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CANNES 2020 Marché du Film

Seven new projects to take part in the second edition of Fantastic 7

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- Once again this year – but this time online – the Sitges Film Festival is heading to the Marché du Film to promote this initiative that seeks out co-producers for genre films sponsored by 7 festivals

Seven new projects to take part in the second edition of Fantastic 7
A promo image of Irati, Paul Urkijo Alijo’s project selected for Fantastic 7

Fantastic 7 is a forum intended to foster talent and creativity in the fantasy, science-fiction and horror genres. The idea first sprang forth from the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival; Bernardo Bergeret, the driving force behind the Blood Window website, which specialises in fantasy cinema; and the Cannes Marché du Film, where the first edition took place, in May 2019. The second iteration is once again set to descend on Cannes on 24 and 26 June, but on the internet (via the Marché du Film Online platform), owing to the current global health situation.

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Once again, seven projects will be showcased on those dates, presented by a clutch of other film festivals from all over the globe, which are all united by their penchant for genre cinema: the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), the Cairo International Film Festival (Egypt), the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Mexico), the International Film Festival and Awards Macao, South by Southwest in Austin (USA), the Toronto International Film Festival (Canada), and the aforementioned Sitges Fantastic Film Festival (Spain). The titles taking part will be showcased on the morning of Wednesday 24 June, and on Friday 26 June, during the whole day, speed meetings will be held between the auteurs of the projects and interested producers, in a “pitch box”.

The Sitges-backed project is Irati [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, a historical dark-fantasy offering spoken in the Basque language, helmed by Paul Urkijo Alijo (Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and produced by Spanish outfit Ikusgarri Films. It takes us on a journey to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, on the trail of the legendary Charlemagne. Its synopsis whisks the viewers back to the 8th century AD, as a group of Christian and Muslim warriors cross the forests of the Pyrenees in an attempt to retrieve a lost treasure. The young and enigmatic girl Irati will guide them through a world of myths and pagans where everything that has a name exists. Last year, the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival presented Baby [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Juanma Bajo Ulloa (see the news) in this programme.

The remaining films being sponsored by the aforementioned festivals, which are works in progress and will be presented to potential international investors at Fantastic 7 with the aim of furthering their development, are: Foreign Cop (a thriller produced in Macao, directed by Maxim Bessmertny), Huesera (a horror-drama by Michelle Garza Cervera, hailing from Mexico), I Have to Have You (a US production helmed by Tim Kasher), Illicit (a psychological thriller by Minji Kang, co-produced by the USA and South Korea), Three for Eternity (by Rami Yasin, with funding from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Romania) and Violation (a Canadian production directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli).

The Fantastic 7 projects are as follows:

Irati [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Paul Urkijo Alijo (Spain)
Producer: Ikusgarri Films

Foreign Cop - Maxim Bessmertny (Macao)
Producers: Maxim Bessmertny and Jorge Cordeiro Dos Santos

Huesera - Michelle Garza Cervera (Mexico)
Producers: Paulina Villavicencio and Edher Campos

I Have to Have You - Tim Kasher (USA)
Producer: Travis Stevens

Illicit - Minji Kang (USA/South Korea)
Producers: Luke Spears and Han Sangbum

Three for Eternity - Rami Yasin (UAE/Egypt/Romania)
Producers: Mohammed Hefzy and Rami Yasin

Violation - Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (Canada)
Producers: Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli

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(Translated from Spanish)

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