The complete program of the Fantasticon Film Fest, the first edition of the event dedicated to fantasy cinema, was presented via press release: let’s find out in this dedicated article
The final program of the Fantasticon Film Fest (FFF) has been revealed, the new festival dedicated to genre films which will take place from 24 to 26 November at the Fiera Milano Rho auditorium as part of Milan Games Week & Cartoomics 2023 (MGW CMX 2023 ): within the largest pop culture, gaming & entertainment event in Northern Italywith more than 150,000 visitors expected, a futuristic 900-seat hall set up with the latest generation audio/video system is ready to welcome and involve the public for an unprecedented, totally cinematic experience.
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A stunning first edition | Fantasticon Film Fest: the complete program of the event revealed!
Organized by Echo and Fiera Milano in collaboration with Fandango Club Creators and with the artistic direction of Manlio Gomarasca, the FFF had promised since this first edition 3 intense days full of panels, meetings, exclusive previews and screenings that revolved around three main themes: anime, fantasy and horror. The announced program confirms a differentiated schedule full of unmissable events, a real immersion in genres both for fans of all ages and for new curious spectators, thanks not only to the planned screenings, 14, but also to the presence of numerous guests and themed meetings.
World of anime and fantasy | Fantasticon Film Fest: the complete program of the event revealed!
The anime world will be able to count on 3 titles already announced but is enriched with an important novelty – on the closing day – with two episodes in a dubbed version of one of the most popular series of all time:
- City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust: to celebrate 35 years of the animated series, comes the new film based on the legendary manga by Tsukasa Hojo, a cult phenomenon in the 80s that marked an era by winning fans all over the world, Italian preview screening OV with sub ITA Friday 24 November;
- Blue Giant: an exciting and compelling anime about dreams and passion in the world of music, based on the award-winning manga by Shinichi Ishizuka with 11 million copies sold and masterfully directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, box office champion in Japan, Italian premiere screening OV with sub ITA Saturday 25 November;
- Mind Game: award-winning underground anime, with a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, created by the innovative STUDIO 4℃ and which sees the brilliant Masaaki Yuasa directing, for the first time on the big screen, a cutting-edge adventure. The OV screening with sub ITA on Sunday 26 November will be introduced by Dario Moccia, one of the most followed streamers in Italy and a point of reference for lovers of pop and nerd culture.
- Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seya – Sould of Gold: exclusively dubbed into Italian for the first time, the first two episodes of the commemorative series of the beloved saga created by sensei Masami Kurumada, to celebrate his forty-year career. The original plot takes place during The Chapters of Hades and features the twelve Golden Knights as protagonists, who inexplicably find themselves in the frozen lands of Asgard after their sacrifice: screening dubbed in ITA on Sunday 26 November.
The soul more fantasy of the festival will be dedicated to the world of Diabolik and the Manetti bros., the most extroverted director, screenwriter and producer brothers in Italian genre cinema who will be present on Saturday 25 November to meet the public and introduce the preview of Diabolik who are you? released on November 30th, produced by Mompracem with Rai Cinema in association with Astorina and with Bleidwin, distributed by 01 Distribution.
Horror! | Fantasticon Film Fest: the complete program of the event revealed!
There is also plenty of space for the horror genre with numerous film screenings and content ready to scare and capture even the bravest spectators. They had already been announced:
- Slotherhouse: the highly anticipated horror film about the exploits of the killer sloth inside a female university fraternity has its national premiere. For the prestigious newspaper The Guardian «People must go and see Slotherhouse. And there must be as many as for Barbie, it’s an instant cult.” Italian preview screening OV with sub ITA on Saturday 25 November;
- Terrifier 2 is the box office hit directed by Damien Leone which shocked America by launching the iconic villain Art the Clown and the scream queen Lauren LaVera. Accompanied by a thousand controversies for the gore scenes at the limit of bearability, Terrifier 2 is a controversial, impressive, but also irresistibly funny film. Certainly the cult film of 2022, with OV screening with sub ITA on Friday 24 November;
- The Well, the long-awaited and shocking new feature film by Federico Zampaglione, who after Shadow, returns to international horror cinema with a bloody and ruthless film, full of demonic creatures. Defined by Anglo-Saxon critics as “a gothic horror with a surprising modern taste”, The Well presents itself as the most extreme and gruesome Italian film of all time, with a thrilling female cast: Claudia Gerini and Lauren LaVera from Terrifier 2. OV screening with sub ITA on Friday 24 November will be introduced by director Federico Zampaglione, multifaceted musical artist and new star of Italian gore cinema.
Added to this triptych of fear are:
- Food Good: An interesting experimental animated film set in a world of monsters, mad scientists and war pigs. In this work carried out out of passion over 30 years, director Phil Tippett – creator of the special effects of Jurassic Park and Star Wars here in his first work – has combined various innovative animation techniques, making it a perfect title for the festival. OV screening with sub ITA on Saturday 25 November;
- Mad Heidi is the horror comedy inspired by the most famous mountain orphan: in this case, after the Swiss cheese magnates have executed her boyfriend Peter and forced the young girl to take part in the brutal wrestling festival, Heidi becomes a rebellious horsewoman determined to put an end to the cheese fascists and avenge the death of his beloved and the splatter is guaranteed. OV screening with sub ITA on Friday 24 November;
- Vermin is the first feature film by Sébastien Vaniček, winner of numerous international awards for his short films, and considered a young promise of the new French horror cinema. Arachnophobia meets Les Miserables in a heart-pounding genre film that leaves no respite and with an important message, where the invasion of spiders acts as a social allegory. OV screening with sub ITA on Saturday 25 November.
- Army of Darkness – director’s cut: on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary, the director’s cut of Sam Raimi’s film (third chapter of the Home trilogy) will be presented, which generated a true cult phenomenon and made the S-Mart store clerk Ash Williams one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema. The OV screening with sub ITA on Sunday 26 November will be introduced by Roberto Recchioni, one of the rock stars of Italian comics, screenwriter of Dylan Dog, writer of Tex, Diabolik and Topolino, who recently moved on to directing with Carne Fredda.
The guests at the Cinecomix Panel | Fantasticon Film Fest: the complete program of the event revealed!
Big names will be the protagonists of the CINECOMIX PANEL on Friday 24 November on the close relationship that links the seventh art to the graphic novelan interesting masterclass moderated by the writer and journalist Luca Crovi, the reference face of Italian crime fiction:
- Paolo Barbieri, internationally renowned illustrator and author, who has created countless covers for cult authors such as Michael Crichton, George RR Martin, Umberto Eco, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Herbie Brennan and Wilbur Smith and many other prestigious names. In 2001 he was director of the set design color department in Aida degli Alberi, an Italian animated film by Guido Manuli with a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
- Lamberto Bava, a great icon of Italian horror cinema famous throughout the world for having directed the visionary and ferocious pop-rock-punk opera Demoni and for having brought the world of modern fairy tales to television with the Fantaghirò series. Lamberto Bava was also his father’s assistant director on the set of the first, unforgettable, film adaptation of Diabolik;
- Daniele Serrathree-time winner of the British Fantasy Award as “Best Artist” (2012, 2017 and 2021) and finalist at the World Fantasy Award 2021, has created covers, internal illustrations and comic adaptations for authors of the caliber of Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, Joe R. Lansdale, and Joyce Carol Oates.
Dario Argento | Fantasticon Film Fest: the complete program of the event revealed!
On Sunday 26 November it will be the turn of Dario Argento, one of the greatest living Italian directors: the undisputed master of thrills, will receive the Legend Award, the lifetime achievement award reserved for the great personalities of fantasy cinema, and will introduce the screening of Dario Argento Panico, Simone Scafidi’s acclaimed documentary on his life and career, which boasts the extraordinary participation of Guillermo Del Toro, Gaspar Noé and Nicolas Winding Refn; the award will be presented to him by the actress Ilenia Pastorelli, the other great protagonist of the day and who was directed by Argento himself in Occhiali Neri.
During the 3 days of the event there will be no shortage “Coming Soon” previews of exclusive content from upcoming films, starting from the first 5 minutes of Silent Night – Il Silenzio Della Vendetta, the adrenaline-filled Christmas revenge movie coming out on November 30th with Plaion Pictures, which marks the return to directing of the great master of action John Woo, the director of Hong Kong who rewrote the rules of the American action genre. The screening on Saturday 25 November will be introduced by Roberto Recchioni.
The Animal Kingdom and much more | Fantasticon Film Fest: the complete program of the event revealed!
Also planned is the screening of the international trailer of The Animal Kingdom – where in a world affected by mysterious mutations that transform some human beings into animals, François tries to find his wife, who disappeared after showing symptoms of the mutation, with the help of his son sixteen year old, Emile. The undertaking will change both their lives forever – out in February 2024 with I Wonder Pictures; and some preview scenes from Robot Dreamsthe first foray into animated cinema by award-winning director Paolo Berger, presented out of competition at Cannes, a story of friendship…