Fantasia International Film Festival 2026 - Week One

FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
Week One

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, MovieJawn Staff Writer and Podcast Director, and cohost of the Hate Watch/Great Watch Podcast

Fantasia International Film Festival runs until Aug 2nd in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Get your tickets HERE.

For three decades, something has been happening, and you probably didn’t even notice. Right under your nose, something has been growing. Well actually, it's happening in Canada, so if you're a U.S. resident like I am, it's right above your nose. Regardless, from the great snowy north, the Fantasia International Film Festival is once again upon us!

Fantasia 2026 has kicked off, for me, with a bang. I've been sorting through their generous list of available titles that check off so many different boxes: martial arts / combat films, psychological dramas, unconventional love stories, elegant monster movies, animation, faux documentaries, and so much more! Below I've highlighted just a few stand-out viewing experiences that I think you should keep your eye on:

NO REST FOR THE WICKED
Written by Rasmus Birch, Kasper Kalle, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (short story)
Directed by Kasper Kalle
Starring Egor Venned, Pilou Asbæk, Sofia Nolsøe, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kjartan Hansen

No Rest For the Wicked was high on my list (and mentioned in my Fantasia 2026 preview) and it still managed to completely blow me away. A queer romance with a supernatural angle, set in a fishing village on a pastoral island, you can bet this one has its fair share of seamen. I kid, but the romance is genuinely handled incredibly sensually and delicately. It also features one of the most unique takes on the concept of the "vampire" that I've seen in recent years. But what really truly took my breath away was the cinematography by Jacob Møller, which captures the cold light of the Faroe Islands and makes it as vital and beautiful as the love story at the film's center. 

YOU ARE THE FILM
Written by Makoto Ueda
Directed by Makoto Ueda
Starring Marika Ito, Kai Inowaki, Riko Fujitani, Takafumi Imai, Gôta Ishida

Another film that I was highly anticipating was You Are the Film, the directorial debut of Makoto Ueda, who is more traditionally a screenwriter known for his high concept "tiny loop" films. Here he plays with space rather than time, where two young people, each in the middle of some personal strife, find that they are each the star in a movie that the other is watching. Ueda wastes no time in exploring these concepts, and finding unique ways to twist expectations and the film is just genuinely delightful. I am a big fan of his work overall and hope more people will seek it out. You Are the Film makes a solid starting point.

DANCE FREAK
Written by Robby Rackleff, Alan Resnick
Directed by Alan Resnick, Robby Rackleff
Starring Robby Rackleff, Megan Koester, Stavros Halkias, Sheila Mears, Conner O'Malley

2026 has been a big year for filmmakers previously known for their YouTube offerings making more officially recognized movies, like Kane Parsons or Curry Barker, so I was very excited to see what Robby Rackleff and Alan Resnick had on offer, having previously worked together on shorts like Unedited Footage of a Bear (2014) and This House Has People In It (2016). While Dance Freak isn't as polished or digestible as Backrooms or Obsession, it is a huge step forward in Rackleff and Resnick’s creative output. With fantastical, mostly black and white imagery and cartoonish characters inhabiting an extremely heightened world, Dance Freak will make a perfect midnight movie for those who are so inclined, but don't be mistaken: the film has a strong emotional core that comes through as much on intuition as dedicated dialogue.

CORPUS
Written by Lily Cowles, Corrin Evans
Directed by Corrin Evans
Starring Jeff Wahlberg, Brodie Townsend, Michael Vlamis, Lily Cowles, Nuha Jes Izman

Warm up the Doofenshmirtz meme, because Corpus is another film with unbelievably beautiful cinematography (by Charlie Cole) and a queer love story that has supernatural elements at its center. There are parallels that can be drawn to other horror films, but what sets Corpus apart is its serene pacing. Three friends attempt to navigate the internal tensions of their relationships long enough to go to a very exclusive high society party and once they're there, the heat rises like the proverbial frog in the pot of water and before you know exactly how bad things have gotten, it's far too late. Great, sensuous performances and dreamlike visuals only add to the appeal.

ATTACK ON PARADISE
Written by Saïd Boumazoughe, Sven Huybrechts, Salahdine Ibnou Kacemi
Directed by Bob Colaers
Starring Saïd Boumazoughe, Clara Cleymans, Achmed Akkabi, Soroush Helali, Fatima Khanfour

This Belgian action film will rightfully be compared to The Raid: Redemption (2011), and those are big shoes to fill. Both are physical combat-heavy gauntlets where the gimmick is watching the characters fight and claw their way, floor by floor, to the top of an apartment block and while Attack on Paradise doesn't come close to the gonzo creativity and energy of The Raid, it has a lot more character development without sacrificing much momentum. I think there's enough room in cinema for more than one single location action film, even if The Raid does whip all varieties of ass. Dredd (2012) for example does the same basic thing and it rules, so don't let those comparisons dissuade you from checking out an enjoyable flick.