The first wave of the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival (Jul 16-Aug 2) in Montreal brings a world premiere line-up that includes Jenn Wexler’s The Last Temptation Of Becky, Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s Hot Spot, and Harrison Houde’s Tight Lettuce.
Wexler returns after her 2018 Fantasia debut The Ranger and 2023 follow-up The Sacrifice with the latest Becky instalment, in which Becky Hooper played by franchise star Lulu Wilson has been recruited by the CIA to track down a modern-day Nazi played by Neil Patrick Harris. Kate Seigel also stars.
Polish-Greek co-production Hot Spot stars Andrzej Konopka and Noomi Rapace and takes place in a late 21st century controlled by sentient AI as a private eye learns about a rebellion. Focus Features will release the sci-fi thriller in North America on August 21. Tight Lettuce centres on a man whose fate will depend on whether he can confront his drug-addict father and stars Dakota Daulby and Emmanuel Bilodeau.
World premieres include Red River Métis director Tim Riedel’s Ancestral Beasts, which went through 2025 Frontieres programmes in Cannes and follows an Indigenous woman struggling with health issues who retreats to her ancestral home in search of peace, unaware that a sinister presence lies there.
Mongrel Media will distribute in Canada and production took place in Winnipeg and Cook’s Creek, Manitoba, and Toronto. Morgan Holmstrom, Gail Maurice, Darla Contois, Asivak Koostachin, Shannon Baker, Josh Strait, and Jess Salgueiro star.
The roster continues with Kasper Kalle’s Danish vampire saga No Rest For The Wicked adapted from Karl Heinrich’s 1884 novella Manor and starring newcomer Egor Venned; Harrison Atkins’ supernatural horror Sour Minnows; Casey Walker’s sci-fi thriller Home Bodies; Michael Gabriele’s Unholy Night; and Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters Of Steve Johnson, Nick Taylor’s documentary about the special effects veteran.
There are North American premieres for two 2026 Berlinale selections – Yusuke Iwasaki’s AnyMart and Edwin’s Sleep No More – as well as Yu Nakamoto’s Yakuza comedy Break Free; Akira Nagai’s crime thriller Suzuki=Bakudan; and Giddens Ko’s Taiwanese martial arts fantasy Kung Fu starring Kai Ko, Berant Zhu, and Gingle Wang. YouTube creator Koichi’s Captured! receives its international premiere, as does Andrea Corsini’s Ferine.
Screenings will take place in Concordia Hall, J.A. de Sève cinemas, and Cinéma du Musée. The festival will announce its full line-up in July.
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