Yahoo News Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival Unveils ‘Bookworm’ Starring Elijah Wood as Opening Film, Plus Second Wave of Titles (EXCLUSIVE)
Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its second wave of titles, which includes the world premiere of Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm” as the opening night film. This year’s edition, the 28th for the festival, will run from July 18 to August 4. More titles will be announced July 3.
Other world premieres included in the line-up are “The Beast Within” starring Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), which follows a young girl as she starts to question her atypical life in her family’s compound in England, and makes a shocking discovering about her dad; and “Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain,” with director Kenji Nakamura reviving the thrills of the original anime.
More from Variety
'Among Us' Animated Series Casts Randall Park, Yvette Nicole Brown, Elijah Wood, Ashley Johnson
Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah to Launch Art and Collectibles Venture Mutant with Former Mondo Founders
“Bookworm” stars Elijah Wood (“Yellowjackets”) and Nell Fisher (“Evil Dead Rise”). The official logline reads, “Mildred (Fisher), a precocious eleven-year-old bookworm, escapes her humdrum existence by immersing herself in novels where literary adventures abound, with a long-dreamed quest to capture proof of a mythological beast known as The Canterbury Panther. When an unusual accident occurs, Mildred’s long absent father Strawn Wise (Wood), a washed-up illusionist, flies to New Zealand to look after a daughter he’s never met. When they agree to go camping despite neither being the outdoorsy type, this ultimate test in family bonding leads the duo on a string of increasingly absurd and treacherous adventures.”
The Canadian Trailblazer Award will be awarded to filmmaker Vincenzo Natali, whose 1997 debut “Cube” has grown into a cult favorite over the years.
See the full list of films announced below.
SECOND WAVE OF TITLES
“100 Yards,” (Xu Haofeng and Xu Junfeng, China)
“Azrael,” (E.L Katz, U.S.)
“Brave Citizen,” (Park Jin-pyo, South Korea)
“Brush of the God,” (Keizo Murase, Japan)
“Carnage for Christmas,” (Alice Maio Mackay, Australia)
“Darkest Miriam,” (Naomi Jaye, Canada)
“Don’t Call it Mystery,” (Hiroaki Matsuyama, Japan)
“FAQ,” (Kim Da-min, South Korea)
“Kryptic,” (Kourtney Roy, Canada, U.K.)
“The Missing,” (Carl Joseph Papa, Philippines)
“Not Friends,” (Atta Hemwadee, Thailand)
“Oddity,” (Damian McCarthy, Ireland)
“Wake Up,” (François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, Canada / France)
“Yin Yang Master Zero,” (Shimako Sato, Japan)
“Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain,” (Kenji Nakamura)
“The Beast Within,” (Alexander J. Farrel)
“The Count of Monte-Cristo,” (Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte)
“Párvulos,” (Isaac Ezban)
“Scared Shitless” (Vivieno Caldinelli)
“Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons,” (Veerapatra Jinanavin)
“Haze,” (Matthew Fifer)
“Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp,” (Tatsuya Oishi)
“The Soul Eater,” (Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo)
UNDERGROUND
“The Old Man and the Demon Sword,” (Fábio Powers)
“Me and my Victim,” (Maurane and Billy Pedlow)
“Animalia Paradoxa,” (Niles Atallah)
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
