Film Fests of Europe: Fantasporto Film Fest

The festival season continues and The Art Quarterly has been out there doing some varied investigating. Our on the beat writers continue to deliver. The following wrap up comes from contributing Portugal based writer, Jose Pedro Lopes.

"Considered one of the world’s top 25 film festivals by Variety, the Fantasporto Film Festival was held in Oporto Portugal from February 22nd to March 6th. Some compelling facts about Fantas:

• The thirty year old festival is now an energetic and dynamic independent (and mostly European) film festival.

• Fantas doesn’t forget it’s early days as a sci-fi / horror festival. On the final day it helds a party called Vampire’s Ball at and old mythical theater in Oporto. This closing party is attended only by ghouls and vampires.

• This year’s festival was dominated by British films when the time came to give the awards. Best Film was the thriller “Heartless” by Phillip Ridley and the Director’s Week winner was “Fish Tank” (BAFTA’s highly acclaimed winner).

• Fantasporto brought Asian cinema to Portugal and it gives also an award called Orient Express. This year’s winner was “Thirst” by Park Chan Wook (Korean’s most acclaimed director, of films such as “Oldboy” and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”). Asian films are highly attended at the festival for they now have a cult status in Oporto.

• Makeup effects guru Colin Arthur (from “2001 Space Odissey” and “Neverending Story”) gave a two-day masterclass at this year’s festival.

My film highlights and rankings at the festival were:

• THIRST (Korea). A romantic epic about a vampire priest who loves an innocent battered wife, who turns out to be a manipulative wicked woman. As Korean movies always do, “Thirst” has romance, drama, comedy, horror and even a bit of slapstick visual humor. 9/10

• COLIN (UK). This zombie movie costed only 75 dollars to make but when on to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. What it lacks in budget, it has in creativity. In “Colin” we discover a zombie dominated London by the point of view of one of the ghouls.

• VALHALLA RISING (DENMARK). One of the best film photography I’ve ever seen. This tale of Vikings searching for the promised land is visually stunning but lacks plot. 5/10

• DELIVER US FROM EVIL (DENMARK). An update of “Straw Dogs” setted in Inner Europe and adapting the 1971’s classic to the hidden racism of middle Europe. A punch to the stomach, really well directed by cult director OLE BORNEDAL (Nightwatch). 8/10

• LA HORDE (FRANCE). Cops versus Gangster versus… zombies. This is not your usual French film, ‘La Horde’ is a fierceful, violent and very entertaining action film. 7/10

• FISH TANK (UK). A drama set in the suburbs of London about a girl who loves dancing that falls in love for her mother’s new boyfriend. New actress Katie Jarvis is amazing, one of the best film debuts ever. Winner of the BAFTA’s. 10/10

José Pedro Lopes