Bobcat Goldthwait, Buddy Giovinazzo & Joe Dante Among Fantasia Fest’s 2013 Frontieres Co-Prod Market

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival – it takes place this year between July 18 and August 6 and has always been about more than just the films. They offer plenty of panel discussions and master classes every year, and last year’s edition introduced the Frontières International Co-Production Market, uniting North American, European, and Australasian talent and funders in an initiative focused specifically on fostering genre film productions and relationships. Noteworthy projects from the inaugural edition included new works from seasoned filmmakers such as Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) and Bruce McDonald (Pontypool), as well as up-and-coming talent like Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Resolution), Paul Campion (The Devil’s Rock), Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun), and Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are). At the Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous – a sort of three-day industry cocktail party – professional introductions were made, and many of the projects found co-producers and/or international sales agents.

This year’s slate once again includes new talent mixed with established filmmakers, with projects from genre stalwarts Joe Dante (Gremlins), Richard Stanley (Hardware), and Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock), as well as rising stars like Jason Lapeyre (Cold Blooded), Astron-6 shlock-meisters Steven Kostanski & Jeremy Gillespie (Father’s Day, Manborg), and Andrzej Zulawski (Possession). Perhaps most intriguing is a project from Bobcat Goldthwait (see pic above), who’s more known for dark comedy (Shakes The Clown) than anything explicitly genre-related.

Here are the 12 projects that will be part of the make-up of the second edition of its Frontières International Co-Production Market:

CASTING THE RUNES (Canada / Germany / USA)
Director: Joe Dante (The Hole, Gremlins)
Writer: David Tully (Djinn) based on the Short Story by M.R. James
Producers: Rob Heydon (Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy) Ecstasy Film, Daniela Tully (Djinn, Kaifeck Murder) Shivertownroad Films, Suzanne Berger (Rookie Blue) Rossetta Media
Executive Producer: Tim Smythe (Djinn) FilmWorks Group
Cast: Simon Pegg (Star Trek Into Darkness, Paul)

THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE (France)
Director: Richard Stanley (Dust Devil, Hardware)
Writers: Richard Stanley & Scarlett Amaris (L’Autre Monde) based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft

DARK MATTER (Poland)
Director / Writer: Andrzej Zulawski (Possession, La Femme publique)
Producer: Marcin Wierzchoslawski (The Mole) Metro Films

FROST ISLAND (UK)
Director: Michael Kinirons (first feature)
Writer: Mia Ylönen
Producer: Katie Holly (Citadel, Jump) Blinder Films

HARRY’S BLONDE (UK)
Director / Writer: Caradog James (The Machine)
Producer: Julie Baines (Triangle, Creep) Dan Films

THE LIGHTHOUSE (Spain)
Writers: David Matamoros & Richard Hobley
Producer: David Matamoros (Chrysalis) Zentropa International Spain

LE QUARTIER DES OUBLIÉS (Québec)
Director / Writer: Izabel Grondin (first feature) based on a novel by Madeleine Robitaille

OKTOBERFLESH (Germany / USA)
Director / Writer: Buddy Giovinazzo (Life is Hot in Cracktown, Combat Shock)
Producer: Matthias Georg Nerlich (Manolo) Little Kong Films

SCHOOLBOYS IN DISGRACE (USA)
Director / Writer: Bobcat Goldthwait (God Bless America, World’s Greatest Dad)
Producer: Andrew Tenenbaum, Creative Management and Productions
Executive Producer: Raymond Douglas Davies
Music and Lyrics by Ray Davies, The Kinks

SOUVENIR (Québec)
Director / Writer: Alex Epstein (writer Bon Cop Bad Cop)
Producer: Anne-Marie Gélinas (Mars et Avril, War Witch) EMA Films

STEALING IS BAD (Canada)
Director / Writer: Jason Lapeyre (I Declare War, Cold Blooded)
Producer: Randall Okita (Fish In Barrel, Portrait As A Random Act Of Violence)

THE VOID (Canada)
Directors / Writers: Steven Kostanski & Jeremy Gillespie (Manborg)
Producers: Colin Geddes & Peter Kuplowsky (Manborg)
Director of Photography: Karim Hussain (Antiviral, Hobo with a Shotgun)