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.
“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...
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.
“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...
- 6/6/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
French Canadian directing trio Rkss are back with new movie Wake Up, and Deadline reports this afternoon that Blue Fox Entertainment has picked up the North American rights.
The film will “release across the U.S. and in Canada later this year.”
“We are thrilled to add Rkss’s next film to our theatrical slate,” said Blue Fox Entertainment’s Lisa Gutberlet. “With Wake Up, these incredibly talented filmmakers demonstrate another side to their unique style. The result is a timely, violent yet fun thrill ride that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the very end.”
In Wake Up, group of hot-headed Gen Z activists find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
The film features an impressive cast of young and emerging talent that includes Benny O.Arthur (Sky and Canal + Django series), Jacqueline Moré...
The film will “release across the U.S. and in Canada later this year.”
“We are thrilled to add Rkss’s next film to our theatrical slate,” said Blue Fox Entertainment’s Lisa Gutberlet. “With Wake Up, these incredibly talented filmmakers demonstrate another side to their unique style. The result is a timely, violent yet fun thrill ride that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the very end.”
In Wake Up, group of hot-headed Gen Z activists find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
The film features an impressive cast of young and emerging talent that includes Benny O.Arthur (Sky and Canal + Django series), Jacqueline Moré...
- 6/4/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired North American rights from StudioCanal to Wake Up, a horror thriller from the filmmaking trio Rkss (Turbo Kid), which it will release across the U.S. and in Canada later this year.
Recently premiering at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, the film watches as a group of young activists set out to make an environmental statement by vandalizing a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, the teenagers find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
Alberto Marini (Retribution) wrote the script, with Laurent Baudens (We Are Zombies) and Gaël Nouaille (Spoiled Brats) producing for Borsalino Productions. Pic’s cast includes Turlough Convery (Black Mirror), Benny O. Arthur (Django), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchist...
Recently premiering at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, the film watches as a group of young activists set out to make an environmental statement by vandalizing a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, the teenagers find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
Alberto Marini (Retribution) wrote the script, with Laurent Baudens (We Are Zombies) and Gaël Nouaille (Spoiled Brats) producing for Borsalino Productions. Pic’s cast includes Turlough Convery (Black Mirror), Benny O. Arthur (Django), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchist...
- 6/4/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding.
- 5/2/2024
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
“Sentinel,” by Hollywood legend Phil Tippett, and “Sister Inconnue,” the first solo directorial outing of Rkss’ Anouk Whissell, cold well be two highlights at a 2024 Cannes Frontières Platform that looks set to underscore the robust range of genre as it is embraced by Hollywood, big independents, horror devotees and auteurs alike.
Creator of creatures for “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park,” Tippett may have terrified more people than anybody alive. If a teaser is anything to go by, “Sentinel,” a project, may well pick up on the style of 2021’s experimental and nightmarish stop motion/animation “Mad God.”
“Sentinel” features a battleground reminiscent of WWI hellish horror, giant bugs echoing “Starship Troopers,” Tippett’s last big job, attack droids and the statuesque figures of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the last of which saves the hero, the gas-masked Sentinel, from a gruesome battlefield.
Sure to be a huge draw, an expanded version...
Creator of creatures for “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park,” Tippett may have terrified more people than anybody alive. If a teaser is anything to go by, “Sentinel,” a project, may well pick up on the style of 2021’s experimental and nightmarish stop motion/animation “Mad God.”
“Sentinel” features a battleground reminiscent of WWI hellish horror, giant bugs echoing “Starship Troopers,” Tippett’s last big job, attack droids and the statuesque figures of Osiris, Horus and Anubis, the last of which saves the hero, the gas-masked Sentinel, from a gruesome battlefield.
Sure to be a huge draw, an expanded version...
- 4/19/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Turlough Convery, Benny O. Arthur, Jacqueline Moré, Tom Gould, Alessia Yoko Fontana, Kyle Scudder | Written by Alberto Marini | Directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
From Rkss, the directorial collective behind Turbo Kid, Summer of 84 and We Are Zombies, comes Wake Up, which sees a group of young activists set out to make a political statement by vandalising a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, a desperate fight for their lives begins.
Very similar to last year’s Glasgow Frightfest film Hunt Her Kill Her, which saw a woman hunted in a store overnight, Wake Up sees a group of Gen Z activists looking to make a statement about the practices of “House Idea” a...
From Rkss, the directorial collective behind Turbo Kid, Summer of 84 and We Are Zombies, comes Wake Up, which sees a group of young activists set out to make a political statement by vandalising a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, a desperate fight for their lives begins.
Very similar to last year’s Glasgow Frightfest film Hunt Her Kill Her, which saw a woman hunted in a store overnight, Wake Up sees a group of Gen Z activists looking to make a statement about the practices of “House Idea” a...
- 3/12/2024
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
You’d be hard-pushed to find a teenager alive who wouldn’t jump at the chance to let loose in an empty Ikea, after dark. Especially when there’s paintballs and mass destruction on the cards. So it’s no surprise that Rkss stage such a fantasy, as the set-up for their Gen Z focussed somewhat-slasher; a half-baked cautionary tale on vapid activism, with a particularly gnarly killer at the helm.
The directorial collective, otherwise known as Canadian trio François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, are well-loved on the genre circuit. Heroes of ’80s pastiches Turbo Kid and Summer of 84 (the latter of which offers one of the most memorably downbeat finales of almost any horror this side of the millennium), their latest, Wake Up, is certainly more of a move towards the present. Doing away with much of the team’s stylish neon and bigger production values,...
The directorial collective, otherwise known as Canadian trio François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, are well-loved on the genre circuit. Heroes of ’80s pastiches Turbo Kid and Summer of 84 (the latter of which offers one of the most memorably downbeat finales of almost any horror this side of the millennium), their latest, Wake Up, is certainly more of a move towards the present. Doing away with much of the team’s stylish neon and bigger production values,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Huge breaking news out of the ongoing EFM in Berlin as Bloody Disgusting and Cineverse will be bringing the gore with the pulse-pounding and exceptionally bloody zombie comedy, We Are Zombies, which will release this fall on all VOD platforms and our Screambox streaming service!
Deadline first reported the news this morning.
Rkss (the filmmakers behind Turbo Kid and Summer of ’84) has crafted an absolute bloodbath that harkens back to the best of 80s horror and will delight fans of the zombie genre.
The movie follows three slackers looking to make easy money in a city infested with the living-impaired aka non-cannibal zombies; they must fight small-time crooks and an evil megacorporation to save their kidnapped grandma.
Audiences will be immersed in a post-apocalyptic world teeming with undead horrors, where survival becomes a relentless battle against the odds. It is a throwback to the best era of zombie movies and...
Deadline first reported the news this morning.
Rkss (the filmmakers behind Turbo Kid and Summer of ’84) has crafted an absolute bloodbath that harkens back to the best of 80s horror and will delight fans of the zombie genre.
The movie follows three slackers looking to make easy money in a city infested with the living-impaired aka non-cannibal zombies; they must fight small-time crooks and an evil megacorporation to save their kidnapped grandma.
Audiences will be immersed in a post-apocalyptic world teeming with undead horrors, where survival becomes a relentless battle against the odds. It is a throwback to the best era of zombie movies and...
- 2/26/2024
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Cineverse has acquired the horror-comedy comic book adaptation We Are Zombies.
The company has said it plans to release the pic this fall across all platforms, including its genre streaming platform Screambox, with a premiere date to be announced soon.
The deal was negotiated out of this year’s Berlin Film Festival by Brandon Hill, Director of Acquisitions, on behalf of Cineverse and Gregoire Melin at Paris-based Kinology on behalf of the filmmakers.
The movie follows three slackers looking to make easy money in a city infested with the living-impaired, also known as non-cannibal zombies. They must fight small-time crooks and an evil megacorporation to save their kidnapped grandma.
The film is based on the comic series The Zombies That Ate the World, written and directed by Yoann-Karl Whissell, François Simard, and Anouk Whissell, the filmmaking team behind cult classics Turbo Kid and Summer of ’84. They are collectively known...
The company has said it plans to release the pic this fall across all platforms, including its genre streaming platform Screambox, with a premiere date to be announced soon.
The deal was negotiated out of this year’s Berlin Film Festival by Brandon Hill, Director of Acquisitions, on behalf of Cineverse and Gregoire Melin at Paris-based Kinology on behalf of the filmmakers.
The movie follows three slackers looking to make easy money in a city infested with the living-impaired, also known as non-cannibal zombies. They must fight small-time crooks and an evil megacorporation to save their kidnapped grandma.
The film is based on the comic series The Zombies That Ate the World, written and directed by Yoann-Karl Whissell, François Simard, and Anouk Whissell, the filmmaking team behind cult classics Turbo Kid and Summer of ’84. They are collectively known...
- 2/26/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Like with many recent titles, Outerminds’ Turbo Kid video game adaptation has been in development for a long while, but we’re finally getting it this April! Originally announced as a Kickstarter back in 2021, Outermind will be bringing the Metroidvania home to PC via Steam on April 10. The announcement coincides with a new trailer debuting at IGN Fan Fest.
As for those looking at the previously-announced Switch version, Outerminds is “still hard at work” getting the port ready, which will be released “shortly after the Steam launch.”
If that news isn’t enough, Outerminds will be launching a new demo on Steam for Turbo Kid this Friday. The demo is described as being “jampacked” with updated art, level design, NPCs, and more.
Set between the end of 2015’s Turbo Kid and the upcoming sequel, and developed in collaboration with Rkss, a writer-director team consisting of Anouk Whissell, François Simard, and Yoann-Karl Whissell,...
As for those looking at the previously-announced Switch version, Outerminds is “still hard at work” getting the port ready, which will be released “shortly after the Steam launch.”
If that news isn’t enough, Outerminds will be launching a new demo on Steam for Turbo Kid this Friday. The demo is described as being “jampacked” with updated art, level design, NPCs, and more.
Set between the end of 2015’s Turbo Kid and the upcoming sequel, and developed in collaboration with Rkss, a writer-director team consisting of Anouk Whissell, François Simard, and Yoann-Karl Whissell,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
The filmmaking trio collectively known as Rkss (François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell) have not one but two features making their rounds in the festival circuit: mean slasher Wake Up (our review) and charming horror-comedy We Are Zombies (our review).
We Are Zombies, an adaptation of Jerry Frissen and Guy Davis’ comic book series “The Zombies That Ate the World,” follows three slackers whose money schemes land them in trouble with an evil corporation that kidnaps their grandma. The catch? This particular world is overrun by zombies, though they’re not the insatiable brain-eaters you’d expect.
Alexander Nachi (“Clash”), Megan Peta Hill (“Riverdale”), and Derek Johns (“Moonfall”) star as Karl, Maggie, and Freddy, respectively, in We Are Zombies.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Rkss after their Fantastic Fest screenings of both Wake Up and We Are Zombies, where they talked about the back-to-back productions.
Yoann-Karl Whissell tells Bloody Disgusting...
We Are Zombies, an adaptation of Jerry Frissen and Guy Davis’ comic book series “The Zombies That Ate the World,” follows three slackers whose money schemes land them in trouble with an evil corporation that kidnaps their grandma. The catch? This particular world is overrun by zombies, though they’re not the insatiable brain-eaters you’d expect.
Alexander Nachi (“Clash”), Megan Peta Hill (“Riverdale”), and Derek Johns (“Moonfall”) star as Karl, Maggie, and Freddy, respectively, in We Are Zombies.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Rkss after their Fantastic Fest screenings of both Wake Up and We Are Zombies, where they talked about the back-to-back productions.
Yoann-Karl Whissell tells Bloody Disgusting...
- 10/5/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The filmmaking trio collectively known as Rkss (François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell) put their stamp on the slasher subgenre with the brutal Wake Up, which made its World Premiere last week at Fantastic Fest (our review) before heading to Sitges this week.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Rkss after the debut about their slasher with a severe mean streak.
Wake Up is written by Alberto Marini (Sleep Tight), based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, and stars Benny O.Arthur (Sky and Canal + Django series), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchist’S Dream), Charlotte Stoiber (Downfall), Kyle Scudder (Netflix’s upcoming In Love All Over Again), and newcomers Alessia Yoko Fontana and Tom Gould along with celebrated Irish film and television actors Turlough Convery (Black Mirror, Killing Eve) and Aidan O’Hare (My Sailor, My Love).
The setup is simple: Gen Z activists sneak into a big box furniture store after...
Bloody Disgusting spoke with Rkss after the debut about their slasher with a severe mean streak.
Wake Up is written by Alberto Marini (Sleep Tight), based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, and stars Benny O.Arthur (Sky and Canal + Django series), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchist’S Dream), Charlotte Stoiber (Downfall), Kyle Scudder (Netflix’s upcoming In Love All Over Again), and newcomers Alessia Yoko Fontana and Tom Gould along with celebrated Irish film and television actors Turlough Convery (Black Mirror, Killing Eve) and Aidan O’Hare (My Sailor, My Love).
The setup is simple: Gen Z activists sneak into a big box furniture store after...
- 10/3/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The filmmaking trio collectively known as Rkss (François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell) tend to toggle between two distinct tones of horror: infectious, gory horror comedies and mean horror that packs a punch. With two features screening at Fantastic Fest, We Are Zombies showcased the directors’ playful side. At the opposite end of the spectrum lies Wake Up, Rkss’s delightfully mean-spirited slasher.
Six Gen Z activists hide in a labyrinthine big box furniture store, biding their time until it closes for business to deface the property in protest. Once the lights go out and the exits are locked, the group spreads across the massive maze-like layout to maximize the damage. Despite some adolescent tension, their plan begins without much of a hitch. That changes when newcomer Karim (Tom Gould) isn’t careful and catches the attention of drunk security guards Jack (Aidan O’Hare) and his volatile, psychologically disturbed...
Six Gen Z activists hide in a labyrinthine big box furniture store, biding their time until it closes for business to deface the property in protest. Once the lights go out and the exits are locked, the group spreads across the massive maze-like layout to maximize the damage. Despite some adolescent tension, their plan begins without much of a hitch. That changes when newcomer Karim (Tom Gould) isn’t careful and catches the attention of drunk security guards Jack (Aidan O’Hare) and his volatile, psychologically disturbed...
- 9/27/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The filmmaking trio known as Rkss has previously brought us the films Turbo Kid and Summer of 84. Their latest is the slasher Wake Up, which had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas yesterday – and we not only have some reactions to the film that came out of that screening, we also have a clip from the film, courtesy of Deadline! You can watch the clip in the embed at the bottom of this article.
Written by Alberto Marini and based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, Wake Up centers on a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists who find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
The furniture store setting reminds me of an ’80s slasher that deserves to be more popular, Hide and Go Shriek.
Wake Up stars Benny O.Arthur (the Django...
Written by Alberto Marini and based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, Wake Up centers on a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists who find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
The furniture store setting reminds me of an ’80s slasher that deserves to be more popular, Hide and Go Shriek.
Wake Up stars Benny O.Arthur (the Django...
- 9/25/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
French Canadian directing trio Rkss are back with Wake Up, which World Premiered at Fantastic Fest over the weekend. Deadline shares a first-look preview clip out of the fest.
In Wake Up, which combines a strong timely message with a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse, a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
“As soon as we read the script, the core concept and the timely subject were so compelling to us, that we immediately could visualize the film and we knew we had to direct it and bring our own signature into the project,” said Rkss. “A slasher in a closed furniture store and warehouse makes an exciting playground for sure!”
Rkss —short for Roadkill Superstars— are based in Montreal, Quebec and have had their shorts and features screened around the...
In Wake Up, which combines a strong timely message with a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse, a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
“As soon as we read the script, the core concept and the timely subject were so compelling to us, that we immediately could visualize the film and we knew we had to direct it and bring our own signature into the project,” said Rkss. “A slasher in a closed furniture store and warehouse makes an exciting playground for sure!”
Rkss —short for Roadkill Superstars— are based in Montreal, Quebec and have had their shorts and features screened around the...
- 9/25/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Here’s a first clip for Studiocanal slasher pic Wake Up, which debuts today at Austin’s Fantastic Fest.
Heralding from the French-Canadian directing trio Rkss, comprising Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard, the film follows a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists who find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
Pic is written by Alberto Marini, based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, and presented by Borsalino Productions and Studiocanal. The film will next screen at Spain’s Sitges Film Festival as part of the Oficial Fantàstic Competition.
Starring are Benny O.Arthur (Sky and Canal + Django series), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchists’s Dream), Charlotte Stoiber (Downfall), Kyle Scudder (Netflix’s upcoming In Love All Over Again), and newcomers Alessia Yoko Fontana and Tom Gould along with Irish actors Turlough Convery (Black Mirror) and...
Heralding from the French-Canadian directing trio Rkss, comprising Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard, the film follows a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists who find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
Pic is written by Alberto Marini, based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, and presented by Borsalino Productions and Studiocanal. The film will next screen at Spain’s Sitges Film Festival as part of the Oficial Fantàstic Competition.
Starring are Benny O.Arthur (Sky and Canal + Django series), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchists’s Dream), Charlotte Stoiber (Downfall), Kyle Scudder (Netflix’s upcoming In Love All Over Again), and newcomers Alessia Yoko Fontana and Tom Gould along with Irish actors Turlough Convery (Black Mirror) and...
- 9/24/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Quebec festival wrapped on August 9.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
- 8/14/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A couple weeks ago, the Fantasia International Film Festival announced the films that won jury prizes at the 27th edition of the show, which recently came to a close. Yesterday, our own Tyler Nichols shared his list of favorite films from this year’s Fantasia festival. Now Fantasia has unveiled the list of audience award winners, with wins going to films like Talk to Me, The Roundup: No Way Out, Kurayukaba, and Satan Wants You, among others. The full list can be seen below:
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
- 8/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms (Les Chambres Rouges), a French-language thriller about a woman’s obsession with a high-profile serial killer case, took top honors as the Fantasia Film Festival handed out its juried Cheval Noir competition prizes this weekend.
After opening Fantasia’s 27th edition, the Canadian psychological drama earned Cheval Noirs for best feature, best screenplay for Pascal Plante and best score for Dominique Plante. Red Rooms also earned lead Juliette Gariépy an outstanding performance award.
Red Rooms had an international premiere at Fantasia after debuting at Karlovy Vary as part of the Crystal Global competition. The Fantasia jury at North America’s largest genre film festival, led by David Hewlett, also gave its best director prize to Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for Femme, while the trophy for best cinematography went to Zelda Adams and John Adams for their work on Where the Devil Roams.
After opening Fantasia’s 27th edition, the Canadian psychological drama earned Cheval Noirs for best feature, best screenplay for Pascal Plante and best score for Dominique Plante. Red Rooms also earned lead Juliette Gariépy an outstanding performance award.
Red Rooms had an international premiere at Fantasia after debuting at Karlovy Vary as part of the Crystal Global competition. The Fantasia jury at North America’s largest genre film festival, led by David Hewlett, also gave its best director prize to Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping for Femme, while the trophy for best cinematography went to Zelda Adams and John Adams for their work on Where the Devil Roams.
- 7/30/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Fantasia International Film Festival is back for its 27th annual edition, running July 20 through August 9, and it’s bringing one of Hollywood’s biggest stars––in spirit now; he’s officially canceled so as to not cross the picket line of the current SAG-AFTRA strike––to Montreal with a world premiere and career recognition. Nicolas Cage, his new film Sympathy for the Devil, and his Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award aren’t the only draw for this three-week event, though.
You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...
You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...
- 7/17/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
We Are Zombies Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival
The final section of the line-up for the this year's Fantasia International Film Festival was announced today, along with the news that the Rkss Collective's Quebecois ode to the 'living-impaired', We Are Zombies, will have the honour of being the festival's closing film. Based on the popular comic The Zombies That Ate The World, it was created by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, the team behind cult hit Turbo Kid, and is set in a world where zombies have no desire to eat brains but simply wander the streets aimlessly.
The festival also announced that this year's Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award is to be presented to Nicolas Cage in recognition of his more that four decades spent creating unique and memorable characters, often in genre films.
Further additions to the line-up include Irish comedy Apocalypse Clown, manga adaptation Sand Land,...
The final section of the line-up for the this year's Fantasia International Film Festival was announced today, along with the news that the Rkss Collective's Quebecois ode to the 'living-impaired', We Are Zombies, will have the honour of being the festival's closing film. Based on the popular comic The Zombies That Ate The World, it was created by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell, the team behind cult hit Turbo Kid, and is set in a world where zombies have no desire to eat brains but simply wander the streets aimlessly.
The festival also announced that this year's Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award is to be presented to Nicolas Cage in recognition of his more that four decades spent creating unique and memorable characters, often in genre films.
Further additions to the line-up include Irish comedy Apocalypse Clown, manga adaptation Sand Land,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Montreal event runs July 20-August 9.
Nicolas Cage will receive the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award while the Montreal event (July 20-August 9) will close with Quebcois collective Rkss’s We Are Zombies.
The closing film is based on the French comic book series Les Zombies Qui Ont Mangé Le Monde (The Zombies That Ate The World) and takes place in a world where zombies are referred to as “living impaired” and roam among ordinary people.
Megan Peta Hill (Riverdale), Alexandre Nachi (1991) and Derek Johns (The Boys) star in the feature from Rkss comprising François Simard,...
Nicolas Cage will receive the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award while the Montreal event (July 20-August 9) will close with Quebcois collective Rkss’s We Are Zombies.
The closing film is based on the French comic book series Les Zombies Qui Ont Mangé Le Monde (The Zombies That Ate The World) and takes place in a world where zombies are referred to as “living impaired” and roam among ordinary people.
Megan Peta Hill (Riverdale), Alexandre Nachi (1991) and Derek Johns (The Boys) star in the feature from Rkss comprising François Simard,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to run from from July 20th through August 9th at the Concordia Hall Cinema in Montreal, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. In May, they announced the first wave of titles that will be showing at this year’s festival. Last month, the second wave was announced. Now, the titles that make up the third and final wave have been unveiled – and along with that comes the announcement that Nicolas Cage will be receiving the Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award at this year’s show!
The Fantasia International Film Festival has chosen to honor Nicolas Cage this year because he “has brought a wide variety of unforgettable people to life in works that are as memorable as the characters he portrayed, with textured performances that have been among the most exciting and unique from...
The Fantasia International Film Festival has chosen to honor Nicolas Cage this year because he “has brought a wide variety of unforgettable people to life in works that are as memorable as the characters he portrayed, with textured performances that have been among the most exciting and unique from...
- 7/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Nicolas Cage will pick up this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award at Fantasia.
“He is one of the most individualistic and captivating screen presences in the last 40 years. Beyond his unique charisma, the kinds of atypical characters he’s been drawn to and what he can bring to them is so special and rare,” artistic director Mitch Davis told Variety.
“Audiences lose their minds when he goes to these energetically extreme places: ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ was my first experience with that and I was absolutely floored. But they are also transfixed by the quiet, textured qualities he brings to more somber characters. He’s a one-of-a-kind treasure in American film.”
Throughout the years, Cage has been embracing genre cinema, admitted Davis. And it has embraced him back.
“He’s someone who sincerely loves cinema and has always embraced genre storytelling. I wish he could have been in the...
“He is one of the most individualistic and captivating screen presences in the last 40 years. Beyond his unique charisma, the kinds of atypical characters he’s been drawn to and what he can bring to them is so special and rare,” artistic director Mitch Davis told Variety.
“Audiences lose their minds when he goes to these energetically extreme places: ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ was my first experience with that and I was absolutely floored. But they are also transfixed by the quiet, textured qualities he brings to more somber characters. He’s a one-of-a-kind treasure in American film.”
Throughout the years, Cage has been embracing genre cinema, admitted Davis. And it has embraced him back.
“He’s someone who sincerely loves cinema and has always embraced genre storytelling. I wish he could have been in the...
- 7/6/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to commence from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.
After two packed waves of programming, the festival unveils its third wave of programming this morning, bringing exciting world premieres and the announcement of Nicolas Cage as this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award recipient.
From the press release:
We Are Zombies
The 27th edition of the festival will end on an especially riotous note with the World Premiere of We Are Zombies, the latest from internationally beloved Quebecois cult collective Rkss (Summer Of ’84) – François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Based on the comic Les Zombies Qui Ont MANGÉ Le Monde (The Zombies that Ate the World), the film is set in a society where zombies, referred to as “living-impaired,” roam among us...
After two packed waves of programming, the festival unveils its third wave of programming this morning, bringing exciting world premieres and the announcement of Nicolas Cage as this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award recipient.
From the press release:
We Are Zombies
The 27th edition of the festival will end on an especially riotous note with the World Premiere of We Are Zombies, the latest from internationally beloved Quebecois cult collective Rkss (Summer Of ’84) – François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Based on the comic Les Zombies Qui Ont MANGÉ Le Monde (The Zombies that Ate the World), the film is set in a society where zombies, referred to as “living-impaired,” roam among us...
- 7/6/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Nicolas Cage is set to receive a career tribute award at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, organizers announced on Thursday.
Fantasia earlier unveiled a world premiere for Sympathy for the Devil, which stars Cage and reunites director Yuval Adler with Joel Kinnaman after The Secrets We Keep. As part of that screening, North America’s largest genre fest will honor Cage in Montreal with this year’s Cheval Noir career achievement award after a four-decade run in Hollywood where his film credits include Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Face/Off and Wild at Heart.
Fantasia will also close its 27th edition with We Are Zombies, from the Canadian cult film collective Rkss, led by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Megan Peta Hill, Alexandre Nachi and Derek Johns.
Fantasia in its final lineup announcements also booked world premieres for director Mark H. Rapaport’s comedy of discomfort Hippo,...
Fantasia earlier unveiled a world premiere for Sympathy for the Devil, which stars Cage and reunites director Yuval Adler with Joel Kinnaman after The Secrets We Keep. As part of that screening, North America’s largest genre fest will honor Cage in Montreal with this year’s Cheval Noir career achievement award after a four-decade run in Hollywood where his film credits include Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Face/Off and Wild at Heart.
Fantasia will also close its 27th edition with We Are Zombies, from the Canadian cult film collective Rkss, led by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Megan Peta Hill, Alexandre Nachi and Derek Johns.
Fantasia in its final lineup announcements also booked world premieres for director Mark H. Rapaport’s comedy of discomfort Hippo,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Not to be all, "being a successful actor is hard!," but it certainly can be tricky. Assuming you're well-off enough to have your pick of projects to work on, there are other factors to consider: whether the material itself is any good, whether you can do something with it, and most importantly, who your co-workers will be and whose vision is behind it. After all, this is several weeks (if not months) of your life and craft that we're talking about, here.
Fortunately, seasoned actors have their own sly ways of testing the waters, especially with young, inexperienced, and untested filmmakers whose reputations don't yet precede them. Canadian thespian Michael Ironside, who's been working at a steady clip since the mid-1970s, is as seasoned as they come, having appeared in well over 100 projects ranging from the small to the big screen. It's no surprise, then, that Ironside has his...
Fortunately, seasoned actors have their own sly ways of testing the waters, especially with young, inexperienced, and untested filmmakers whose reputations don't yet precede them. Canadian thespian Michael Ironside, who's been working at a steady clip since the mid-1970s, is as seasoned as they come, having appeared in well over 100 projects ranging from the small to the big screen. It's no surprise, then, that Ironside has his...
- 2/12/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
The tragedy cast a very long shadow. Up on Droop Mountain, a college student discovered the bodies of hitchhikers Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero. They’d both suffered close-range gunshot wounds and were left for dead. The year was 1980, and the summer had barely ripened. The entire region, down to my hometown 20 minutes away, heard about what happened. I grew up in the ‘90s in a town called Renick, and that story clung to our valley like a dark, sticky spider web. I first recall hearing the story from my best friend Sam when I was in elementary school. A good 15 years had passed and the Rainbow Murders, as they were called, still erupted in hushed whispers and gossip. No one was bound to ever forget it.
In Summer of 84, a similar unease shrouds the town of Cape May, Oregon. Fifteen young boys had been abducted over the last decade,...
In Summer of 84, a similar unease shrouds the town of Cape May, Oregon. Fifteen young boys had been abducted over the last decade,...
- 9/28/2022
- by Bee Scott
- bloody-disgusting.com
Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard, the team behind Turbo Kid and Summer of 84, are directing “We Are Zombies,” a comedy based on Jerry Frissen and Guy Davis’ cult comic book series “The Zombies That Ate the World.”
Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard started shooting the movie on March 29 across various locations around Montreal, Canada, with a young cast led by Alexander Nachi (“Clash”), Megan Peta Hill (“Riverdale”) and Derek Johns (“Moonfall”).
Kinology, the Paris-based banner whose credits include Leos Carax’s film “Annette,” has secured i...
Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard started shooting the movie on March 29 across various locations around Montreal, Canada, with a young cast led by Alexander Nachi (“Clash”), Megan Peta Hill (“Riverdale”) and Derek Johns (“Moonfall”).
Kinology, the Paris-based banner whose credits include Leos Carax’s film “Annette,” has secured i...
- 4/25/2022
- QuietEarth.us
Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard, the team behind Turbo Kid and Summer of 84, is back with brand new horror-comedy We Are Zombies! Variety reports that We Are Zombies, an adaptation of Jerry Frissen and Guy Davis’ comic book series “The Zombies That Ate the World,” has begun production in Canada. “It’s disgusting, […]
The post ‘We Are Zombies’ – ‘Turbo Kid’ and ‘Summer of 84’ Filmmakers Directing Zombie Comedy appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post ‘We Are Zombies’ – ‘Turbo Kid’ and ‘Summer of 84’ Filmmakers Directing Zombie Comedy appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 4/25/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
‘Turbo Kid’s’ Canadian Filmmaking Trio to Direct ‘We Are Zombies;’ Kinology Boards Sales (Exclusive)
The up-and-coming Canadian filmmaking trio behind the Sundance movies “Turbo Kid” and “Summer of 84,” are directing “We Are Zombies,” a comedy based on Jerry Frissen and Guy Davis’ cult comic book series “The Zombies That Ate the World.”
Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard started shooting the movie on March 29 across various locations around Montreal, Canada, with a young cast led by Alexander Nachi (“Clash”), Megan Peta Hill (“Riverdale”) and Derek Johns (“Moonfall”). Kinology, the Paris-based banner whose credits include Leos Carax’s film “Annette,” has secured international sales to the movie and will unveil a promo teaser at Cannes.
Published by Humanoids, “The Zombies That Ate the World” ran in the legendary magazine Métal Hurlant in 2003 and earned praises from horror legends such as George A. Romero, Joe Dante and Tobe Hooper.
The high-concept movie is set in a city breeding non-cannibal zombies who are considered “living-impaired.
Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard started shooting the movie on March 29 across various locations around Montreal, Canada, with a young cast led by Alexander Nachi (“Clash”), Megan Peta Hill (“Riverdale”) and Derek Johns (“Moonfall”). Kinology, the Paris-based banner whose credits include Leos Carax’s film “Annette,” has secured international sales to the movie and will unveil a promo teaser at Cannes.
Published by Humanoids, “The Zombies That Ate the World” ran in the legendary magazine Métal Hurlant in 2003 and earned praises from horror legends such as George A. Romero, Joe Dante and Tobe Hooper.
The high-concept movie is set in a city breeding non-cannibal zombies who are considered “living-impaired.
- 4/25/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
So with Anouk Whissell, François Simard and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s Turbo Kid getting a video game adaptation, why not throw in a new comic book to tide you over until the game’s release? Behemoth Comics’ imprint Happy Tank will be releasing a prequel comic book series written by the directors & drawn by Turbo Kid‘s storyboard artist, Jeik Dion, […]...
- 5/14/2021
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
Following Turbo Kid's release, directors Yoann-Karl Whissell, Anouk Whissell, and François Simard revealed that they were developing a sequel, which would take place immediately after the events in the first film.
Turns out they haven't ruled out the idea and gave a little update on their intentions to the Boo Crew podcast over at Bloody Disgusting.
“Well look, that’s been a long time coming... There’s a script for Turbo Kid 2. We want to make it, that’s all I can say."
He went on to say:
“It’s really a case of finding the backers [financiers] because it’s way more ambitious. It’s kind of like Road...
Turns out they haven't ruled out the idea and gave a little update on their intentions to the Boo Crew podcast over at Bloody Disgusting.
“Well look, that’s been a long time coming... There’s a script for Turbo Kid 2. We want to make it, that’s all I can say."
He went on to say:
“It’s really a case of finding the backers [financiers] because it’s way more ambitious. It’s kind of like Road...
- 2/5/2020
- QuietEarth.us
Eté 85
Director François Ozon continues to work at breakneck speed, with his 19th feature ready to premiere in 2020. Produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer and lensed by Hichame Alaouie, Ozon casts three young actors for his trio of leads to join some of his past favored cast mates, including Melvil Poupaud (of 2005’s Time to Leave and 2019’s By the Grace of God) and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (of 2004’s 5×2).…...
Director François Ozon continues to work at breakneck speed, with his 19th feature ready to premiere in 2020. Produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer and lensed by Hichame Alaouie, Ozon casts three young actors for his trio of leads to join some of his past favored cast mates, including Melvil Poupaud (of 2005’s Time to Leave and 2019’s By the Grace of God) and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (of 2004’s 5×2).…...
- 1/2/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Sometimes it feels as if eighties-styled genre tributes are becoming as prolific a cinema exercise as superhero films. Even the wildly successful It remake swapped out the novel’s sixties setting for that era of BMX-straddling and Pac-Man-binging. Summer of 84 – a coming-of-age thriller whose very name conjures up the type of obvious nostalgia fest we’ve come accustomed to of late – is able to subvert expectations due to the care and attention the makers have taken to ensure it isn’t just another predictable pastiche. The film’s only real sticking point is the weak denouement which can’t match the dark thrills and foreboding atmosphere with preludes it.
Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) is an Oregon teenager passing the time during the long hot summer holidays delivering newspapers and hanging with his close-knit circle of friends. His parents are concerned that Davey doesn’t end up on the side of a milk carton,...
Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) is an Oregon teenager passing the time during the long hot summer holidays delivering newspapers and hanging with his close-knit circle of friends. His parents are concerned that Davey doesn’t end up on the side of a milk carton,...
- 10/10/2018
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
San Sebastian — Smart genre, zombies and throwbacks to the ’70s and ‘80s are some of the current trends in genre cinema, according to some specialists in the field. It’s a cyclical dynamic now offering meaningful box office hits such as Corin Hardy’s “The Nun” or Ari Aster’s “Hereditary.” Genre cinema always attracts the attention of industry players. These are some of them.
An auteur-driven trend commands greatest consensus among experts. Matteo Lovadina, CEO of Paris-based sales and co-production company Reel Suspects, observed that some great examples recently of genre film have, “thanks to their clever storytelling,” been able to attract both auteur and genre audiences.
“Films like Joachim Trier’s ‘Thelma,’ Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’, David Robert Mitchell’s ‘It Follows’ or ‘Hereditary,’ have brought genre cinema again into focus and restored a certain credit to this hidden part of the cinematic world,” Lovadina observed.
A “pure genre player,...
An auteur-driven trend commands greatest consensus among experts. Matteo Lovadina, CEO of Paris-based sales and co-production company Reel Suspects, observed that some great examples recently of genre film have, “thanks to their clever storytelling,” been able to attract both auteur and genre audiences.
“Films like Joachim Trier’s ‘Thelma,’ Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’, David Robert Mitchell’s ‘It Follows’ or ‘Hereditary,’ have brought genre cinema again into focus and restored a certain credit to this hidden part of the cinematic world,” Lovadina observed.
A “pure genre player,...
- 9/27/2018
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Deals include Australia, Canada, Latin America on Sundance premiere.
Los Angeles-based distributor Gunpowder & Sky has closed a raft of sales on the retro thriller Summer Of 84 and will court buyers from remaining territories in Toronto this week.
Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell co-directed the Sundance Film Festival premiere about teenage friends who suspect their police officer neighbour is a serial killer and find themselves in too deep when they spend their summer spying on him.
Rights have gone in: Australia/New Zealand (Roadshow), Canada (Mongrel), Latin America (Cinemex), Spain (A Contracorriente), France (L’Atelier D’Images...
Los Angeles-based distributor Gunpowder & Sky has closed a raft of sales on the retro thriller Summer Of 84 and will court buyers from remaining territories in Toronto this week.
Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell co-directed the Sundance Film Festival premiere about teenage friends who suspect their police officer neighbour is a serial killer and find themselves in too deep when they spend their summer spying on him.
Rights have gone in: Australia/New Zealand (Roadshow), Canada (Mongrel), Latin America (Cinemex), Spain (A Contracorriente), France (L’Atelier D’Images...
- 9/6/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew, Tiera Skovbye, Rich Sommer, Jason Gray-Stanford, Shauna Johannesen | Written by Matt Leslie, Stephen J. Smith | Directed by Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
The Turbo Kid directing trio (known collectively as Rkss) return with this ’80s teen adventure homage that taps into the same nostalgic vein as Stranger Things or the recent remake of Stephen King’s It. Affectionately made and superbly acted, it’s shot through with a streak of darkness that delivers genuine chills.
Summer of 84‘s hero is fifteen year old Davey (Graham Verchere), a conspiracy theory obsessive who’s dividing the summer between his paper round and hanging out with his three best friends: chubby, sensitive Woody (Caleb Emery), brainy nerd Faraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew) and would-be tough guy Eats (Judah Lewis). When a serial killer anonymously announces that he’s responsible for over a dozen deaths of young boys in the area,...
The Turbo Kid directing trio (known collectively as Rkss) return with this ’80s teen adventure homage that taps into the same nostalgic vein as Stranger Things or the recent remake of Stephen King’s It. Affectionately made and superbly acted, it’s shot through with a streak of darkness that delivers genuine chills.
Summer of 84‘s hero is fifteen year old Davey (Graham Verchere), a conspiracy theory obsessive who’s dividing the summer between his paper round and hanging out with his three best friends: chubby, sensitive Woody (Caleb Emery), brainy nerd Faraday (Cory Gruter-Andrew) and would-be tough guy Eats (Judah Lewis). When a serial killer anonymously announces that he’s responsible for over a dozen deaths of young boys in the area,...
- 8/29/2018
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
What is about the image kids on bicycles, having an adventure, that just screams “This is a story set in the 1980s”? The trio of Montreal-based filmmaking team, known collectively as Rkss, decided to find out when they got their hands on the Summer of ’84 […]
The post ‘Summer of ’84 Directors on Crafting Their Nostalgic Horror Throwback and the Status of ‘Turbo Kid 2’ [Fantasia Film Festival Interview] appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Summer of ’84 Directors on Crafting Their Nostalgic Horror Throwback and the Status of ‘Turbo Kid 2’ [Fantasia Film Festival Interview] appeared first on /Film.
- 8/10/2018
- by Steven Prokopy
- Slash Film
On the afternoon prior to their sophomore feature film playing to the home-town crowd at Fantasia, I had an all too brief chat with the Quebecois director trio known as Road Kill Super Stars (Rkss) about Summer of '84. Sitting around the rather large table just off the lobby of a rather swanky hotel on Rue Sherbrooke, the three were at ease early in the morning, and willing to go in whatever direction I decided to take the conversation. As you will no doubt notice below, Yoann-Karl Whissell does most of the talking, with his sister, Anouk Whissell, quietly interjecting (all too briefly) in between the interplay of the back and forth between him and François Simard. We discuss the influences of the film, audience...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/9/2018
- Screen Anarchy
At its height, Summer of ’84 sings like a sandy page-turner you end up finishing in the fall, with the wind swirling and mischief night just around the corner. Directing triad François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell (Turbo Kid) capture the sensations such wind would stir up within their first two reels; Summer of ’84 sports a mixture of youthful excitement and unease, where the hair standing up on the back of your neck signaled both. When high schooler Davey (Graham Verchere) suspects his neighbor (Rich Sommer) is a serial killer targeting young boys, he convinces his pack of buddies to engage in that most iconic summer treehouse activity: the stakeout. As the gang inches closer to the truth, the steely hands of maturity reach back to remind them that no matter how hard they try to be young forever, some events will force them to grow up.
Summer of ’84 recalls...
Summer of ’84 recalls...
- 8/8/2018
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Originally Reviewed At Sundance'18 Plot: Four friends find their carefree summer interrupted when one of them becomes convinced the nice cop who lives down the street is a serial killer. Review: Summer Of ‘84 is the latest from the Rkss collective, a trio of directors that consists of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissel, the Montreal filmmakers behind Turbo Kid.... Read More...
- 8/6/2018
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Before the voice-over narration kicks in to situate the audience, we’re presented with a close-up shot of a teenager pedaling his bike down a suburban street, his colorful chunky sneakers in the center of the frame. This image (and those shoes) fit neatly both in June of 1984, where its set, and the summer of 2018, which still finds popular culture in the throes of nostalgia. Rkss—the Montreal filmmaking collective comprised of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell—continue to follow the throwback thread of their first feature “Turbo Kid” with “Summer of ’84,” making its International Premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
Continue reading Nostalgia-Heavy ‘Summer of ’84’ Loses Focus And Charm As It Gets Bogged Down By Plot [Fantasia Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Nostalgia-Heavy ‘Summer of ’84’ Loses Focus And Charm As It Gets Bogged Down By Plot [Fantasia Review] at The Playlist.
- 7/27/2018
- by Bradley Warren
- The Playlist
Rkss (Roadkill Superstar), François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell has 80s knowledge mixed with childlike imagination. Check out our interview with them where we discuss the makings of their new thriller horror Summer of 84. “Summer, 1984: The perfect time to be 15 years old and carefree. But when neighborhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong begins to […]
The post Fantasia 2018 Interview: Rkss Reminisces Over Great Classic Horrors While Discussing Summer Of ’84 appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Fantasia 2018 Interview: Rkss Reminisces Over Great Classic Horrors While Discussing Summer Of ’84 appeared first on Dread Central.
- 7/25/2018
- by Zena Dixon
- DreadCentral.com
Montreal filmmaking collective Rkss (Turbo Kid) Aka François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s nostalgia era thriller Summer of ’84 made its World Premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Our own Jonathan Barkan reviewed the film saying “You’ll Leave This Film Shaken.” And today we have an all-new poster for the film, which you […]
The post Summer Of ’84 Gets Bitchin’ New Poster appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Summer Of ’84 Gets Bitchin’ New Poster appeared first on Dread Central.
- 7/25/2018
- by Mike Sprague
- DreadCentral.com
Montreal filmmaking collective Rkss (Turbo Kid) Aka François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s nostalgia era thriller Summer of ’84 made its World Premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Our own Jonathan Barkan reviewed the film saying “You’ll Leave This Film Shaken.” And today we have an all-new clip for the film called “Snooping […]
The post New Summer Of ’84 Clip Snoops Around appeared first on Dread Central.
The post New Summer Of ’84 Clip Snoops Around appeared first on Dread Central.
- 7/24/2018
- by Mike Sprague
- DreadCentral.com
As if the lineup for Arrow Video FrightFest 2018 wasn't impressive enough, the festival has added two films to its slate: David Barker's Pimped (touted as an erotic thriller with a touch of Hitchcock and Brian De Palma appeal) and screenings of the restoration of John Carpenter's classic Halloween! The guest lineup includes Barbara Crampton, Leigh Whannell, Shaked Berenson (Tales of Halloween), Issa López (Tigers are not Afraid), composer Fabio Frizzi, and many more!
Press Release: Two extra films have been added to the record-breaking 2018 line-up: Pimped is director David Barker’s modern transgressive erotic thriller, an Hitchcocktail of elevated suspense and shock in the revered style of Brian De Palma, And If you’ve never seen John Carpenter’s Halloween on the big screen, now’s your best chance. The inclusion of this 4K restoration needs no explanation in anticipation of a new Michael Myers slasher being released in October.
Press Release: Two extra films have been added to the record-breaking 2018 line-up: Pimped is director David Barker’s modern transgressive erotic thriller, an Hitchcocktail of elevated suspense and shock in the revered style of Brian De Palma, And If you’ve never seen John Carpenter’s Halloween on the big screen, now’s your best chance. The inclusion of this 4K restoration needs no explanation in anticipation of a new Michael Myers slasher being released in October.
- 7/23/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
While Turbo Kid was set in an alternate apocalyptic 1997, the filmmakers collective of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell are rewinding a little further back in time with a more realistic look in Summer of ’84 (read our review), which opens in limited theaters on August 3, 2018. The film took the stage at last week’s San Diego Comic-Con where they […]...
- 7/23/2018
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
While Turbo Kid was set in an alternate apocalyptic 1997, the filmmakers collective of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell are rewinding a little further back in time with a more realistic look in Summer of ’84 (read our review), which opens in limited theaters on August 3, 2018. Sounding like a modern take on The ‘Burbs, the film takes place in the […]...
- 7/23/2018
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Halloween
The full Arrow Video Frightfest guest list was announced today, including big names like Barabara Crampton and Fabio Frizzi and popular TV stars like Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson. Director Jenn Wexler and star Chloë Levine will be there to discuss opening film The Ranger, and attendees can also look forward to meeting the formidable Mexican Issa Lopez, who not only directed the highly acclaimed Tigers Are Not Afraid but braved the Beast from the East to accompany the Frightfest contingent to the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year.
Imitation Girl's Lauren Ashley Carter and White Chamber's Paul Aviary and Shauna McDonald will also be present, along with François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell for the eagerly awaited Summer Of 84. Aislinn Clark will introduce The Devil's Doorway and Justin McConnell will talk about his new film Lifechanger - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The full Arrow Video Frightfest guest list was announced today, including big names like Barabara Crampton and Fabio Frizzi and popular TV stars like Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson. Director Jenn Wexler and star Chloë Levine will be there to discuss opening film The Ranger, and attendees can also look forward to meeting the formidable Mexican Issa Lopez, who not only directed the highly acclaimed Tigers Are Not Afraid but braved the Beast from the East to accompany the Frightfest contingent to the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year.
Imitation Girl's Lauren Ashley Carter and White Chamber's Paul Aviary and Shauna McDonald will also be present, along with François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell for the eagerly awaited Summer Of 84. Aislinn Clark will introduce The Devil's Doorway and Justin McConnell will talk about his new film Lifechanger - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
- 7/19/2018
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
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