KC Carthew’s Dystopian Pic ‘Polaris’ to Open Fantasia Film Festival

Etan Vlessing
·2 min read
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As it returns to an in-person format, the Fantasia Film Festival is set to open its upcoming 2022 edition with the eco-action fantasy pic Polaris.

Director KC Carthew’s dystopian pic, which was filmed in the Yukon and stars Viva Lee, will receive a world premiere in Montreal.

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Having unveiled its second wave of titles on Thursday, Fantasia also booked world premieres for writer, director and co-star Franklin Ritch’s The Artifice Girl; Toshiro Saiga’s boxing drama Red Shoes; Jesse Thomas Cook’s Cult Hero, starring Liv Collins; and Lenin Sivan’s The Protector.

And Fantasia programmed North American premieres for the Japanese pop sci-fi pic Shin Ultraman, directed by Shinji Higuchi; Shinichiro Ueda’s Popran comedy; Eduardo Casanova’s sophomore feature La Pieta, a mother and son drama; and Yoon Seo-jin’s existential horror pic Chorokbam, which earned the CGV Arthouse Award in Busan.

Fantasia is also giving its Canadian Trailblazer Award to Kier-La Janisse, hosting a spotlight on queer horror cinema, and will screen Neil Labute’s new thriller House of Darkness. The Canadian genre fest earlier announced a return to theaters for its 26th edition to run from July 14 to Aug. 3.

The first wave of titles included world premieres for Rebekah McKendry’s Glorious, which stars Ryan Kwanten and J.K. Simmons; Satoshi Miki’s Convenience Story; Andy Mitton’s The Harbinger, starring Gabby Bean; Mickey Reece’s 29th feature, Country Gold; and Rue Morgue magazine founder Rodrigo Gudiño’s The Breach.

There’s also first bows in Montreal for Karim Ouelhaj’s Megalomaniac, about the true-life Belgian serial killer, The Butcher of Mons; Alex Phillips’ debut feature, All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, and Mitchell Stafiej’s The Diabetic.

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