In celebration of their 40th edition, Imagine Fantastic Film Festival will run from 24th October to 3rd November. As a preview, here are 7 of my choices of films worth watching at the festival.
Anora
This year's Palme d'Or winner is another example of why Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket) is one of the most exciting voices in modern cinema. Sex worker Anora (Mikey Madison) begins a whirlwind romance with a Russian client that is happy to spend his parents' money. When the pair impulsively get married, his oligarch parents act to get the marriage annulled. You won't forget how this comedy of errors delivers plentiful laughs, or the humanist core that is key to this film.
Azrael
Set in the post-apocalypse, a mute cult of religious fanatics hunt down Azrael (Samara Weaving) who previously escaped their captivity. After being recaptured, the young woman discovers that she is to be sacrificed to appease an ancient evil lurking within the forest, and fights savagely to ensure survival. Director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and screenwriter Simon Barrett (The Guest, You're Next) craft a vicious revenge story free of dialogue across the 85-minute runtime, which is set to be a feature worth watching.
Cloud
Within a year with two of his films released (including the astounding Chime), director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has looked favourably upon audiences by releasing another of his films. This crime thriller follows a man who makes a living buying cheap stuff to sell it online for a far higher price, only to discover that actions have consequences. Prepare for an exploration of moral duality that leaves you guessing who is the hero and who is the victim.
Dark Match
Accepting a well-paying gig that seems to be too good to be true, a small-time wrestling company arrive in a backwoods for a wrestling match. They soon discover that this is just the start of a nightmare with hellish consequences. Lowell Dean's feature sees wrestlers battling a devilish cult in this stone-cold stunner of a film, knowing when to play things seriously and when to have a laugh.
Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp
A fellow student tells lonely teenager Koyomi about a female vampire roaming the town. That night, Koyomi follows a trail of blood to an empty station where he meets the vampire and makes her an offer. A prequel to the Monogatari franchise, which includes a trilogy of 2010's films, this promises a welcoming experience to franchise newbies amidst visual (and erotic) fireworks.
Oddity
One to watch in a cinema surrounded by people. Following on from the unsettling Caveat, Damian McCarthy's follow-up feature promises to deliver another terrifying experience. The story follows blind medium Darcy (Carolyn Bracken), who runs an antique shop to secretly collect cursed items. With her occult abilities, and the otherwordly help of a wooden mannequin, Darcy begins to decipher terrible secrets about her twin sister's unsolved murder. What unfolds is a fact-finding mission of supernatural retribution, opening doorways into pure horror with imaginative concepts that threaten to shred your nerves.
Timestalker
Ever since making the excellent Prevenge while heavily pregnant, hopes have been high for Alice Lowe to make her sophomore feature as writer/director. Those prayers have been answered with this tale of romantic reincarnation set across centuries, driven by Agnes (Alice Lowe) as she keeps dying while meeting the presumed love of her life (Aneurin Barnard).
Imagine Fantastic Film Festival will run from 24th October to 3rd November
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