The Fantasia International Film Festival kicked off on August 5th and has a lot in store for the month of August.
The 25th festival kicked off with the world premiere of Brain Freeze, a Québécois ‘zomcom.’ The first wave of programming has been revealed, with more to be announced later, but the festival already looks pretty packed.
There are already more than two hundred films confirmed to be part of the film festival, but not all of them can be viewed remotely. The festival does have many films that can be viewed remotely but some of them, like James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, aren’t available unless you’re physically attending, though It’s now available on HBO Max.
Films from all over the world from any genre you can imagine will be available to see for anyone that attends. There’s an official PDF schedule that should be essential for anyone attempting to keep up with the festival. The complete lineup of films is also available on the Fantasia International Film Festival website, with some helpful filters that make searching easier.
International readers appear to be out of luck unless they’re willing to travel. The ticket section of the website says the festival passport is “only available to users residing in Canada. If you are not in Canada during the festival, you will not be able to watch the films.”
Many of these films could be available internationally eventually though, which is why I’m scrolling through and making note of several films. The festival looks fascinating for film lovers. I may try to visit and attend in person next year because it looks like a good time for anyone that loves film.
The films being geo-blocked to Canadian audiences is unfortunately just part of how the distribution works. The festival could lose future support and film options, which would of course hurt the festival as a whole. If you are planning on attending physically or virtually then the Fantasia International Film Festival has an expansive FAQ section that may help you with this visit or perhaps a future trip.
