Red Rooms.A little irony from the land of Alanis Morissette: Red Rooms (2023)—a movie named for and concerning a series of apocryphal dark-web sites trafficking in unsimulated snuff videos—is currently unavailable for commercial streaming in the United States. This despite the fact that Pascal Plante’s Montreal-set thriller, which is up for six Canadian Screen Awards on May 30, is almost perfectly calibrated for American—which is to say global—sensibilities, to the point that it suggests a prestige streaming procedural shrunken down to feature length and fed through Google Translate. The only thing separating Juliette Gariépy’s statuesque, possibly sociopathic amateur hacker Kelly-Anne from her Scandinavian counterparts is the lack of a dragon tattoo.This is not a put-down, nor even a backhanded compliment; in a year when the CSAs will likely be swept by Blackberry (2023), a revision of The Social Network (2010) by a group of resourceful Toronto pranksters,...
- 5/31/2024
- MUBI
The 50th Annual Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) wrapped up on Sunday and announced the winners of the 2024 Golden Space Needle Audience and Juried Competition Awards.
The festival began on May 9 and screened 261 films representing 84 countries with “62% of the feature films were created by first or second-time filmmakers; 43% were created by women or nonbinary filmmakers; 35% of filmmakers identify as a Bipoc director; and nearly 60% are currently without U.S. distribution and may not screen commercially in the United States,” according to Siff.
Siff holds two categories of competition: juried and audience based. Juried competitions include five feature subcategories including the Official Competition, New American Cinema Competition, New Directors Competition, Ibero-American Competition and Documentary Competition. Short film categories include live action, animation and documentary.
In addition, over 32,000 ballots were submitted for the Golden Space Needle Awards (Gsna). Films judged through the GSNAs are selected by audience members through post-screening ballots. The categories include best film,...
The festival began on May 9 and screened 261 films representing 84 countries with “62% of the feature films were created by first or second-time filmmakers; 43% were created by women or nonbinary filmmakers; 35% of filmmakers identify as a Bipoc director; and nearly 60% are currently without U.S. distribution and may not screen commercially in the United States,” according to Siff.
Siff holds two categories of competition: juried and audience based. Juried competitions include five feature subcategories including the Official Competition, New American Cinema Competition, New Directors Competition, Ibero-American Competition and Documentary Competition. Short film categories include live action, animation and documentary.
In addition, over 32,000 ballots were submitted for the Golden Space Needle Awards (Gsna). Films judged through the GSNAs are selected by audience members through post-screening ballots. The categories include best film,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
Steve Buscemi’s “The Listener” is heading to the Sarasota Film Festival.
The 26th edition of the Florida fest will feature live and in-person screenings and events that will take place across Sarasota beginning on April 5. The 10-day fest will feature 23 narrative features, 41 documentary features and 81 short films.
Buscemi will be in Sarasota to participate in a Q&a following the screening of “The Listener,” which will serve as the closing night film. About a crisis hotline worker enduring the pressures of her job, the film starring Tessa Thompson made its world premiere at Venice Film Festival in 2022.
Lynn Dow’s “Bull Street,” starring Loretta Devine and Amy Madigan, will open the fest on April 5. The drama centers on a South Carolina small-town lawyer (Malynda Hale) as she faces local politics and an unwavering judge (Madigan) when her estranged father’s family tries to evict her and her grandmother (Devine) from her home.
The 26th edition of the Florida fest will feature live and in-person screenings and events that will take place across Sarasota beginning on April 5. The 10-day fest will feature 23 narrative features, 41 documentary features and 81 short films.
Buscemi will be in Sarasota to participate in a Q&a following the screening of “The Listener,” which will serve as the closing night film. About a crisis hotline worker enduring the pressures of her job, the film starring Tessa Thompson made its world premiere at Venice Film Festival in 2022.
Lynn Dow’s “Bull Street,” starring Loretta Devine and Amy Madigan, will open the fest on April 5. The drama centers on a South Carolina small-town lawyer (Malynda Hale) as she faces local politics and an unwavering judge (Madigan) when her estranged father’s family tries to evict her and her grandmother (Devine) from her home.
- 3/21/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Canadian indigenous TV drama Little Bird has grabbed a field-leading 19 nominations heading into the Canadian Screen Awards.
The series, which airs on Crave in Canada and PBS stateside, follows Behzig Little Bird, who was stripped of her indigenous identity when adopted into a Jewish family at age 5. As an adult, she goes looking for her indigenous roots and discovers she was forcibly taken from her birth family on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan by the Canadian government as part of a controversial Sixties Scoop policy.
Little Bird will compete for best drama series. and Darla Contois and Ellyn Jade nabbed nominations for best lead performer in a drama. Little Bird also earned Imajyn Cardinal a nomination for best guest drama performance, and Braeden Clarke grabbed a mention for best supporting drama performance.
The final seasons of CBC comedies Sort Of and Workin’ Moms earned 18 and 12 nominations, respectively. Other...
The series, which airs on Crave in Canada and PBS stateside, follows Behzig Little Bird, who was stripped of her indigenous identity when adopted into a Jewish family at age 5. As an adult, she goes looking for her indigenous roots and discovers she was forcibly taken from her birth family on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan by the Canadian government as part of a controversial Sixties Scoop policy.
Little Bird will compete for best drama series. and Darla Contois and Ellyn Jade nabbed nominations for best lead performer in a drama. Little Bird also earned Imajyn Cardinal a nomination for best guest drama performance, and Braeden Clarke grabbed a mention for best supporting drama performance.
The final seasons of CBC comedies Sort Of and Workin’ Moms earned 18 and 12 nominations, respectively. Other...
- 3/6/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Montreal-based international sales company H264 has unveiled its lineup for this month’s European Film Market in Berlin, which includes François Delisle’s “Waiting for the Storms” and Léa Pool’s “Hotel Silence.” Variety has exclusive access to the first image from “Waiting for the Storms.”
“Waiting for the Storms” is described as “a fable about the climate crisis that transcends artistic boundaries to spark a dialogue between our past, present and future.” Delisle’s credits include “Chorus” and “Le Météore.”
“Across various timelines and locations, four characters weave a web of stories that explore human resilience in the face of environmental upheaval,” according to a statement.
The film follows four characters: Marie, who is gripped by obsessive, heart-wrenching questions as a young mother whose child faces a dead-end future, and channels her anxiety into passionate activism; Terence, a climate-change refugee, who tells strangers his story in the hopes of...
“Waiting for the Storms” is described as “a fable about the climate crisis that transcends artistic boundaries to spark a dialogue between our past, present and future.” Delisle’s credits include “Chorus” and “Le Météore.”
“Across various timelines and locations, four characters weave a web of stories that explore human resilience in the face of environmental upheaval,” according to a statement.
The film follows four characters: Marie, who is gripped by obsessive, heart-wrenching questions as a young mother whose child faces a dead-end future, and channels her anxiety into passionate activism; Terence, a climate-change refugee, who tells strangers his story in the hopes of...
- 2/5/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
For most of the runtime of Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms, we are unsure about what exactly Kelly-Anne, our protagonist, is up to, let alone the reason behind her activities. Yet, the film is incredibly engaging from the opening minute itself. In fact, the ambiguity about the central character, which is certainly a deliberate creative choice, works in the film’s favor. Even when Red Rooms ends, you are unsure about the true nature of Kelly-Anne, which ensures you will be spending so many hours on Reddit. I’m going to take a swing at simplifying things and, hopefully, helping you understand what’s really going on in Red Rooms.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Movie?
In the still of the night, Kelly-Anne wakes up in a back alley. After a walk in the streets of Montreal, she ends up at the courthouse, awaiting a murder trial to begin.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Movie?
In the still of the night, Kelly-Anne wakes up in a back alley. After a walk in the streets of Montreal, she ends up at the courthouse, awaiting a murder trial to begin.
- 1/24/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
Anyone who knows me would say my taste runs ever so slightly counter to the popular opinion but up top I wanted to shout out some big titles that I appreciate but didn’t quite make my favorites list. Oftentimes it feels like the days of true-blue horror icons are behind us, but Gerard Johnstone and Akela Cooper’s M3GAN was a veritable hoot that gave us an instantly iconic tiny terror in tights who more than lived up to the memes and showed everyone that hasn’t quite come around yet on HBO’s Girls just how #mother Allison Williams is. Also, that Skatt Brothers “Walk the Night” needle drop took up residence in my head last January and has not left. Talk to Me was one of the more intense in-theater experiences I had this year, and though it lost something the more I sat with it, what...
- 1/5/2024
- by Rocco T. Thompson
- DailyDead
Stéphane Lafleur‘s masterwork Viking (a 2022 Toronto Intl. Film Festival selection) cleaned up in multiple categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Male Lead. The recently relaunched award ceremony known as Les Iris took place on Sunday. Best First Feature went to Charlotte Le Bon’s Falcon Lake, while Pascal Plante’s Les chambres rouges landed two acting prizes for its starlets. Here are all the winners (category listing in french):
Meilleur Film
Viking | micro_scope — Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Réalisation — Stéphane Lafleur
Scénario — Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne
Meilleur Premier Film Falcon Lake | Charlotte Le Bon
Meilleure RÉALISATION Stéphane Lafleur | Viking
Meilleur SCÉNARIO: Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K.…...
Meilleur Film
Viking | micro_scope — Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Réalisation — Stéphane Lafleur
Scénario — Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K. Boulianne
Meilleur Premier Film Falcon Lake | Charlotte Le Bon
Meilleure RÉALISATION Stéphane Lafleur | Viking
Meilleur SCÉNARIO: Stéphane Lafleur, Eric K.…...
- 12/12/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Montreal-based h264 reports sales in more than 25 territories on Pascal Plante’s Fantasia best film winner.
Pascal Plante’s Fantasia best film winner and recent BFI London Film Festival and Busan selection Red Rooms has continued to attract buyers, with Montreal-based h264 reporting more than 25 territory sales including to the UK, and Eastern Europe.
Vertigo Releasing has acquired the cyber thriller for the UK, HBO will distribute in Eastern Europe, and Rwv Studio will release in Cis and the Baltics.
As previously announced, Utopia holds US rights, La Aventura will distribute in Spain, Hooray Films in Taiwan, and Njuta in Scandinavia except Norway,...
Pascal Plante’s Fantasia best film winner and recent BFI London Film Festival and Busan selection Red Rooms has continued to attract buyers, with Montreal-based h264 reporting more than 25 territory sales including to the UK, and Eastern Europe.
Vertigo Releasing has acquired the cyber thriller for the UK, HBO will distribute in Eastern Europe, and Rwv Studio will release in Cis and the Baltics.
As previously announced, Utopia holds US rights, La Aventura will distribute in Spain, Hooray Films in Taiwan, and Njuta in Scandinavia except Norway,...
- 10/23/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Talk about ending with a flourish.
Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” a critically acclaimed look at the dramatic life and career of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, will close the 2023 edition of the Hamptons International Festival. “Maestro,” which co-stars Carey Mulligan, will screen on Oct. 12. It is set to be released by Netflix on Dec. 20.
“’Maestro’ is a beautifully crafted, raw and heartfelt film. We look forward to sharing this glimpse into the love story between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein,” said HamptonsFilm Executive Director Anne Chaisson.
The annual celebration of movies also announced its full lineup of programming, which includes additional signature programming including “A Conversation with…” Series with Paul Simon, who will be on hand to talk up a new, sprawling look at his six decades of making cultural-defining hits. Simon, a rock icon who has written everything from “The Sound of Silence” to “Graceland,” is attending...
Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” a critically acclaimed look at the dramatic life and career of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, will close the 2023 edition of the Hamptons International Festival. “Maestro,” which co-stars Carey Mulligan, will screen on Oct. 12. It is set to be released by Netflix on Dec. 20.
“’Maestro’ is a beautifully crafted, raw and heartfelt film. We look forward to sharing this glimpse into the love story between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein,” said HamptonsFilm Executive Director Anne Chaisson.
The annual celebration of movies also announced its full lineup of programming, which includes additional signature programming including “A Conversation with…” Series with Paul Simon, who will be on hand to talk up a new, sprawling look at his six decades of making cultural-defining hits. Simon, a rock icon who has written everything from “The Sound of Silence” to “Graceland,” is attending...
- 9/14/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival announced an impressive full slate of programming for its 2023 edition, running October 12-19 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations.
From the press release:
Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Kier Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s...
From the press release:
Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Kier Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s...
- 9/13/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Bhff) announces today the full program for its 2023 incarnation, running October 12-19th with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Audiences are in for an unearthly lineup of films and events, including the inaugural Leviathan Award, which will be presented to NYC horror legend William Lustig at a special 35th-anniversary screening of Maniac Cop, followed by a post-screening conversation with Lustig.
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director...
The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director...
- 9/13/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Bhff) announces today the full program for its 2023 incarnation, running October 12-19.
“The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director Pascal Plante’s recently announced Utopia Distribution title Red Rooms as the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and Jenn Wexler’s ’70s supernatural Christmas horror The Sacrifice Game as the Closing Night Film.”
Find out more here!
In exciting Lego Star Wars news, the group unveiled one of the largest sets ever made, an Ultimate Collectors...
“The Opening Night film is the World Premiere of Kill Your Lover from directors Alix Austin and Keir Siewert, who previously announced themselves to the Bhff audience last year with their short film Sucker. The 2023 festival boasts the World Premieres of three more exciting new films: Gaia director Jaco Bouwer’s unsettling Breathing In, Aimee Kuge’s audacious debut Cannibal Mukbang, and Tyler Chipman’s powerfully creepy debut The Shade. The festival’s other spotlight titles include director Pascal Plante’s recently announced Utopia Distribution title Red Rooms as the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and Jenn Wexler’s ’70s supernatural Christmas horror The Sacrifice Game as the Closing Night Film.”
Find out more here!
In exciting Lego Star Wars news, the group unveiled one of the largest sets ever made, an Ultimate Collectors...
- 9/12/2023
- by Lee Parham
- Den of Geek
Film is repped by Montreal-based H264.
Utopia has acquired US rights to Pascal Plante’s cyber thriller Red Rooms, which has also been picked up by distributor La Aventura in Spain.
Red Rooms world premiered in Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe competition in July and then had its North American premiere as the opening film of the Fantasia International Film Festival where it won five awards including best feature.
The film follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer.
Red Rooms is repped by Montreal-based movie distributor and aggregator H264 which launched a new sales division in June.
Utopia has acquired US rights to Pascal Plante’s cyber thriller Red Rooms, which has also been picked up by distributor La Aventura in Spain.
Red Rooms world premiered in Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe competition in July and then had its North American premiere as the opening film of the Fantasia International Film Festival where it won five awards including best feature.
The film follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer.
Red Rooms is repped by Montreal-based movie distributor and aggregator H264 which launched a new sales division in June.
- 9/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Quebec festival wrapped on August 9.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
- 8/14/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A couple weeks ago, the Fantasia International Film Festival announced the films that won jury prizes at the 27th edition of the show, which recently came to a close. Yesterday, our own Tyler Nichols shared his list of favorite films from this year’s Fantasia festival. Now Fantasia has unveiled the list of audience award winners, with wins going to films like Talk to Me, The Roundup: No Way Out, Kurayukaba, and Satan Wants You, among others. The full list can be seen below:
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
- 8/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The 2023 edition of Fantasia has come to an end and let me tell you: this year was a good one. From personal looks at the dark web to Indian demons, there are plenty of interesting stories to latch onto. I attended virtually and had a wonderful time with the festival, getting to see a bevy of new favorites. I should state upfront that there were several heavy-hitters from the festival that I was unfortunately unable to see due to unforeseen circumstances. So if it’s not here, that’s probably why. Now let’s take a look at some of the best that the festival had to offer.
Aporia (dir: Jared Moshe)
The concept of being able to shoot a gun into the past, therefore changing the future, is already enough to have most people’s attention. But add wonderful performances from Judy Greer and Edi Gathegi and you’ve...
Aporia (dir: Jared Moshe)
The concept of being able to shoot a gun into the past, therefore changing the future, is already enough to have most people’s attention. But add wonderful performances from Judy Greer and Edi Gathegi and you’ve...
- 8/13/2023
- by Tyler Nichols
- JoBlo.com
British thriller Femme was also on the prize list.
The Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal has revealed the winners of its jury awards, with Canadian cyber thriller Red Rooms (Les Chambres Rouges) named best feature in the event’s Cheval Noir competition section.
Red Rooms also won the best screenplay prize for Quebec writer-director Pascal Plante, the best score award for Dominique Plante and one of the two outstanding performance awards for Juliette Gariépy.
The Cheval Noir best director award went to Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for their UK thriller Femme, whose Nathan Stewart-Jarrett won the other outstanding performance award.
The Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal has revealed the winners of its jury awards, with Canadian cyber thriller Red Rooms (Les Chambres Rouges) named best feature in the event’s Cheval Noir competition section.
Red Rooms also won the best screenplay prize for Quebec writer-director Pascal Plante, the best score award for Dominique Plante and one of the two outstanding performance awards for Juliette Gariépy.
The Cheval Noir best director award went to Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for their UK thriller Femme, whose Nathan Stewart-Jarrett won the other outstanding performance award.
- 7/31/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal is more than halfway through its 27th edition, which is running from July 20th through August 9th – and over the weekend they unveiled their list of Fantasia Film Festival Awards winners, with major honors going to the likes of Red Rooms and Stay Online.
Our own reviewer Tyler Nichols gave Red Rooms a 9/10 “amazing” review (you can read it Here), so it makes sense to hear that the film racked up multiple awards, including Best Feature, Best Screenplay for Pascal Plante, Best Score for Dominique Plante, and Outstanding Performance for Juliette Gariépy. We haven’t had the chance to see Stay Online yet, but that movie did earn the Best First Feature award for director Yeva Strelnikova.
Red Rooms is about what happens when the case of a serial killer who streamed his murders in the “red rooms” of the Dark Web goes to trial,...
Our own reviewer Tyler Nichols gave Red Rooms a 9/10 “amazing” review (you can read it Here), so it makes sense to hear that the film racked up multiple awards, including Best Feature, Best Screenplay for Pascal Plante, Best Score for Dominique Plante, and Outstanding Performance for Juliette Gariépy. We haven’t had the chance to see Stay Online yet, but that movie did earn the Best First Feature award for director Yeva Strelnikova.
Red Rooms is about what happens when the case of a serial killer who streamed his murders in the “red rooms” of the Dark Web goes to trial,...
- 7/31/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Red Rooms won a leading three awards including Best Feature at the 27th annual Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, with the thriller Femme taking Best Director for Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping and Outstanding Performance for Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. See the full list of winners below.
“The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory,” the genre fest’s jury said in a statement. “The jury was unanimously convinced that [Red Rooms] masterfully accomplished that goal.”
In writer-director Pascal Plante’s thriller from Nemesis Films, the case of a serial killer who streamed his murders in the “red rooms” of the Dark Web goes to trial, and Kelly-Anne (Laurie Babin) is obsessed. She goes down a dark path to obtain the final piece of the case’s puzzle.
In Femme, after drag artist Jules (Stewart-Jarrett) sees his closeted assailant (George Mackay) at a gay sauna,...
“The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory,” the genre fest’s jury said in a statement. “The jury was unanimously convinced that [Red Rooms] masterfully accomplished that goal.”
In writer-director Pascal Plante’s thriller from Nemesis Films, the case of a serial killer who streamed his murders in the “red rooms” of the Dark Web goes to trial, and Kelly-Anne (Laurie Babin) is obsessed. She goes down a dark path to obtain the final piece of the case’s puzzle.
In Femme, after drag artist Jules (Stewart-Jarrett) sees his closeted assailant (George Mackay) at a gay sauna,...
- 7/31/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Juliette Gariépy in the Quebec thriller Red Rooms in Competition at Karlovy Vary Photo: Courtesy of Kviff
Pascal Plante's Red Rooms, a brooding drama about a woman's obsession with the trial of a serial killer, has won the esteemed Cheval Noir prize at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival. Plante also received the award for Best Screenplay and his composer, Dominique Plante, won best score, while star Juliette Gariépy was named Best Actress.
“The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. The jury was unanimously convinced that Les Chambres Rouges masterfully accomplished that goal," said the jury. "With incredible skill and artistry, without resorting to gore or violence, this film delivers not only an extremely disturbing and frightening experience but introduces you to characters and situations you may never forget."
This year's Satoshi Kon Award For Excellence In Animation went to...
Pascal Plante's Red Rooms, a brooding drama about a woman's obsession with the trial of a serial killer, has won the esteemed Cheval Noir prize at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival. Plante also received the award for Best Screenplay and his composer, Dominique Plante, won best score, while star Juliette Gariépy was named Best Actress.
“The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. The jury was unanimously convinced that Les Chambres Rouges masterfully accomplished that goal," said the jury. "With incredible skill and artistry, without resorting to gore or violence, this film delivers not only an extremely disturbing and frightening experience but introduces you to characters and situations you may never forget."
This year's Satoshi Kon Award For Excellence In Animation went to...
- 7/30/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms (Les Chambres Rouges), a French-language thriller about a woman’s obsession with a high-profile serial killer case, took top honors as the Fantasia Film Festival handed out its juried Cheval Noir competition prizes this weekend.
After opening Fantasia’s 27th edition, the Canadian psychological drama earned Cheval Noirs for best feature, best screenplay for Pascal Plante and best score for Dominique Plante. Red Rooms also earned lead Juliette Gariépy an outstanding performance award.
Red Rooms had an international premiere at Fantasia after debuting at Karlovy Vary as part of the Crystal Global competition. The Fantasia jury at North America’s largest genre film festival, led by David Hewlett, also gave its best director prize to Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for Femme, while the trophy for best cinematography went to Zelda Adams and John Adams for their work on Where the Devil Roams.
After opening Fantasia’s 27th edition, the Canadian psychological drama earned Cheval Noirs for best feature, best screenplay for Pascal Plante and best score for Dominique Plante. Red Rooms also earned lead Juliette Gariépy an outstanding performance award.
Red Rooms had an international premiere at Fantasia after debuting at Karlovy Vary as part of the Crystal Global competition. The Fantasia jury at North America’s largest genre film festival, led by David Hewlett, also gave its best director prize to Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for Femme, while the trophy for best cinematography went to Zelda Adams and John Adams for their work on Where the Devil Roams.
- 7/30/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There was no escaping “Red Rooms” at Fantasia.
Awarded the Cheval Noir Award for best feature at the 27th edition of the fest, Pascal Plante’s film also took honors for screenplay and Dominique Plante’s haunting score, as well as an outstanding performance award for Juliette Gariépy.
“The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. ‘Red Rooms’ masterfully accomplished that goal,” said jurors David Hewlett, Brenda Lieberman, Jourdain Searles, Virginie Sélavy and Gary Sherman.
“With incredible skill and artistry, without resorting to gore or violence, this film delivers not only an extremely disturbing and frightening experience but introduces you to characters and situations you may never forget.”
Produced by Nemesis Films, it takes on the trial of a man accused of murdering teenage girls and selling videos of his crimes online. But Plante wanted to focus on women who follow him.
Awarded the Cheval Noir Award for best feature at the 27th edition of the fest, Pascal Plante’s film also took honors for screenplay and Dominique Plante’s haunting score, as well as an outstanding performance award for Juliette Gariépy.
“The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. ‘Red Rooms’ masterfully accomplished that goal,” said jurors David Hewlett, Brenda Lieberman, Jourdain Searles, Virginie Sélavy and Gary Sherman.
“With incredible skill and artistry, without resorting to gore or violence, this film delivers not only an extremely disturbing and frightening experience but introduces you to characters and situations you may never forget.”
Produced by Nemesis Films, it takes on the trial of a man accused of murdering teenage girls and selling videos of his crimes online. But Plante wanted to focus on women who follow him.
- 7/30/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Pascal Plante, on his second feature outing takes an original and forensic approach to what could have been a hackneyed subject: a serial killer.
Right from the start as he observes Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) start what looks like just another mundane day as she makes her way to the Superior Court of Quebec to observe the first day of the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) who is accused of three murders. The deeds themselves are gruesome enough but they have been live-streamed for payment on the dark web “red room.”
Kelly-Anne, it becomes clear, is obsessed with the killer and the various cases outlined in court. Her preoccupation with evil serves as a parallel to Society’s unhealthy obsession with the dark side of human nature.
Every day she slips into her ringside seat to view the proceedings by day and then by night explores the web and...
Right from the start as he observes Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) start what looks like just another mundane day as she makes her way to the Superior Court of Quebec to observe the first day of the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) who is accused of three murders. The deeds themselves are gruesome enough but they have been live-streamed for payment on the dark web “red room.”
Kelly-Anne, it becomes clear, is obsessed with the killer and the various cases outlined in court. Her preoccupation with evil serves as a parallel to Society’s unhealthy obsession with the dark side of human nature.
Every day she slips into her ringside seat to view the proceedings by day and then by night explores the web and...
- 7/21/2023
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Fantasia International Film Festival is back for its 27th annual edition, running July 20 through August 9, and it’s bringing one of Hollywood’s biggest stars––in spirit now; he’s officially canceled so as to not cross the picket line of the current SAG-AFTRA strike––to Montreal with a world premiere and career recognition. Nicolas Cage, his new film Sympathy for the Devil, and his Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award aren’t the only draw for this three-week event, though.
You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...
You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...
- 7/17/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Juliette Gariépy in Red Rooms. Director Pascal Plante: 'I do think about violence and its consequences. I prefer more psychological horror films which crawl under your skin and affect you' Photo: Courtesy of Kviff According to his research Red Rooms (Les Chambres rouges) director Pascal Plante has discovered than there are more than 5000 films or series out there listed under the category of “serial killer”.
The Quebec filmmaker - whose feature will open this year's Fantasia Film Festival - believes what he describes as “morbid fascination” with them has reached some kind of peak with the current enduring appeal of true crime series. He suggests his film is part cyber thriller, part courtroom drama, and almost anti the serial killer genre. It focusses on the trial of Ludovico Chevalier (played in a wordless performance by Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) who is accused of murdering teenage girls and then selling the videos of his exploits.
The Quebec filmmaker - whose feature will open this year's Fantasia Film Festival - believes what he describes as “morbid fascination” with them has reached some kind of peak with the current enduring appeal of true crime series. He suggests his film is part cyber thriller, part courtroom drama, and almost anti the serial killer genre. It focusses on the trial of Ludovico Chevalier (played in a wordless performance by Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) who is accused of murdering teenage girls and then selling the videos of his exploits.
- 7/9/2023
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Montreal event runs July 20-August 9.
Nicolas Cage will receive the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award while the Montreal event (July 20-August 9) will close with Quebcois collective Rkss’s We Are Zombies.
The closing film is based on the French comic book series Les Zombies Qui Ont Mangé Le Monde (The Zombies That Ate The World) and takes place in a world where zombies are referred to as “living impaired” and roam among ordinary people.
Megan Peta Hill (Riverdale), Alexandre Nachi (1991) and Derek Johns (The Boys) star in the feature from Rkss comprising François Simard,...
Nicolas Cage will receive the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award while the Montreal event (July 20-August 9) will close with Quebcois collective Rkss’s We Are Zombies.
The closing film is based on the French comic book series Les Zombies Qui Ont Mangé Le Monde (The Zombies That Ate The World) and takes place in a world where zombies are referred to as “living impaired” and roam among ordinary people.
Megan Peta Hill (Riverdale), Alexandre Nachi (1991) and Derek Johns (The Boys) star in the feature from Rkss comprising François Simard,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Nicolas Cage will be the featured guest at Quebec’s Fantasia International Film Festival, where he will receive the festival’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award.
On the night, Cage will also present his latest pic, Sympathy for the Devil. Written by Luke Paradise, the pic follows “The Driver” (Joel Kinnaman), who finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after being forced to drive a mysterious man, “The Passenger” (Cage). As their white-knuckle ride progresses, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.
Deadline previously shared an exclusive first look at the pic here.
Announcing Cage’s honor, the festival said the actor was a “remarkable performer responsible for bringing life to some of the most fascinating people to grace the big screen in some of the most extraordinary films ever made.”
Cage’s career spans four decades and features projects of various scales and...
On the night, Cage will also present his latest pic, Sympathy for the Devil. Written by Luke Paradise, the pic follows “The Driver” (Joel Kinnaman), who finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after being forced to drive a mysterious man, “The Passenger” (Cage). As their white-knuckle ride progresses, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.
Deadline previously shared an exclusive first look at the pic here.
Announcing Cage’s honor, the festival said the actor was a “remarkable performer responsible for bringing life to some of the most fascinating people to grace the big screen in some of the most extraordinary films ever made.”
Cage’s career spans four decades and features projects of various scales and...
- 7/6/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Cage is set to receive a career tribute award at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, organizers announced on Thursday.
Fantasia earlier unveiled a world premiere for Sympathy for the Devil, which stars Cage and reunites director Yuval Adler with Joel Kinnaman after The Secrets We Keep. As part of that screening, North America’s largest genre fest will honor Cage in Montreal with this year’s Cheval Noir career achievement award after a four-decade run in Hollywood where his film credits include Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Face/Off and Wild at Heart.
Fantasia will also close its 27th edition with We Are Zombies, from the Canadian cult film collective Rkss, led by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Megan Peta Hill, Alexandre Nachi and Derek Johns.
Fantasia in its final lineup announcements also booked world premieres for director Mark H. Rapaport’s comedy of discomfort Hippo,...
Fantasia earlier unveiled a world premiere for Sympathy for the Devil, which stars Cage and reunites director Yuval Adler with Joel Kinnaman after The Secrets We Keep. As part of that screening, North America’s largest genre fest will honor Cage in Montreal with this year’s Cheval Noir career achievement award after a four-decade run in Hollywood where his film credits include Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Face/Off and Wild at Heart.
Fantasia will also close its 27th edition with We Are Zombies, from the Canadian cult film collective Rkss, led by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Megan Peta Hill, Alexandre Nachi and Derek Johns.
Fantasia in its final lineup announcements also booked world premieres for director Mark H. Rapaport’s comedy of discomfort Hippo,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Streamers to allocate 3.5% of revenues to Czech content and more will be available for international productions.
Streaming platforms will have to allocate 3.5% of their revenues to Czech content and more incentives funding will available to international productions, as part of planned audiovisual reforms by the Czech government.
Under reforms to the country’s Audiovisual Act, a combination of a levy and direct investment obligations will be mandated for streaming platforms.
Streamers operating in the Czech Republic will pay a 2% levy of their revenues directly to the Czech Film Fund, which will invest the money in both Czech films and TV series.
Streaming platforms will have to allocate 3.5% of their revenues to Czech content and more incentives funding will available to international productions, as part of planned audiovisual reforms by the Czech government.
Under reforms to the country’s Audiovisual Act, a combination of a levy and direct investment obligations will be mandated for streaming platforms.
Streamers operating in the Czech Republic will pay a 2% levy of their revenues directly to the Czech Film Fund, which will invest the money in both Czech films and TV series.
- 7/6/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
A central character in Pascal Plante’s disturbing thriller is a mousy-looking man, the sort of anonymous figure you wouldn’t give a second look, on trial for the brutal murders of three teenage girls, which he broadcast live on the dark web. And he’s not even the scariest person onscreen in Red Rooms (Les Chambres rouges).
That would be Kelly-Anne, played to chillingly icy perfection by Juliette Gariépy. For reasons never explained in the film — showcased at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival — successful fashion model Kelly-Anne has become obsessed with Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, personifying the banality of evil), whose case is being heard in a Montreal courtroom.
Although the killer is masked in two of the snuff videos (the third has gone unfound), there’s a preponderance of evidence against Chevalier, who sits alone in a booth like a modern-day Adolf Eichmann. He’s all the...
That would be Kelly-Anne, played to chillingly icy perfection by Juliette Gariépy. For reasons never explained in the film — showcased at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival — successful fashion model Kelly-Anne has become obsessed with Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, personifying the banality of evil), whose case is being heard in a Montreal courtroom.
Although the killer is masked in two of the snuff videos (the third has gone unfound), there’s a preponderance of evidence against Chevalier, who sits alone in a booth like a modern-day Adolf Eichmann. He’s all the...
- 7/5/2023
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Other winners included Klára Tasovská’s documentary ’I’m Not Everything I Want To Be’
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s (Kviff) industry strand, Eastern Promises (July 2-5), has unveiled the 2023 winners across its three works in progress programmes: Works In Progress; Works in Development – Feature Launch; and First Cut+.
The Works in Development Award went to Sahraa Karimi’s Flight From Kabul which is based on her own personal experience of fleeing the Taliban. The Slovakian-produced drama from the Afghan director received €10,000 to aid in further development.
Assel Aushakimova’s Bikechess, about a Kazakh journalist who begins to question her ethics,...
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s (Kviff) industry strand, Eastern Promises (July 2-5), has unveiled the 2023 winners across its three works in progress programmes: Works In Progress; Works in Development – Feature Launch; and First Cut+.
The Works in Development Award went to Sahraa Karimi’s Flight From Kabul which is based on her own personal experience of fleeing the Taliban. The Slovakian-produced drama from the Afghan director received €10,000 to aid in further development.
Assel Aushakimova’s Bikechess, about a Kazakh journalist who begins to question her ethics,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
‘Red Rooms’ Review: A Disturbingly Brilliant Psychological Horror – Karlovy Vary Int’l Film Festival
The unseen and the obscene are the subject of Pascal Plante’s disturbingly brilliant psychological horror Red Rooms, which takes an overused genre — the serial killer movie — and an often-misused technique — dark Lynchian surrealism — and somehow alchemizes the two into something new and original. It’s strong meat for sure, but word-of-mouth cult status beckons and a healthy nightlife on the genre circuit is assured.
Much of the plot has already happened by the time the film starts. As the crimson opening credits roll over Vincent Biron’s stark, steely blue lensing, a young woman named Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) wakes up and takes a bus to a tall, sterile building. Inside, the frame becomes alive with color as Kelly-Anne passes through security and takes her seat in a bright, white, fluorescent-lit courtroom. On trial is Ludovic...
Much of the plot has already happened by the time the film starts. As the crimson opening credits roll over Vincent Biron’s stark, steely blue lensing, a young woman named Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) wakes up and takes a bus to a tall, sterile building. Inside, the frame becomes alive with color as Kelly-Anne passes through security and takes her seat in a bright, white, fluorescent-lit courtroom. On trial is Ludovic...
- 7/4/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Cyber thriller plays in Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe competition.
Esc Distribution has bought the rights for France, Belgium and Switzerland on Pascal Plante’s Karlovy Vary competition title Red Rooms.
The deal was agreed between Victor Lamoussière of Esc Distribution and Anick Poirier and Lorne Price of Sphere Films International shortly before the closure of the Montreal-based sales agent last month.
Red Rooms follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer. As reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path in search of the final piece in the puzzle,...
Esc Distribution has bought the rights for France, Belgium and Switzerland on Pascal Plante’s Karlovy Vary competition title Red Rooms.
The deal was agreed between Victor Lamoussière of Esc Distribution and Anick Poirier and Lorne Price of Sphere Films International shortly before the closure of the Montreal-based sales agent last month.
Red Rooms follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer. As reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path in search of the final piece in the puzzle,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened Friday with a spirited musical performance from Russell Crowe, and the energy remained high Saturday evening with actor Ewan McGregor in town to receive the fest’s honorary President’s Award.
McGregor accepted the honor during an overflowing ceremony in the festival’s Grand Hall, where he was joined by his daughter Clara McGregor; his mother; and partner Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
“Thank you so much for being here tonight. It means the world to me,” he said as he picked up the award. “I believe so much in what we do as actors. I’m so fortunate to do what I love and I love what I do.”
The crowd inside the room was lively. Czech audiences are notoriously welcoming to the stars they receive here in Karlovy Vary and McGregor played to the crowd.
“I was gonna say something in Czech...
McGregor accepted the honor during an overflowing ceremony in the festival’s Grand Hall, where he was joined by his daughter Clara McGregor; his mother; and partner Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
“Thank you so much for being here tonight. It means the world to me,” he said as he picked up the award. “I believe so much in what we do as actors. I’m so fortunate to do what I love and I love what I do.”
The crowd inside the room was lively. Czech audiences are notoriously welcoming to the stars they receive here in Karlovy Vary and McGregor played to the crowd.
“I was gonna say something in Czech...
- 7/1/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
In “Red Rooms,” Pascal Plante didn’t want to show explicit images of violent killings. He wanted to talk about them instead.
“During the pandemic, we have been spending all this time in front of our screens, consuming violent images in a very detached way. Realizing that led me to the dark web, basically,” he tells Variety.
His “sort of cyber thriller and sort of courtroom drama” – world premiering at Karlovy Vary Film Festival before opening Canada’s genre fest Fantasia – revolves around the high-profile trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), accused of murdering teenage girls and selling videos of his exploits.
“It was very deliberate not to show it. I have been listening to crime-related podcasts and they feel even creepier. This way, the audience almost wants to see them. In a weird, morbid way,” he says.
“This film is about the psychological consequences of extreme violence. I really...
“During the pandemic, we have been spending all this time in front of our screens, consuming violent images in a very detached way. Realizing that led me to the dark web, basically,” he tells Variety.
His “sort of cyber thriller and sort of courtroom drama” – world premiering at Karlovy Vary Film Festival before opening Canada’s genre fest Fantasia – revolves around the high-profile trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), accused of murdering teenage girls and selling videos of his exploits.
“It was very deliberate not to show it. I have been listening to crime-related podcasts and they feel even creepier. This way, the audience almost wants to see them. In a weird, morbid way,” he says.
“This film is about the psychological consequences of extreme violence. I really...
- 7/1/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
As tensions rise in Hollywood over an imminent update on SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the studios, thousands of miles east, the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary is gearing up for its annual influx of industry insiders, curious film fans, and stars.
Clocking its 57th annual edition, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) opens this evening. The prominent Central European event is one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It was founded in July 1946, a month before Locarno launched its first festival and a few months before the Cannes Film Festival unveiled its first edition in September of that same year.
This year’s edition opens with the Cannes Competition title Firebrand, starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. The pic is the fictionalized story of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of the tyrannical English King Henry VIII. Vikander plays Parr in the piece alongside an unrecognizable Jude Law,...
Clocking its 57th annual edition, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) opens this evening. The prominent Central European event is one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It was founded in July 1946, a month before Locarno launched its first festival and a few months before the Cannes Film Festival unveiled its first edition in September of that same year.
This year’s edition opens with the Cannes Competition title Firebrand, starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. The pic is the fictionalized story of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of the tyrannical English King Henry VIII. Vikander plays Parr in the piece alongside an unrecognizable Jude Law,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Canada-based movie distributor and aggregator H264 is launching a world sales arm with the acquisition of “Red Rooms,” which has its world premiere next week in the Crystal Globe Competition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The company is focused on festival-driven, innovative films.
“Red Rooms,” directed by Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante, is a cyber-thriller questioning the collective fascination with murderers. It will screen at Karlovy Vary on July 4, and will then open the Fantasia Film Festival on July 20 for its North American premiere.
Montréal-based H264 is also ramping up its international slate by adding “Mademoiselle Kenopsia,” from filmmaker Denis Côté, who won awards at Berlin with “Vic + Flo Saw a Bear” and Locarno with “Curling.”
The company is also representing the dark comedy “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, starring Sara Montpetit (“Falcon Lake”) and Steve Laplante.
Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne, founder and president of H...
“Red Rooms,” directed by Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante, is a cyber-thriller questioning the collective fascination with murderers. It will screen at Karlovy Vary on July 4, and will then open the Fantasia Film Festival on July 20 for its North American premiere.
Montréal-based H264 is also ramping up its international slate by adding “Mademoiselle Kenopsia,” from filmmaker Denis Côté, who won awards at Berlin with “Vic + Flo Saw a Bear” and Locarno with “Curling.”
The company is also representing the dark comedy “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, starring Sara Montpetit (“Falcon Lake”) and Steve Laplante.
Jean-Christophe J. Lamontagne, founder and president of H...
- 6/30/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Karlovy Vary Film Festival, which takes place in an elegant spa resort in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, is set to get political during its 57th edition, but in a subtle way.
“I am not sure if you can even use the word ‘subtle’ when talking about politics, but it doesn’t always have to be in your face. You can be political by showing the existential struggles of an elderly lady who gets framed by some crooks,” says artistic director Karel Och, mentioning Stephan Komandarev’s “Blaga’s Lessons,” which will vie for the Crystal Globe.
While the main competition features many stories about people trying to return home or simply find their place in the world, he adds, the festival will also celebrate Iran with a separate section “Another Birth. Iranian Cinema Here and Now.” “Before our consultant Lorenzo Esposito came up with this name,...
“I am not sure if you can even use the word ‘subtle’ when talking about politics, but it doesn’t always have to be in your face. You can be political by showing the existential struggles of an elderly lady who gets framed by some crooks,” says artistic director Karel Och, mentioning Stephan Komandarev’s “Blaga’s Lessons,” which will vie for the Crystal Globe.
While the main competition features many stories about people trying to return home or simply find their place in the world, he adds, the festival will also celebrate Iran with a separate section “Another Birth. Iranian Cinema Here and Now.” “Before our consultant Lorenzo Esposito came up with this name,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
At this time last year, the organizers of the Karlovy Vary international film festival — the biggest cinema event in the Czech Republic and the premium A-list festival for all of Eastern Europe — were scrambling. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, just a few months earlier, had disputed the entire region. Filmmakers from Prague to Tallinn were rushing to show their support for the Ukrainian people and their battered industry. When the Odesa International Film Festival (Oiff), scheduled for July 2022, had to be canceled, festivals near Ukraine joined forces to show cross-border solidarity. Poland’s Warsaw Film Festival stepped up to host Odesa’s competition program. The PriFest in Kosovo opened up its schedule to screen full-length and short films by Ukrainian debutant directors.
And in Karlovy Vary, a festival best-known for its stunning location — in the number one spa town of the Czech Republic — and glamorous celebrity guests, organizers hosted the Oiff’s selection of works-in-progress,...
And in Karlovy Vary, a festival best-known for its stunning location — in the number one spa town of the Czech Republic — and glamorous celebrity guests, organizers hosted the Oiff’s selection of works-in-progress,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Georg Szalai and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Red Rooms Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival
This year's Fantasia International Film Festival is to open with the North American première of Pascal Plante's haunting tale of a woman obsessed with a serial killer, Red Rooms. New works by Jennifer Reeder,Junta Yamaguchi, Joe Lynch and Olivier Godin feature in the festival's second wave of films, which was also announced today.
Other highlights of the 27th edition include full on Nicolas Cage thriller Sympathy For The Devil, Australian occult horror Talk To Me and Cannes hit Vincent Must Die. There will also be a launch party for new book Dark Matter Presents: Haunted Reels, featuring readings by luminaries including Jay Baruchel, C Robert Cargill, Gary Sherman, Sarah Bolger, The Pierce Brothers, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
The remainder of the line-up will be revealed in early July....
This year's Fantasia International Film Festival is to open with the North American première of Pascal Plante's haunting tale of a woman obsessed with a serial killer, Red Rooms. New works by Jennifer Reeder,Junta Yamaguchi, Joe Lynch and Olivier Godin feature in the festival's second wave of films, which was also announced today.
Other highlights of the 27th edition include full on Nicolas Cage thriller Sympathy For The Devil, Australian occult horror Talk To Me and Cannes hit Vincent Must Die. There will also be a launch party for new book Dark Matter Presents: Haunted Reels, featuring readings by luminaries including Jay Baruchel, C Robert Cargill, Gary Sherman, Sarah Bolger, The Pierce Brothers, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
The remainder of the line-up will be revealed in early July....
- 6/8/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Our thoughts turn to Summer as our friends over at Fantasia are gearing up for another year of summer camp for genre film nerds. Over thirty more feature length films are being announced today. Pascal Plante's Red Rooms has been announced as this year's festival opener, a homecoming screening for the filmmaker from Quebec. Yuval Adler's upcoming Sympathy For The Devil is also among this second wave of titles. Headlined by Joel Kinnaman and Nicolas Cage this will surely be a sold out show. Sundance standout Talk To Me, from Danny and Michael Philippou has been touted as one of the scariest movies of the year. World premieres include a screenlife film from Ukraine called Stay Online, steampunk anime Kurayukaba, the dark comedy The Becomers,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/8/2023
- Screen Anarchy
The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to commence from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.
The festival’s second wave of programming is here, bringing with it announcements of the opening film, serial killer thriller Red Rooms, the Canadian premiere of Talk to Me, and a slew of new world premieres and festival screenings.
The festival’s complete lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected second wave of titles and happenings. From the press release:
Red Rooms
Coming to christen Fantasia’s 27th edition days after its Karlovy-Vary competition debut, Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) is the haunting third feature from celebrated Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante. The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed.
The festival’s second wave of programming is here, bringing with it announcements of the opening film, serial killer thriller Red Rooms, the Canadian premiere of Talk to Me, and a slew of new world premieres and festival screenings.
The festival’s complete lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected second wave of titles and happenings. From the press release:
Red Rooms
Coming to christen Fantasia’s 27th edition days after its Karlovy-Vary competition debut, Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) is the haunting third feature from celebrated Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante. The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed.
- 6/8/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Montreal fest runs July 20-August 9.
The 27th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival (July 20-August 9) in Montreal will open with the North American premiere of Pascal Plante’s cyber thriller Red Rooms (Chambres Rouges).
The film will get its world premiere in Karlovy Vary and follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer.
As reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path in search of the final piece in the puzzle, the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl. Sphere Films International recently launched sales in Cannes.
Second wave...
The 27th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival (July 20-August 9) in Montreal will open with the North American premiere of Pascal Plante’s cyber thriller Red Rooms (Chambres Rouges).
The film will get its world premiere in Karlovy Vary and follows a tech-savvy overachiever who becomes obsessed with the high-profile trial of a serial killer.
As reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path in search of the final piece in the puzzle, the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl. Sphere Films International recently launched sales in Cannes.
Second wave...
- 6/8/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has announced the opening film of its 27th edition: Pascal Plante’s “Red Rooms,” about a high-profile case of a serial killer and the woman (Juliette Gariépy) obsessed with him.
“It’s a film of enormous emotional force, unbelievably controlled and smart, with a staggering performance from Gariépy. Pascal is one of the greatest talents of his generation in Quebec cinema and among the strongest filmmakers in the country right now,” says festival’s artistic director Mitch Davis.
“In a sense, it’s an unconventionally grim note to open a festival on. It’s a profoundly disturbing film. But I know the audience is going to be left completely breathless by it.”
“As a Montrealer, I have been a regular festival goer of Fantasia for years now, but it’s the first time one of my features will be screened in their lineup. I...
“It’s a film of enormous emotional force, unbelievably controlled and smart, with a staggering performance from Gariépy. Pascal is one of the greatest talents of his generation in Quebec cinema and among the strongest filmmakers in the country right now,” says festival’s artistic director Mitch Davis.
“In a sense, it’s an unconventionally grim note to open a festival on. It’s a profoundly disturbing film. But I know the audience is going to be left completely breathless by it.”
“As a Montrealer, I have been a regular festival goer of Fantasia for years now, but it’s the first time one of my features will be screened in their lineup. I...
- 6/8/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to run from from July 20th through August 9th at the Concordia Hall Cinema in Montreal, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. Last month, they announced the first wave of titles that will be screening this year, and now the second wave of titles has been unveiled!
With this second wave announcement, we learn that the film chosen to open this edition of Fantasia is Pascal Plante’s serial killer thriller Red Rooms. Also in the line-up are the Nicolas Cage / Joel Kinnaman thriller Sympathy for the Devil, the Australian horror film Talk to Me, the Ukrainian screenlife thriller Stay Online (which was shot against the backdrop of the real Russian invasion), the anime Kurayukaba, the body-swapping alien tale The Becomers, the AI horror film Romi, Joe Lynch’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Suitable Flesh,...
With this second wave announcement, we learn that the film chosen to open this edition of Fantasia is Pascal Plante’s serial killer thriller Red Rooms. Also in the line-up are the Nicolas Cage / Joel Kinnaman thriller Sympathy for the Devil, the Australian horror film Talk to Me, the Ukrainian screenlife thriller Stay Online (which was shot against the backdrop of the real Russian invasion), the anime Kurayukaba, the body-swapping alien tale The Becomers, the AI horror film Romi, Joe Lynch’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Suitable Flesh,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Quebec’s Fantasia International Film Festival will open its 27th edition with the North American premiere of Pascal Plante’s latest pic Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges).
Plante will bring the pic to his native Quebec following a Competition bow at Karlovy Vary in June. The film, Plante’s third, follows the high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier, which has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the case’s puzzle.
The Nicolas Cage-starrer Sympathy for the Devil will have its international premiere at Fantasia. Written by Luke Paradise, the pic follows “The Driver” (Joel Kinnaman), who finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after being forced to drive a mysterious man, “The Passenger” (Cage). As their white-knuckle ride progresses, it becomes clear that...
Plante will bring the pic to his native Quebec following a Competition bow at Karlovy Vary in June. The film, Plante’s third, follows the high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier, which has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the case’s puzzle.
The Nicolas Cage-starrer Sympathy for the Devil will have its international premiere at Fantasia. Written by Luke Paradise, the pic follows “The Driver” (Joel Kinnaman), who finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse after being forced to drive a mysterious man, “The Passenger” (Cage). As their white-knuckle ride progresses, it becomes clear that...
- 6/8/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Spanish actress and writer Itaso Irano with her first feature as a director, The Girls Are Alright in Crystal Globe Competition at Karlovy Vary Photo: Courtesy of Kviff Patricia Clarkson will be on the Crystal Globe Jury in Karlovy Vary Photo: Courtesy of Kviff As a pointer to the way world cinema production is bouncing back after the pandemic the selectors at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival were deluged with more than 2000 submissions for the 57th edition in the Czech spa town.
Karel Och, Kviff’s artistic director, said: “It has been an incredible adventure for the programming team to get acquainted with this year’s state of the arthouse cinema via almost 2000 submissions. We are proud of the selection and simply cannot wait to share it with the audience.”
The main Crystal Globe competition has new features from a varied range of countries and directors including the thriller...
Karel Och, Kviff’s artistic director, said: “It has been an incredible adventure for the programming team to get acquainted with this year’s state of the arthouse cinema via almost 2000 submissions. We are proud of the selection and simply cannot wait to share it with the audience.”
The main Crystal Globe competition has new features from a varied range of countries and directors including the thriller...
- 5/30/2023
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
French-language film is from the Canadian director of Nadia Butterfly
Screen can unveil the first trailer for Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms, which is set to receive its world premiere in competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30-July 8).
The French-language thriller centres on a woman’s obsession with a high-profile case of a serial killer. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the puzzle: the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl.
Canadian filmmaker Plante previously directed Nadia Butterfly, which was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020, and Fake Tattoos,...
Screen can unveil the first trailer for Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms, which is set to receive its world premiere in competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30-July 8).
The French-language thriller centres on a woman’s obsession with a high-profile case of a serial killer. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the puzzle: the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl.
Canadian filmmaker Plante previously directed Nadia Butterfly, which was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020, and Fake Tattoos,...
- 5/30/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The 57th edition includes new films by directors Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev, Tinatin Kajrishvili and Babak Jalali.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 57th edition, including new features by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev and Tinatin Kajrishvili.
The festival, which runs from June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, has nine world premieres and two international premieres in its main Crystal Globe Competition.
Canadian director Plante, whose Nadia Butterfly was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020 and Fake Tattoos played in the Berlinale’s Generation strand in 2018, world premieres arthouse thriller Red Rooms about a woman...
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 57th edition, including new features by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev and Tinatin Kajrishvili.
The festival, which runs from June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, has nine world premieres and two international premieres in its main Crystal Globe Competition.
Canadian director Plante, whose Nadia Butterfly was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020 and Fake Tattoos played in the Berlinale’s Generation strand in 2018, world premieres arthouse thriller Red Rooms about a woman...
- 5/30/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
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