The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
The European Film Academy revealed the winners of the 2024 Excellence Awards. Some genre films were among them: Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (European Cinematography, European Visual Effects), Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle (European Production Design, European Original Score), and Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s The Devil’s Bath (European Costume Design). See the complete list of winners here.
Speaking of The Girl with the Needle, MUBI will release it in theaters in the U.S. and Canada on December 6. Eric Ortiz, the Fantastic Pavilion’s editor-in-chief, watched The Girl with the Needle at the Cannes Film Festival and wrote the following about it: “It’s a great Danish drama, shot in black and white, set at the end of the First World War and in the post-conflict period. The director fulfills his mission of taking us into a time of severe days and mundane horror.” Watch here its official trailer.
The new trailer for Y2K (2024) pokes fun at Bill Clinton’s 1999 report on “the Y2K computer problem.” A24’s horror comedy follows a couple of teens (Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison) during a party, where one of them is trying to make out with the girl he likes (Rachel Zegler). But since the setting is New Year’s Eve, 1999, the characters will soon face the “computer apocalypse.” Y2K is set to hit U.S. theaters on December 6.
The Frontières International Co-Production Market has confirmed the dates for their 2025 events: Frontières Platform will take place at the Marché du Film in Cannes from May 17 to 18, while Frontières Market is happening from July 23 to 26 at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. You’ll be able to submit your projects in early 2025.
Home video
Film Movement Classics has released a limited edition Blu-ray featuring Takeshi Kitano’s first two films: Violent Cop (Sono otoko kyobo ni tsuki, 1989) and Boiling Point (3-4 Jugatsu, 1990). The two-disc set includes a couple of featurettes about the beginning of Kitano’s filmmaking career, among other extras.
Saloum (2021), the Senegal-set genre movie that was part of TIFF’s Midnight Madness programme, is finally available on Blu-ray. Released by Shudder, the Blu-ray features an audio commentary by Congolese writer-director Jean Luc Herbulot and a booklet.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Shot down after fleeing a coup and extracting a drug lord from Guinea-Bissau, the legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas must stash their stolen gold bounty, lay low long enough to repair and refuel their plane and escape back to Dakar, Senegal. When they take refuge at a holiday camp in the coastal region of Sine-Saloum, they do their best to blend in with their fellow guests; but one Hyena is hiding a dark secret. He has brought them there for a reason and once his past catches up to him, his decisions have devastating consequences, threatening to unleash hell on them all.”
Severin Films has been announcing their Black Friday titles, which so far include the 4K UHD debuts of two Italian cannibal films: Sergio Martino’s Slave of the Cannibal God (La montagna del dio cannibale, 1978) and Umberto Lenzi’s Eaten Alive (Mangiati vivi!, 1980). Bruno Mattei’s creature feature Rats: Night of Terror (Rats – Notte di terrore, 1984) will be released as well on UHD and Blu-ray.
In memoriam
Tony Todd (1954-2024). Tony Todd, horror icon and all around great actor, passed away on November 6 at the age of 69. According to Deadline, Todd’s representatives didn’t revealed a cause of death.
Todd was best known for portraying the iconic horror character Candyman since the original 1992 film. He also starred in Tom Savini’s 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead and in most of the Final Destination movies. More recently, Todd appeared in the slasher Stream (2024), which was produced by Damien Leone.