Montreal’s Fantasia unveils co-production projects

Running from July 26-29, the selection taps both veteran and up-and-coming directing and producing talent.

Highlights from North America include Bruce McDonald’s Pontypool sequel; Turbo Kid, produced by Hobo With A Shotgun director Jason Eisener; genre veteran Stuart Gordon’s Purgatory; Strata from Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead of Tribeca hit Resolution, and Jorge Michel Grau’s Keep Quiet, his follow-up to Cannes 2010 socio-horror We Are What We Are.

From the UK are BAFTA-nominated short film director Robert Morgan and Sam Walker’s feature The Withering and BAFTA winner Catherine Linstrum and David-John Newman’s Perish. Also from Europe are two projects from France including Abel Ferry’s Pandemonium.

Among projects from New Zealand and Australia are Paul Campion’s Dark Hollow and M from Acolytes director Jon Hewitt respectively.

Announced last November, Frontières marks North America’s first genre-oriented initiative of its type. Frontières aims to connect North America with Europe and Australasia, with submissions hailing from countries showing an increase in co-productions with Canada and extant production grants or funding. Asian nations are excluded so as not to conflict with Puchon International Film Festival’s own July project event. 

Frontières runs simultaneously with the newly-launched Fantasia Film Market, where buyers and sellers can negotiate rights for films in the festival’s official lineup.

Both events take place under the Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous umbrella, which will invite producers, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters, talent agents and festival programmers to attend various industry sessions and conferences. 

The lineup for the 16th edition of Fantasia is expected in early July.

FRONTIÈRES 2012 PROJECTS:

BLOOD BORNE (Australia) Director/Writer: Fin Edquist / Producer: David Rapsey (Rogue Production)

DARK HOLLOW (New Zealand) Director: Paul Campion / Writers: Paul Campion & Paul Finch, based on a book by Brian Keene / Producer: Daniel Warwick (Chameleon Films)

KEEP QUIET (Mexico) Director/Writer: Jorge Michel Grau / Producer: Mayra Espinosa Castro

M (Australia) Director: Jon Hewitt / Writers: Jon Hewitt & Belinda McClory / Producer: Lizzette Atkins (Unicorn Films), Executive Producer: Richard Stewart

PANDEMONIUM (France) Director: Abel Ferry / Writer: Eric Rondeaux / Producer: Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin (Paprika Films)

PERISH (UK) Directors / Writers: Catherine Linstrum & David-John Newman / Producer: Brian Coffey and Gillian Berrie (Sigma Films)

PONTYPOOL CHANGES (Canada) Director: Bruce McDonald [pictured] / Writer: Tony Burgess / Producer: Ambrose Roche (Shadow Shows)

PORK CHOP (Canada) Director: Zid Zanforlin / Writers: Chris Bavota & Zid Zanforlin / Producer: Philippe Chabot

PURGATORY (USA) Director / Producer: Stuart Gordon / Writer: Richard Mancuso 

RADIUS (Canada) Directors / Writers: Caroline Labrèche & Steeve Léonard

SÈVE (France) Director: Fabrice Blin / Writers: Fabrice Blin & David Uystpruyst / Producer: Fabrice Lambot (Metaluna Productions)

STRATA (USA) Directors: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead / Writer: Justin Benson / Producer: Justin Benson & David Lawson

THE WITHERING (UK) Directors/Writers: Robert Morgan & Sam Walker / Producer: Karen Smyth (La Belle Allée)

TURBO KID (Canada) Directors/Writers: François Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann–Karl Whissell / Producer: Ant Timpson, Executive Producer: Jason Eisener