The Plague

Source: Cannes International Film Festival

‘The Plague’

Charlie Polinger’s hazing drama and recent Cannes Un Certain Regard world premiere The Plague has been named best picture at 2025 Fantastic Fest (September 18-25) in Austin, Texas.

Joel Edgerton stars in the story about a socially awkward teenage boy who attends a tough summer water polo camp. Independent Film Company holds North American rights and will give The Plague a limited theatrical release on December 24.

In other main competition awards, Bartosz M. Kowalski was named best director for his Polish horror 13 Days Till Summer, and a special mention went to fantasy animation Decorado directed by Alberto Vázquez.

From Next Wave, Avalon Fast’s CAMP was named best picture. Prior to the festival, Dark Sky Films acquired US rights to the Canadian film about a guilt-ridden young woman haunted by a traumatic past who finds solace as a camp counsellor.

Paolo Strippoli was named best director for his Italian Venice out-of-competition premiere The Holy Boy, about a man who arrives in a secluded community. Bruno Martín’s Spanish thriller Luger earned a special mention.

Horror Features awards saw Majid Al Ansari’s Arabic-language supernatural horror The Vile win best picture, Martín Mauregui earn best director for his Argentinian story Crazy Old Lady, and a special mention for best kill to Kenichi Ugan’s Japanese film The Curse.

This year’s Fantastic Fest hosted the inaugural edition of Fantastic Pitches and Play House director Nicolas Curcio and producers Kirby Gladstein and Ben Gojer received $100,000 towards their feature, as well as global distribution, and a world premiere slot at next year’s festival.

“To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we curated a remarkable line-up of feature and short films,” said Annick Mahnert, director of programming at Fantastic Fest. “Each year, our jurors face the difficult task of choosing from an extraordinary pool of talent, and this year was no exception. Despite the challenge, their selections reflect the true spirit of Fantastic Fest — a celebration of global cinema and the diverse voices that bring it to life.”

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