Fantasia International Film Festival marks 30th anniversary with bold global program
Fantasia International Film Festival marks its 30th edition in Montréal with 125 features, world premieres and honorees including Nicolas Winding Refn.
The Fantasia International Film Festival launched its 30th edition in Montréal on July 16, 2026, bringing a high-volume international slate and several world premieres to the city. The festival presents 125 feature films, a mix of genre work, local premieres and screenings that highlight both established names and emerging talent. Organizers have programmed a lineup that spans horror, science fiction, dark comedy and folkloric thrillers, with multiple ceremonies honoring filmmakers for lifetime achievement.
Opening night features Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell
The festival opened with Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell, a futuristic horror-thriller set in a dense Japanese metropolis and led by Sophie Thatcher. Refn, known for Drive and The Neon Demon, was presented with Fantasia’s Cheval Noir career prize in person at the opening screening. The film leans into experimental storytelling and visual atmosphere, a deliberate departure from conventional narrative form, according to festival programming.
Quebec premiere spotlights Louis Godbout’s La place
Among six Quebec features debuting at Fantasia is Louis Godbout’s La place, a psychological thriller that starts with a minor road conflict and escalates into a tense, lingering drama. The film follows a couple, Jonathan and Brigitte, whose evening is derailed when an unknown man blocks their parking, igniting an encounter that profoundly affects Jonathan. Festival programmers singled out the performance of Maxim Gaudette as a standout and flagged the film’s later turn toward poetic and fantastical elements.
Harrison Houde’s bilingual debut Tissé serré confronts addiction
Tissé serré (Tight Lettuce), the first feature from Canadian actor-director Harrison Houde, arrives as a bilingual dark comedy inspired by true events. The film centers on Joel, a young man trying to save his father from a long struggle with heroin and fentanyl addiction, and features a cast that blends English- and French-speaking performers. Programmers noted the film’s balance of humour and emotion and highlighted appearances by veteran Quebec actors who bring nuance to the bilingual production.
Takashi Shimizu premieres Village of Eight Gravestones
Veteran Japanese director Takashi Shimizu, known internationally for Ju-On and The Grudge, presented his new folkloric horror, Village of Eight Gravestones, in a world premiere at Fantasia. The film adapts Seishi Yokomizo’s novel into a tale of family secrets, curses and a detective’s investigation that unravels a 400-year-old mystery. Shimizu was also honored with the festival’s Cheval Noir prize, underscoring his career-long contribution to modern horror cinema.
Freaks Part II closes festival with a world premiere
Fantasia will close on August 2 with the world premiere of Freaks Part II, a dystopian science-fiction thriller from Canadian duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein. The sequel follows Mary and her daughter Chloe on a violent quest for justice in a future where state forces target supermutants, and continues the directors’ exploration of marginalization and family under extreme circumstances. The film’s combination of action, effects work and political themes positions it as one of the festival’s anticipated homegrown highlights.
Programming, tickets and festival logistics
The 30th edition runs in Montréal from July 16 through August 2, 2026, and includes screenings across multiple venues such as the SGWU Graduate Auditorium and the Cinéma du Musée. Audience members can expect panels, in-person appearances by filmmakers and a series of specialty programs that reflect the festival’s long-standing focus on genre cinema. Tickets and the full program are available through the festival’s official distribution channels and box offices at screening venues.
Fantasia’s 30th anniversary edition underscores the festival’s role as a major North American showcase for genre and boundary-pushing cinema, pairing international auteurs with local premieres and world debuts. The combination of high-profile honorees, ambitious works and a large slate of feature films aims to reaffirm Montréal’s position as a centre for adventurous film programming.
