Fantasia International Film Festival comes to 2025 with a full slate of exciting flicks! Animation, oddities, and queer horror are here, so don’t miss out! Check out my picks after the jump…
CHAO
Japanese animation is in an entirely different realm than what we see over here from the Western branches. ChaO promises that originality and bold storytelling come first, with creative visuals following soon after. Its unconventional mermaid romance makes a perfect venue to explore themes of ecological impacts as well as relationship power dynamics. Don’t miss this creative fishy Japanese rom-com at Fantasia!
DOG OF GOD
A Latvian-imported oddity creeps in with rotoscope-animated Dog of God, a hilariously bizarre horror/comedy set in the 17th century Livonian village of Zaube. Upon making a dramatic arrival in the middle of the trial of an alleged tavern witch, a wandering vagabond claims to be the “Dog of God.” Soon, all hell breaks loose. Co-directors Raitis and Lauris Ābele turn to Latvian folklore for their horny and outrageous ode to offbeat animation. Fueled by garish visuals and lots of graphic nudity, Dog of God should be an unhinged delight for freaks the world over.
FUCKTOYS
A depraved feminine-driven journey through a 16mm dreamscape, Fucktoys loudly announces the arrival of writer/director/lead actress Annapurna Sriram. Expect grimy aesthetics, hilarious cameos, and plenty of bodily fluids—for AP (Sriram), that is just another average day in Trashtown. The mesmerizing cinematography and vignette nature of the narrative structure are accompanied by gross-out humor and hysterical comedy. Sriram’s debut feature has shades of Harmony Korine blended with the campiness of Troma. An outrageous absurdity wrapped in an oddly poetic cotton candy world, Fucktoys promises a fuck-ton of fun.
QUEENS OF THE DEAD
Co-written and directed by daughter to the “King of the Zombies” George A. Romero, Tina Romero plays in her own bedazzled sandbox of queer horror with Queens of the Dead, no doubt in loving tribute to her late father. On the eve of a crazy Brooklyn bunny-themed warehouse party at Yum, practically everything that can go wrong does. What happens when a dead zombie hooker gets tossed into the mix? Those looking for camp have come to the right place—this one rips the flesh from the zombie subgenre to reveal its flashy sequins beneath.
SHAM
Legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike returns for his latest, a gripping courtroom drama packed with intrigue and disturbing child abuse. Sham tells a compelling story with multiple viewpoints, a complex tapestry of media sensationalism and the power of truth. Who can be believed when abuse comes to light: the loving parents, or the stern professor who allegedly carried it out? Based on the novel by Masumi Fukuda and a true story, Miike tightens the screws on this fascinating thriller at Fantasia.
For more information about this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, including ticketing and the entire lineup, please head over to the official festival website for full details.