A FANTASTIC YEAR OF CINEMA!   Get ready for the thrills! In a year that has been quite tough because of the crisis, the fantastic cinema returns stronger as ever with a variety of themes, ready to please all types of spectators. From the chills of gore to the delusions of science fiction, through imagination and suspense, the films in competition suit for all tastes. Established filmmakers mixed with new talents, cinema as diverse as the one coming from Serbia or Iceland, not forgetting the American and Asian films, Fantasporto 2011 is as always a place of discovery of good cinema. Here go some short references to some films in competition.

Discovered by Fantasporto in 1984 with the film "Le Dernier Combat" (Grand Prix of the festival and Best director and Audience awards), Luc Besson is back with his most recent and (again) extravagant project: "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec". Adaptated from the popular comic by Tardi, Adèle is a fantastic female version of Tintin. Both have the profession of journalism in common and both tend to get into adventures beyond imagination. The male role is given to the praised Mathieu Amalric ("007 - Quantum of Solace", "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "Munich"). One of the most awaited premieres of the season that Fantasporto displays in competition.

Nominated for the Oscars for Best Costume Design, "The Tempest" by Julie Taymor is another film in competition. Luxurious rebuilding of an epoch, this film is also an original and creative reinterpretation of Shakespeare's play with the same title. The cast includes the actors Helen Mirren (Oscar for Best Actress in "The Queen"), Djimon Hounsou (nominated for Oscar in "Blood Diamond" and "In America"), David Strathairn (Oscar Nominee for "Good Night, and Good Luck") and Alfred Molina ("Magnolia", "Chocolate" and "An Education").

Introduced to the Portuguese public by Fantasporto when he was yet an unknown talent, the New Zealander Karl Urban ("Lord of the Rings" and "The Bourne Supremacy") joins the young American Odette Yustman ("Unborn" and "Cloverfield") and Amber Heard ("Zombieland", "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane") in a remake of a classic horror film from the '70s - "And Soon the Darkness" by Marcos Efron. Two single girls on vacation, a mysterious tenant with paranoid looks, a hotel in the middle of nowhere and a disappeared person: here's the perfect recipe for a crime.

The controversy is guaranteed in this Fantasporto with the presence of the provoking "A Serbian Film". The most cut film by British censors for the past sixteen years, demanded 49 cuts before exhibition at FrightFest. Banned from the festival of San Sebastian by a court decision after a request of a committee of Catholic parents, and even so awarded a special prize as a symbol of defending freedom of expression, "The Serbian Film" is the provocation of Fantas 2011.

Now changing the latitude, the cinema from the Far East could not be missing the fantastic competition. The South Korean grand Kim Woon Jee, winner of Fantasporto 2004 with "A Tale of Two Sisters", returns with "I Saw the Devil" - a new story of revenge. The crime film reaches a whole new level and the concept of revenge is taken to the extreme just like Asia loves it. The protagonist of "Old Boy", Choi Min-Sik, plays Kyung-chui, a dangerous psychopath who kills for his own pleasure.

With the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, via ICA and Municipality of Porto, the European Union via the MEDIA Programme, the Ministry of Economy via the Tourism of Portugal and with SuperBock as the main sponsor, the 31st edition of FANTASPORTO has, as usual, two distinct partitions, the first between February 21 and 24 - called Pre-Fantas and the second, the Festival itself, which officially opens its doors on February 25, ending on March 6 with the display of the award winning films. This year Fantas is back again at the Rivoli Municipal Theatre, having exclusive use of auditoriums, and will have the traditional farewell party, the Vampires Ball, on the Carnival Saturday, March 5, at Teatro Sá da Bandeira.

S.O. Fantastic Cinema  

(Feature-length Competition)

A Serbian Film - Srdjan Spasojevic - Serbia - 104 min

And Soon the Darkness - Marcos Efron - USA/Arg/Fra - 91 min

Bedevilled - Jang Cheol-so - South Korea - 115 min (Tb OE)

Exorcismus- La Posessión de Emma Evans- Esp - 98 min

I Saw the Devil - Kim Jee-woon - South Korea - 144 min (Tb OE)

Iron Doors - Stephen Manuel - GB - 80 min

La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida- José Luís Alemán -Esp -93 min

Patient X - Yam Laranas - Filipines - 108 min (Tb CF)

Rabies (Kalevet) - Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado - Israel - 90 min

Red Nights - Laurent Courtiaud e Julien Carbon - Fra/Hong Kong - 110 min

Secuestrados (Kidnapped) - Miguel Angel Vivas - Esp- 80 min

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec - Luc Besson - 107 min

The Last Employee - Alexander Adolph - Ger - 86 min

The Tempest - Julie Taymor - USA - 111 min

Timer - Jack Schaeffer - USA - 100 min

Two Staring Eyes - Elbert Van Strien- Holland - 107 min

Shorts (Competition CF)

Babel - HendrickSudollier - Fra - 15 min

Brutal Relax - David Muñoz - Esp - 12 min

Dead Happy - Nicky Lianos - GB - 12 min

Fairy Catcher - Kealan O' Rourke - Irl - 12 min

Heart - Erick Oh - EUA - 8.30 min

Mrdrchain - Ondrej Svadlena - France, Czech Republic - 9.40 min

Once a Dream Did Wear a Shade - Sofia Kryukova - Port/Russia - 2 min

Pixels - Patrick Jean - Fra - 2.35 min

Rubika - Claire Bauden, Ludovic Habas, Mickael Krebs, Julien Legay, Chao Ma, Florent Rousseau, Caroline Roux, Margaux Vaxelaire - Fra - 4 min

Strata #3 - Quayola - França, GB - 7 min

Tattoo XXL - Loris Accaries, Guillaume Cunis, Rémy Dupont, Gael Falzowski, Arnaud Janvier, Audrey Janvier, Vincent Tonelli - Fra - 3.50 min

The Ciclope - Carlos Morett - Esp - 12 min

The Holy Chicken - NoMint - Fra - 3 min

THE HOLY CHICKEN OF LIFE AND MUSIC by Nomint (teaser)
envoyé par Autour_de_Minuit. - Les dernières bandes annonces en ligne.

CINEMA NOVO CRL organiza/organizer

31º FANTASPORTO - FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA DO PORTO

Rua Aníbal Cunha, 84 - sala 1.6

4050 - 048 Porto

Portugal

Tel + 351 22 205 88 19

Fax + 351 22 205 88 23

email: cesar.nobrega@fantasporto.com

Internet Addresses: http://www.fantasporto.com 

Founding member of the / Membro fundador da European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (http://www.melies.org ) e da Coordenação Europeia de Festivais / European Coordination of Festivals

Dates of the 31st edition / Datas para a 31ª edição do Festival

February 21st till March 6th 2011 / 21 de Fevereiro a 6 de Março de 2010

THE HOLY CHICKEN OF LIFE AND MUSIC by Nomint (teaser)
envoyé par Autour_de_Minuit. - Regardez plus de films, séries et bandes annonces.