a shy girl whose extraordinary skill gains her popularity but also bring the horrific and tragic outcome in the end.

We at BIFAN/NAFF have considered numerous projects from our project market of the last 3 years for Fantastic 7 and came to the conclusion that SUPERPOWER GIRL has the greatest potential to be made and be accessible for possible global coproduction and financing opportunities.




SUpERpOwER GIRlSet in a girls’ boarding school, a shy girl obtains a strange ability. But due to a misunderstanding she becomes the victim of a witch-hunt. And this ultimately drives the school toward catastrophe.

Juri, a student of a ladies missionary boarding school, is a shy and quiet girl who likes quilting. After she becomes inspired from the musical performance and the preach at a chapel that she attended for the first time on the advice of Mina, the class president and the envy of all, Juri visits the school’s historical cavernous oratory, where she awakes her latent ability(talent). Thanks to the new ability of her hands, she can make such brilliant quilt works that she becomes popular and her friendship with Mina goes deeper with more intriguing feeling. When the leaked video footage showing these two girls touching each other with sexual curiosity turns the school totally upside down, the school board chairman sets Juri up to be blamed as the main perpetrator. To top that off, when it turns out Juri is a grand daughter of a local shaman the chairman accuses Juri as a witch carrying some satanic power and locks her in the oratory in order to cure the homosexualism and to convert her. Eventually Mina gives up testifying for Juri’s innocence and that makes the power of Juri burst out into destroying the school with blood and conflagration.

original title: 능력소녀title in english: Superpower Girl

director: Soo-young Kimgenre: Female (Horror)nationality: Korea (South)Producer: Dong H. Kimcompany: Owl Pictures

Status: Script


contact: Dong H. [email protected]



CAIROCairo InternationalFilm Festival

About CIFFCairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is one of the 15 global festivals granted the category “A” status by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). It is one of the oldest cultural events in Africa and the Middle East. It is also the only one in Africa and the Middle East to be recognized by the competitive feature category from the FIAPF. The goal of the CIFF is promoting films and developing meetings between cinema professionals around the world, connecting film industry professionals in the Arab world and the Middle East with their counterparts from other parts of the world, as well as show the Egyptian public some of most important international films.

The CIFF was launched in 1976 by the writer-critic Kamal El Mallakh to enhance the role of Egypt in the cinematic world and to serve as a bridge between diverse cultures of the world. Egypt has enjoyed a strong cinematic tradition since the art of filmmaking was first developed in 1896. But it had to wait until 1976 to launch its international film festival.

Through its previous 40 editions, the festival kept its tradition of organizing a feature-length competition for films screening for the first time in an “A” list festival. It helped promoting a variety of cinema waves and experiences within the Egyptian and Arab audience. CIFF also paid tribute to a magnanimous list of the world’s most recognized filmmakers. Names like Michelangelo Antonioni, Claude Chabrol, Abbas Kiarostami, Zhang Yimou, Arturo Ripstein, Carlos Saura, Sofia Loren, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Binoche, Charlize Theron, and Salma Hayek received the prestigious lifetime achievement award from Cairo International Film Festival.

Celebrating its 40th edition in 2018, CIFF introduced its newest section “Midnight Screenings”, giving a special focus on genre films around the globe. 7 films in 7 nights are being screened by midnight in the heart of Cairo, to an audience who admires originality and innovation, especially when it comes in an appealing form.

The 41st edition of Cairo International Film Festival will take place from 21 to 30 November 2019.

About our choiceWhen “The Blue Elephant” was released in 2014, it was a breakthrough in the Egyptian cinema industry which was never familiar with fantastic genre films. Based on the best seller novel by Ahmed Mourad, distinguished director Marwan Hamed managed to craft an attractive story with a very astonishing atmosphere. “The Blue Elephant” was a great success in both box-office and critic reception.

Five years later, the team are coming back with a sequel. “The Blue Elephant 2” is not only one of the most anticipated projects in the Egyptian industry, but it tops the list of films that audience around the Arab world are waiting for, Especially after announcing that the film will keep its all-star cast and add a few more names to it.

For CIFF, “The Blue Elephant 2” is exactly the type of films we are looking for to program in our “Midnight Screenings”: films that enjoy a great quality of filmmaking, impressive stories and fascinating performances. Films that can make both our loyal festival movie-goers and the young audience happy and satisfied.




A meeting with a new inmate in the psychiatric hospital flips Dr. Yehia’s life upside down. She prophecies that the death of his entire family is only three days away.

FARIDA, the new convict, is escorted to the holding cell of the most notorious female criminals in the mental hospital. She is accused of murdering her entire family. That night, another crime occurs. An inmate gets killed! Now YEHIA’s intervention becomes inevitable. He is asked for help after five years away from psychiatry. He takes on the case not knowing what he is setting foot into. The horror begins when FARIDA warns him: “Your wife will kill your family one after the other! Beware of falling asleep, three full nights…or you will eternally regret it”. A nightmare of a mandatory insomnia, and the only way out is the ‘BLUE ELEPHANT’ pills. YEHIA trips to a world of fantasy, back to a time that no book of history ever recorded.

original title: Al Fil Al Azraa - 2title in english: The Blue Elephant 2

director: Marwan Hamedcast: Karim Abel Aziz, Nelly Kareem, Hend Sabry, Eyad Nassargenre: Drama, Mystery, Thrille nationality: EgyptProducer: Tamer Morsi - Synergy Film

Status: Post Production


contact:Rasha [email protected]

THE BlUE ElEpHANT 2


GUADAlAJARAFestival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara

About IFFAMThe Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) is the most important cinematographic event in Latin America. The quality and relevance of the film program; the celebrities and renowned filmmakers that stop-by; the professionals that pin-down projects; along with the public enjoying a myriad of cultural, educational and entertainment activities; have positioned the Festival as the a premier event for Ibero-American cinema.

About our choiceFICG has decided to join this new venture precisely because we are embarking on a few of our own; with the creation of the International Animation Feature Film Award and the establishment of the International Animation Centre or as Guillermo del Toro has christened it “El Taller del Chucho”. There is no better moment or place to create bonds that will point us to the right direction.




EvASIóNAn American actor arrives in Santiago to star in a film about a legendary escape from Pinochet’s political prison. He goes out to search the fighter who inspires his role. When he finds him the memories of the past blend with the dreams of the future.

1988, Chile. Miguel is a political prisoner. Going against the instructions from his organization, together with a group of fellow militants, he digs a tunnel to escape from prison. In 2021, Michael, an American actor, arrives in a dystopical Santiago to star in an English-speaking film about the legendary escape from 1988. When the production forbids him to leave the hotel, he escapes and goes on a search of old Miguel to talk about his character. The encounter has a deep effect on young Miguel’s perception of the meaning of the escape he is leading. A political fantasy inspired in real events.

original title: Evasióntitle in english: Escape

director: Cristián Jiménezcast: Gastón Salgadogenre: Political Fantasy nationality: ChileProducer: PAROX S.A

Status: Development - Screenplay finalized,Fundraising, Casting.


contact: Sergio Gándara [email protected] Alba Gaviraghi [email protected]



MACAOInternational Film Festival & Awards - Macao

About IFFAMInternational Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM) held its first edition in 2016 with a view to stimulate local film-making and film-going, while creating an event which would attract guests and industry from around the world to exchange cultural and business ideas in the original trading gateway between east and west. Against the unique and glamorous backdrop of Macao, the festival’s first three editions have successfully built on this idea while keeping a decided focus on genre. The industry hub’s project market, curated by genre expert Todd Brown, selects principally genre projects with Asian elements, be they characters, location or storylines. And the festival’s Flying Daggers midnight programme has played some of the most delicious genre offerings of its respective years including Mandy attended by director Panos Cosmatos, A Prayer Before Dawn attended by director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire and actor Joe Cole and Buybust which was attended by director Erik Matti and star Anne Curtis.

About our choiceThe project we have selected from our project market 2018 is a local Macao project Wonderland, a crime thriller conceived and to be directed by Chao Koi Wang about the city’s biggest business - gambling. The story takes in several threads unique to Macao including the notion of a “betting agent”, a middleman between the casino and the gambler, as well as the illegal entrance of mainland immigrants into the city and the organised crime that always lurks behind the scenes. It’s a story of high stakes, big money and kidnapping that perfectly represents the new breed of genre film-making that is emerging out of the city.




A gambler’s accidental death makes casino agent lose all his fortunes. He starts to think about what is a Wonderland.

Huei is a middle-aged “betting agent”, an occupa-tion peculiar to the gambling scene of Macau. Being the middleman between casino and gamblers, the seemingly glamorous job entails nothing glorious. He satisfies the demands of his customers but sacrifices the needs of the family.Huei is at a crossroads in life, agonizing over his daughter’s educational future. Present problems make him question his past decisions. Huei took a gamble when he was young, leaving Hainan and entering Macau illegally on a fishing boat. He left behind Jun, his past love, to search for a future. Now, as Huei drives his customers by the neon lights on the strip, he finds himself still searching. One night, Huei receives a text from Jun asking for help. Her husband, Chiang, wishes to gamble in Macau. After a horrible night at the tables on loaned casino chips, Chiang dies of a heart attack in Huei’s home. Due to Chiang’s illegal status, Huei, with the help of his daughter Min, burns Chiang’s body at a crematorium. Trying to figure out the next step, Huei and Min return to Hainan to find Jun for a solution.After a series of twists and turns, Huei is preparing to return to Macau when he discovers that someone has kidnapped Jun. Now he has to make a choice. This night, Huei is on a fishing boat like 20 years ago, but for Jun, not for himself this time.

original title: Al Fil Al Azraa - 2title in english: The Blue Elephant 2

director: Chao Koi Wanggenre: Drama nationality: Mainland China, Macao Producer: Bingchi Pictures

Status: Script Development

Budget: 780,000 USD

contact:Tingting Huang86 [email protected] No.1 yaojiayuan south road yard 7100020 Beijing, China

wONDERlAND


SXSwSouth by Southwest

About SXSWThe SXSW Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent from both behind and in front of the camera. Featuring provocative dramas, documentaries, comedies, genre standouts, and more, the festival has become known for the high caliber and diversity of films presented, and for its smart, enthusiastic audiences.

About our choiceSXSW has chosen Haywire as it’s featured project because it sounds like a badass film! And it is being helmed by SXSW Alumni and genre wunderkind, Mickey Keating, who has premiered several films at the festival. The film is also being produced by festival alumni producers, Gregory Chambet and WTFilms, whose taste in Film we feel very aligned.


Spotlighting genre filmmaking as part of our program at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas for 26 years.

SXSWMarch 13−22, 2020Film submission open July 1st, 2019 at sxsw.com

Pet Sematary, SXSW 2019 World Premiere


HENRY IS A SERVICE ROBOT

!HENRY IS

YOUR FRIEND !

HENRY IS GOING TO KILL YOU

HAYWIREHAYWIRE

From the writer/director of DARLING, CARNAGE PARK

!!


!!


!HENRY IS

YOUR FRIEND !

HENRY IS GOING TO KILL YOU.



!HENRY IS

YOUR FRIEND !

HENRY IS GOING TO KILL YOU

HAYWIREHAYWIRE


!!


!!


!HENRY IS

YOUR FRIEND !

HENRY IS GOING TO KILL YOU.

HAYwIREIn the very near future, Henry, a robot servant gets revenge on society with a hunting rifle.

Meet Henry, a mass-produced, lovable robot servant, who can cook, clean, and care for whoever buys him. Henrys are sold worldwide, and nearly every household in America has one.

In an isolated old manor in the middle of the woods, a single Henry robot cares for a dying old novelist named Carver Barron. As Barron’s mind and body begin to deteriorate, he relies more and more on his trusty mechanical servant. Things soon spiral into a nightmare when Henry becomes infected by a rogue computer virus and begins to violently haywire.

Armed with an old hunting rifle from Barron’s gun cabinet, this reasonless, unstoppable machine will take down anything and everything that crosses its path, just as Barbara, Barron’s daughter, comes to visit. She’s the last obstacle in Henry’s way until the soulless, emotion-less bucket of bolts is coming for us all.

original title: Haywiretitle in english: Haywire

director: Mickey Keatingcast: TBDgenre: Sci-Fi/Horror/Thriller nationality: USProducer: Gregory Chambet (WTFilms)

Status: Script available, mood reel ready for CannesCasting now and to go into production fall 2019


contact: Gregory [email protected]+1 33 6 43 33 30 80



TORONTOToronto InternationalFilm Festival

About TIFFSince its inception, several of the Toronto International Film Festival’s discrete programming sections can be recognized as a kind of “state of the union” for respective modes of filmmak-ing, be it documentary, avant-garde, or, in the case of Midnight Madness, genre cinema. Each year the Midnight section seeks not just to champion the year’s buzziest genre films, but also to capture the breadth of voices and sub-genres from around the world, particularly those that subvert and explode traditional conventions of fantastic cinema.

About our choiceThe best genre films buck the formula by colliding a familiar framework with fresh and provocative variables, and that’s just what Jeff Barnaby appears to be doing with his upcoming zombie thriller Blood Quantum. Its conceit of an Indigenous community that finds themselves solely immune to a zombie epidemic is a brilliant canvas for the critical, social and cultural commentary that the “living dead” sub-genre has encouraged in since its origins.


Register now at tiff.net/industry

Industry Conference Co-Production Breakfasts Talent Programming Delegate Resources

Toronto International Film FestivalSeptember 5 – 15, 2019

Join the biggest names and the brightest minds.


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CANADAPARTNER OF CHOICE.

CANNES2019

Discover our export incentives.RDVCANADA.CA


The dead are coming back to life…hordes of walking white corpses.

The dead are coming back to life outside the isolated Mi’gmaq reserve of Red Crow, except for its Indigenous inhabitants who are immune to the zombie plague. Traylor, the tribal sheriff, must protect his son’s pregnant girlfriend, apocalyptic refugees, and reserve riff raff from the hordes of walking white corpses.

BlOOD QUANTUM

original title: Blood Quantumtitle in english: Blood Quantum

director: Jeff Barnabycast: Michael Greyeyes, Forrest Goodluck, Kiowa Gordon, Elle-Maija Tailfeathersgenre: Horror nationality: CanadaProducer: John Christou (Prospector Films)

contact: Prospector Films427 BourgeoysMontreal, Quebec H3K 2M2+1 514 928 5196 www.prospectorfilms.caSales Agent: XYZ Films (World)


AN AppROACH TO TODAY’S GENRE MOvIEGOER

Over the last few years, an ideal breeding ground has been created for thee flourishing of audiovisual horror. In addition to a certain popularization of genre, which has overflowed the reductionism of the traditional niche concept, new codes can be seen in its promotion, which has had a significant influence on the profile of its potential audience. Several phenomena are at the root of this trend, which has transformed the traditional audience for this type of content: the increase in the production of serialized products of this genre, the commitment to new ways of telling stories and the “blockbusterization” of horror movie premieres.

A new context. The golden age of genre

Summary of the study on audiences and fantasy genre of the Master of Fantastic Film and Contemporary Fiction of the Open University of Catalonia.

The serialized horror content boomThe proliferation of agents without the restrictions of commercial networks, forced by the advertising market to invest in more general interest content suitable for all audiences, explains why the production of genre content for the small screen has been steadily increasing in recent years. Hemlock Grove, American Crime Story, The Exorcist, Hannibal, Masters of Horror, Penny Dreadful, Channel Zero, Lore, The Strain, Outcast, The Walking Dead, The Terror, The Purge

or The Haunting of Hill House, to name a few of the most popular series, have been possible thanks to the commitment to this niche carried out by the basic and premium cable channels, as well as by the streaming platforms. If horror is having a greater demographic penetration, it has been precisely thanks to the growing popularity and globalization in the distribution of this content via platforms like Netflix, HBO or Amazon.

elena neiraGraduated in Law and Audiovisual Communication and specialist in new models of audiovisual distribution

PERSPECTIVES


New proposals in storytelling

Television and streaming platforms have been the major driving forces behind an expansion in the narrative formulas of genre. Polyhedral content is becoming more frequent, where horror is yet another layer that coexists with other elements, such as adventure or even comedy. The basic phi-losophy is to get different elements to appeal to as many taste communities as possible, in order to make the niche profitable. Formats like Stranger Things would be the quintessence of this concept. This approach, friendlier than genre strictly speak-ing, together with the easy access that television provides compared to the translation to film, has enabled the generation of new audiences among the younger ones.

In addition to these new thematic formulas, characters who stray from the archetype are multiplying, unusual protagonists and the use of fiction as an audiovisual metaphor for real problems. This has enabled an approximation to audiences which are, a priori, indifferent to genre. They are moviegoers capable of overcoming the obstacle of the visual code because they connect with the thematic proposal that the content offers them. As Rob Cain states, referring to the renewed interest in horror in the United States, the phenomenon:

«may have a lot to do with the current state of American politics. Moviegoers could well be seeking out horror films as a form of catharsis for the day-to-day horror that’s been emerging from Washington, especially the wildly erratic and, for many young people, frightening rhetoric coming from the White House». (Cain, 2017)

have witnessed the extraordinary commercial circulation in theaters of films like A quiet place (John Krasinski) or Halloween (David Gordon Green).

It’s surprising, since horror, traditionally, has worked with some very clear ceilings of earnings. According to Box Office Mojo, the average opening of the hundred horror movies with the highest US box office takings is thirteen million dollars. The fact that over the last few years box office projections have been surpassed by such a huge margin (remember the hundred and twenty three million It opening in the United States) is the direct effect of a change of mentality in the audience and in the industry. More is being invested in this type of productions, converted into a much more profitable alternative, in terms of return on investment, than superhero movies. In addition, their increase in quality and the prestige they are acquiring (not only in reviews, but also in awards from the non-specialized sector) has allowed these proposals to be more numerous and to have greater promotional coverage and presence in theaters than before.

Blockbusterization of horror in theaters

«2017: the biggest year in the history of horror»: this headline in The New York Times was no exaggeration. Its force was supported by the extraordinary numbers of Get Out (Jordan Peel), It (Andy Muschietti) and Annabelle: Creation (David F. Sandberg). That year, the three films had exceeded the threshold of one hundred million dollars in the United States, something that to date had only been achieved by The Conjuring (James Wan) and a few installments of Paranormal Activity. That same year, Get Out made history. In addition to having taken in seven times its budget (4.5 million dollars) the weekend of its premiere in the United States, the film obtained four 2018 Academy Award nominations: best feature film, best director, best actor and best original screenplay (winning this last one). It is not anecdotal. In the entire history of the Academy Awards, only five other horror films have been nominated for best film: The Exorcist, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense and Black Swan. Only Jonathan Demme’s film picked up the statuette. The state of grace that seems to surround horror doesn’t appear to show signs of inactivity. In 2018 we


Source: MPAA

Source: MPAA

Source: MPAA

Today, the entire screening business is enveloped in a tide of data (loyalty programs, credit cards, cell phones, webs, email, social network interactions, exit polls, IP addresses). The combination of all this generates Big Data (Palmer, 2017).

All of this digital trail is enabling a knowledge of the audience that just a few years ago would have appeared to be science fiction. Data mining has become a very profitable business for consultants specializing in market research. The cross-referencing of users’ monitoring, movie theater attendance data and the profile of the released films make it possible to establish behavioral patterns, taste communities and even the overlapping of audiences, like the horror moviegoer showing a greater inclination towards certain genres, especially towards action movies, event movies (tentpoles), science fiction and comedy (Palmer, 2017). Most of these reports are not disseminated publicly. They are very expensive studies that are hired ad hoc, whose information is in the hands of the client who pays it.

There is, however, public information that can be useful when it comes to outlining the basic characteristics of the moviegoer in general and the horror moviegoer in particular. In addition to the studies published by official organizations related to the audiovisual sector (MPAA, BFI, SGAE, AIMC or ICAA, among many others), there are several surveys and public case studies that can help us in this task.

General Sociodemographic profile of the moviegoer

The Motion Picture Association of America annually publishes a report in which it analyzes the profile of the moviegoer on the basis of a frequent general population that can help us to make a first approximation to the basic demographics of theater audiences.

In 2017, the group between 25-39 years old is the most represented within the category of frequent moviegoers, followed by the 40-49 year old group (figures 1 and 2).As far as the proportion of men and women is concerned, there is a considerable equivalence in the distribution of frequent moviegoers in the United States (Figure 3).

Prototyping the horror moviegoer


Sociodemographic profile of the horror moviegoer

The slasher genre boom in horror films in the late 1970s is, to a large extent, responsible for the horror film audience being identified with men under the age of twenty-five (Cherry, 1999), especially teenagers.

And, to a large extent, that’s the way it is.

For the film industry, the segment of young men is especially attractive because it represents some of the most profitable moviegoers for the distribution business (thanks to the intensity of their consumption in this and other genres) and screening (for the money which they invest not only in the price of the ticket, but also in the catering services). In the previous graphs it can be seen how the group below the age of twenty-five is the second in specific importance among frequent moviegoers. Consequently, production and promotion have deliberately reinforced this perception.

The rise of the female audience in this genre began to be seen starting in the nineties, prompted by iconic female protagonists from the series of cult films like Scream (Wes Craven) or The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme). The growth of the proportion of female audience was also favored by new trends in the type of film promotion, not focused exclusively on gender. This is the case, for example, of Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola), where the promotion deliberately revolved around the love story to broaden the target audience base.

In any case, there is considerable consensus both in academic literature and in the surveys conducted by film organizations when it comes to establishing the hard core of the horror audience in the age group from 18 to 24 years. However, this statement requires three important aspects:

1) In line with what was already stated in the second section, there has been a certain increase of the target horror audience thanks to the popularization of television formats and recent box office phenomena. It is no longer, strictly speaking, a genre for young audiences, even though this is its largest core segment.

2) In addition, the demographic composition is very much conditioned by the subgenre in question.

In the Unmasking Horror Moviegoing study, published by MOVIO, the analysis of two basic sociodemographic criteria (sex and age) confirms the extent to which both moviegoer profiles differ, even when dealing with the same genre.

Specifically, this study analyzes the paranormal horror type audience (represented by films like The Nun or Insidious) compared to sci-fi horror

In terms of gender, as can be seen in Figure 5, the importance of the male audience increases considerably when the sci-fi component comes into play, while the composition is more equal in the area of paranormal terror.

3) Assuming that the horror audience is eminently young can lead us to exclude masses of very valuable moviegoers committed to a certain type of audience. And the thing is that horror presents high statistics of loyalty to genre as the public becomes adult.

The dangers of homogenizing the audience in the promotion of a horror film is the basis of an interesting case study that analyzes the premiere of It Follows in Denmark.

fans (category which would include films like Annihilation or Alien). And that of both compared to the general audience of blockbusters

As can be seen in Figure 4, paranormal horror moviegoers are noticeably younger. Sixteen percent belong to Generation Z (under twenty-five, which makes up the standard horror movie audience), and forty-four percent are millennials. Generation Z, however, is purely symbolic in the field of sci-fi horror. Within this subgenre, the indexes of the more adult audience increase, in an age image approaching that of the general blockbuster moviegoer profile.

Supported by:

Source: MOVIO

Source: MOVIO

Documents

2 FantaStic - Sitges Film Festival · (2007), The Impossible (2012) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). Going to the movies became his passion at a very early age, due in part