Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil several additional highlights, to warm you up for our July 9 Press Conference, where they’ll be unveiling of our full 120+ (Holy. Crap.) film lineup.

From July 18 – August 6, Montreal will be home to a showcase of over 100 feature films from around the world, along with a wealth of special events, conferences, and parties.

Skip down to the bottom if you just want to see a list of newly announced films, but before we get to that here are some of the special events.

The official opening night film will be Takashi Miike’s SHIELD OF STRAW!

Hot off its screening in official completion at the Cannes Film Festival, Takashi Miike’s riveting crime thriller SHIELD OF STRAW will be kicking off Fantasia’s 2013 edition with its first screening on the North American continent. SHIELD OF STRAW stars Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Fantasia’s 1997 screening of FUDOH marked the first time that a Miike film had ever been shown in North America, making it all the more joyous to open their 2013 festival with his latest work.

Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett bare it all in Joe Swanberg’s 24 EXPOSURES!

Fantasia will unveil the world premiere screening of mumblecore icon Joe Swanberg’s recently completed 24 EXPOSURES as part of its Camera Lucida section. The feature stars filmmaker Adam Wingard (who, at 19, premiered his first film, HOME SICK, at Fantasia) and his constant collaborator Simon Barrett, the director/screenwriter duo behind V/H/S, YOU’RE NEXT and A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE.

Wingard, a gifted cinematographer who also lensed Swanberg’s SILVER BULLETS, plays a fetish photographer whose models begin to turn up dead, with Barrett portraying a melancholic cop tasked with investigating him. Swanberg, director of DRINKING BUDDIES and ALEXANDER THE LAST, previously collaborated with Wingard and Barrett on AUTOEROTIC and the anthology horror hit V/H/S. As an actor, Swanberg also collaborated with the filmmakers several times, playing lead roles in A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE and YOU’RE NEXT.

On a related note, Fantasia 2013 will showcase the Quebec Premiere of Wingard’s brilliant YOU’RE NEXT the night before 24 EXPOSURES, offering our audience the rare chance to observe the flipping of an actor/director/screenwriter creative relationship from one night to the next. Joe Swanberg will host both screenings.

And now, their additional Second Wave titles:

009 RE: CYBORG
Japan Dir: Kenji Kamiyama

Mechanized mayhem, mysticism and moral ambiguity meet when the influential ’60s manga/anime property 009 CYBORG gets a dark, postmodern makeover care of the mighty Production I.G, in the spirit of the iconic GHOST IN THE SHELL films. Anime fans won’t want to miss this one. North American Premiere.

ANIMALS
Spain Dir: Marçal Forés

Evocative of both DONNIE DARKO and LEOLO with a touch of Charles Burns, ANIMALS taps into a volatile whirlpool of adolescent anxieties and identity issues, addressing complex themes through a wealth of unconventional approaches. A heavy trip, but an entertaining and fantastical one. Winner: Best First Feature, Sant Jordi de Cinematografia 2013, Official Selection: Sitges 2012, Miami International Film Festival 2013. Quebec Premiere.

ANTISOCIAL
Canada Dir: Cody Calahan

On New Year’s Eve, five university friends find themselves engulfed by a zombie-like attack. The team behind NEVERLOST deliver a gory, inventive, next-generation horror satire with an absolutely genius hook. World Premiere.

BAD MILO
USA Dir: Jacob Vaughan

Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs and Peter Stormare star in this insane comedy/horror UFO about an office worker’s repressed rage manifesting as a mutant ass monster that leaves his body during blackouts, commits murders – then painfully burrows its way back up his butt. Regularly. Ouch! Official Selection: SXSW & Karlovy Vary 2013.
Canadian Premiere.

BIG ASS SPIDER!
USA Dir: Mike Mendez

A volatile 50-foot spider wreaks havoc against the city of Los Angeles in this fast, funny and surprisingly smart arachno-coaster ride that’s not afraid to enjoy itself but at the same time, never goes for the easy stupid. Official Selection: SXSW, Dead by Dawn, Boston Underground, Calgary Underground Film Festival 2013. Quebec Premiere. Hosted by Director Mike Mendez and Producers Patrick Ewald & Travis Stevens.

BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN
Belgium Dir: Felix Van Groeningen

Felix Van Groeningen (THE MISFORTUNATES) returns with a fourth film establishing him as a masterful director; a non-linear, emotionally devastating story of two Flemish bluegrass musicians’ love, as they drift apart when they learn their daughter is dying from leukemia. Winner of the Panorama Audience Award at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival as well as awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.

THE DEAD EXPERIMENT
Canada Dir: Anthony Dixon

At once horrific and cerebral, this remarkable independent Canadian production situates itself somewhere between RE-ANIMATOR and PRIMER, fusing wild scientific theories with a morbid tale and sustained drama for an impact that is wholly unique and satisfying.

THE DIRTIES
Canada Dir: Matt Johnson

An astonishing, illuminating and surprisingly funny film, THE DIRTIES takes on the mortifying topic of high school shootings with an insight and wit that will leave you slack-jawed. And deeply haunted. Winner of numerous awards, including two at this year’s Slamdance. Quebec Premiere. Hosted by Director / Actor / Co-Writer Matt Johnson, Co-Writer Josh Boles & Actors Owen Williams and Krista Madison.

THE DEMON’S ROOK
USA Dir: James Sizemore

A micro-budget, monsterific orgy of grue that can only be described as RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD by way of Jodorowsky with a touch of THE NEVERENDING STORY, shot in Georgia with a nearly all-amateur team, boatloads of heart and a horde of DIY prosthetic creatures. This film is F-U-N. Co-executive produced by celebrated Tiff programmer Colin Geddes and Toronto Film Scene / Exclaim! film critic Katarina Gligorijevic. World Premiere. Hosted by Director/ Actor / Co-Writer James Sizemore and his übergang of DIY magicians & maniacs!

HELLO, MY DOLLY GIRLFRIEND
Japan Dir.: Takashi Ishii

A man believes he’s found redemption in a mysterious female mannequin that has come to life. Eroticism, perversity and deviant poetry collide in the latest from Takashi Ishii, an auteur who brought so much to Fantasia’s history with such major work as FREEZE ME and GONIN. International Premiere.

HOW TO USE GUYS WITH SECRET TIPS
South Korea Dir.: Lee Wonsuk

A young woman toiling in an obnoxiously sexist workplace comes across a VHS tape with advice on how to manipulate men in this uproarious romantic comedy which turns the gulf between men and women into a faultline through your funnybone. Winner of an audience award at the most recent Udine Far East Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.

I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL… TOMORROW
Japan Dir.: Yuichi Fukuda

A single dad in the grip of midlife crisis quits his stable job to pursue a career as a manga artist. Loaded with imagination, this funny, touching tribute to putting things off goes far beyond sitcom silliness with an array of unforgettable characters. International Premiere.

MACHI ACTION
Taiwan Dir.: Jeff Chang

This clever, racy and yet very humane Taiwanese comedy takes aim at the over-the-top tropes and antics of “tokusatsu” (giant monsters and masked space heroes) TV and at the absurd ups and downs of a performing artist’s life. Fresh from stomping all opponents at the Taiwanese box office, MACHI ACTION begins its quest for North American domination at Fantasia. North American Premiere.

MISSIONARY
USA Dir: Anthony DiBlasi

The director of DREAD and CASSADAGA is back with a mean, lean, character-driven thriller of exceptional impact. Playing on the inherent fear that many people have of strangers, their possible delusions and perhaps worse, their bubbling insanity, MISSIONARY also looks at the figure of the man of faith as complex and unpredictable, while also exploring the duplicitous nature that is easily attributed to missionaries of all ilk. Stars Dawn Olivieri, Mitch Ryan and Kip Pardue and J LaRose. World Premiere. Hosted by Director Anthony DiBlasi.

OXV: THE MANUAL
UK-Australia Dir: Darren Paul Fisher

One of 2013’s most minblowing discoveries, OXV: THE MANUAL is an endlessly imaginative “scientific-philosophical romance” that plays like the mutant offspring of Michel Gondry, Neil Gaiman, Terry Gilliam and Shane Carruth – yes, really. One of those little miracles that only independent cinema can produce, this is a resoundingly original piece of work that will have you smiling for weeks. World Premiere. Hosted by Writer / Director Darren Paul Fisher

PLUS ONE
USA Dir: Dennis Iliadis

Teens at a wild house party quickly catch on that all isn’t right, as doubles of themselves and everyone else attending are popping up and reliving the evening, just about 45 minutes prior. With each blackout of lights, the doubles catch up a little more in time. An entertainingly inventive and clever slice of high energy teen oblivion from the director of the LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT remake. Official Selection: SXSW. Canadian Premiere.

THE RESURECTION OF A BASTARD
Netherlands Dir: Guido van Driel

Riveting with its innovative cinematic style, doused in outrageous bursts of wicked carnage, and topped off with a smattering of shadowy Lynchian humour, THE RESURRECTION OF A BASTARD is a deliciously oddball investigation of the mystery of life, and all the violent possibilities it has to offer. A blissful cinematic experience that represents the current renaissance in Dutch genre filmmaking. Stars Yorick van Wagenigen (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO). Opening film of the 2013 Rotterdam International Film Festival. International Premiere.

SAVING GENERAL YANG
Hong Kong Dir.: Ronny Yu

It is up to General Yang’s seven sons — each a master of his own kung fu discipline — to rescue him from behind enemy lines. Ronny Yu (FEARLESS, THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR, BRIDE OF CHUCKY) revisits anew the oft-told tale of the Yang clan, legends of Chinese martial arts literature and film. Official Selection: Hong Kong International Film Festival 2013. North American Premiere.

SECRETLY GREATLY
South Korea Dir.: Jang Cheol-soo

A North Korean spy is sent south, where he must blend into a town’s community… as the village idiot. This punchy action-comedy broke box-office records on its home turf. From the director of BEDEVILLED. Official Selection: New York Asian Film Festival 2013. Canadian Premiere.

SWEETWATER
USA Dirs: Logan Miller, Noah Miller

Ed Harris, January Jones, and Eduardo Noriega star in one of the most eccentric and surprising Westerns to storm cinematic saloons in some time, bursting with tension, violence and theatricality, owing as much to Toshiya Fujita and LADY SNOWBLOOD as it does to Ford and Leone. Harris delivers the single most outlandish performance of his career. Official Selection: Sundance 2013. Canadian Premiere

UZUMASA JACOPETTI
Japan Dir.: Moriro Miyamoto

Miike meets Jeunet as a father’s one-track-minded quest for his family’s happiness warps into murderous, absurdist carnage; a uniquely mesmerizing, magical, magnetic mind-melt of a movie from mysterious Kyoto filmmaker Moriro Miyamoto, heralding the return of true underground Japanese cinema. North American Premiere.

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 18 – August 6, 2013. The festival’s full lineup of screenings and events will be announced on July 9. For more information, visit us on the web at www.fantasiafestival.com.

Pictured: Demon’s Rook