FANTASIA 24TH EDITION

A TALK WITH FINN WOLFHARD in conversation with Jay Baruchel

THROUGH THE CLAPBOARD JUNGLE - Justin McConnell in conversation with Vincenzo Natali

JUMBO, LUCKY AND THE DARK & THE WICKED

Montreal, August 27^th – The 24^th edition of Fantasia will screen several premieres and panels over the coming days: including a talk between actor and musician Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Canadian actor and director Jay Baruchel (Random Acts of Violence) and, on closing day, a talk between Justin McConnell (CLAPBOARD JUNGLE) and Vincenzo Natali (Cube, The Tall Grass).

During the Festival last days, Fantasia will host a series of talk and panels, free of charge and accessible worldwide through their Youtube channel. On Saturday August 29^th at 2PM EST, the Festival will host a talk between British Columbian actor and musician Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and director Jay Baruchel (Random Acts of Violence). To celebrate the launch of Wolfhard move into storytelling with NIGHT SHIFT,his first short film also presented at the Festival, Fantasia will be presenting a live virtual artist talk between him and none other than Canadian actor and director Jay Baruchel. And, on Festival closing day, Tuesday September 1^st at 3PM, in celebration of the showings of CLAPBOARD JUNGLE, the new documentary / moviemaking survival guide from Toronto’s Justin McConnell (Lifechanger), Fantasia will be presenting a special talk with its director Justin McConnell in conversation with director Vincenzo Natali (CUBE, IN THE TALL GRASS).

In addition to these panels, Fantasia will also present a series of feature films, premiering at the Festival. On Thursday and Friday, respectively at 7.15 PM and 1 PM, Fantasia will be screening Mathias Malzieu fantasy and poignant melodrama, A MERMAID IN PARIS which depicts the love story between Gaspard (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a brokenhearted Frenchman, and a mermaid in the City of Lights. The next day, on Friday, at 9.45 PM, festivalgoers will be able to discover Bryan Bertino’s frightening feature screened at Tribeca, THE DARK & THE WICKED which will be followed at 11 PM by Natasha Kermani’s LUCKY, screened this year at South By Southwest.

On that same day, at 9 PM, the audience will be able to see JUMBO by French director Zoé Wittock: presented at Sundance this year, the film stars Noémie Merlant (Portrait of a lady on fire) who falls in love with a merry-go-round in the heart of an amusement park. Finally, during this second and last weekend, Fantasia will be presenting SAVAGE STATE, a feminist western directed by David Perrault. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

Fantasia’s 24^th edition is held online until September 2. Tickets for the Festival are on sale on the Festival's website.

The 2020 edition of the festival is also made possible thanks to the support of the following partners: Association des Réalisateurs et Réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ), Canadian Cinema Editors, Entreprises Vidéo Service (EVS), NAD - School of Digital Arts, Animation and Design, SLA Location and SPIRA, the Independent cinema cooperative.

Our generous media partners this year are Vidéotron, MATV, Teletoon, Teletoon La Nuit, Super Channel, GINX Esports TV, Exclaim!, CTVM.info and CJLO.

We are also pleased to confirm the significant financial support of institutions such as Telefilm Canada, la Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), The Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the city of Montreal (The Direction – Cinéma, Festivals et Événements,), Tourisme Montréal and the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

For more information, visit us on the web at www.fantasiafestival.com