From space adventures to plastic surgery nightmares — Concordia filmmakers at Fantasia

Pre-teens travelling through the space-time continuum, superhero self-defence lessons and a bizarre clinical world where grotesque plastic surgery procedures reign supreme — this must be Fantasia!

The genre film festival’s 23rd action-packed edition features 11 short films by Concordians, including Supernova, directed by Jérémie Brochu-Dufour, the winner of this year’s Fantasia Award.

Presented every year to a Concordia film student by the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in partnership with Fantasia, the award comes with a $1,000 bursary and a screening at the festival.

Brochu-Dufour’s short science-fiction film tells the story of an eight-year-old boy named Jacob who is diagnosed with a rare form of narcolepsy. The condition opens a door into a parallel universe in which he encounters versions of himself and his family travelling through the universe, perilously close to a black hole.

Like Jacob, Brochu-Dufour says he loves dreaming about what might emerge from the immensity and uncertainty of the universe. “Making this film allowed me to travel into my own imagination in parallel with the characters of the story.”

A graduate of the film production program, Brochu-Dufour says studying at Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema was an unforgettable experience. “The school gave me the resources I needed to create a short film, which can often get ambitious really quickly. I learned a lot from my peers and teachers and I met talented friends and co-workers who will be part of the next wave of Quebec's filmmakers.”

The international premiere of Supernova is on Sunday, July 21 at 7 p.m. at the Cinéma du Musée (1379-A Sherbrooke St. W.).

Here are the other films written and directed by Concordians playing at the festival:

Baby Food
World premiere
Friday, July 12 at 9 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

In a peaceful suburban neighbourhood a beautiful young woman appears to be cooking lunch for her baby. But what’s really going on here? This short, provocative film directed by current Concordia film animation student Yekaterina Kobtseva depicts an idyllic scene that’s not quite what it seems.

Caterpillarplasty
Friday, July 12 at 9 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

In a technologically advanced society with ever-increasing options for body modification, people seek extreme metamorphosis to match their ideal.

This short film by Concordia film animation graduate David Barlow-Krelina (BFA 11) fuses elements of Kafka and Kubrick into a prescient, grotesque sci-fi satire that lifts plastic surgery to another level.

No Pets Allowed
World premiere
Saturday, July 13 at 9 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

This short film by recent Concordia film animation grad Victoire Kergoat-Bezeau (BFA 19) is about a strict rule-abiding janitor who is pushed to the edge. He begins wondering about suspicious noises coming from behind a tenant’s door.

El Viento Se Calmara
World premiere
Saturday, July 13 at 9 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

In this short film by current Concordia film production student Giulio Trejo-Martinez, a mourning woman encounters apparitions of her father and learns how to part ways with him.

ABEO
Quebec premiere
Friday, July 19 at 9 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

A fast-paced, hard-hitting animated short, ABEO retraces the path travelled by Nadia and Lupe, two immigrants who risked their lives crossing the Arizona desert in hopes of finding a better life. Directed by Concordia film animation student Brenda López Zepeda, the film earned the Nad Special Prize at the 2018 edition of Festival Stop Motion Montréal and was an official selection at five other major film festivals.

Wrath
Canadian premiere
Friday, July 19 at 9 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

Directed by Concordia film animation student John-Daniel Arauz, this 17-minute short film depicts a civilization on the brink of collapse. Prisoners are sentenced to dangerous work in an abandoned city haunted by ghosts of the past.

Moment
North American premiere
Sunday, July 21 at 9 p.m.

Directed by Concordia graduate Geoffrey Uloth (BA 97), Moment is a short film about a young homeless woman named Charli who is attacked in a dead-end alley by three masked men on Halloween night. Time freezes and Charli meets two mysterious superheroes who might be able to help her save herself.

Juste moi et toi
Montreal premiere
Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

This short film by Concordia alumna and part-time film production faculty member Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers (BFA 10) tells the story of young Eva, who takes a road trip from Montreal to Mexico with her father in an 18-wheeler.

It earned the best short film prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Canadian Grand Prize at the Regard Saguenay International Short Film Festival.

Parlons Ergonomie
Thursday, July 25 at 9:30 p.m.
Sir George Williams University Alumni Auditorium (Room H-110, Henry F. Hall Building)

Parlons Ergonomie, a short film by Concordia graduate Rachel Samson (BFA 19) will screen during DJ XL5’s Nine Lives Zappin’ Party. This mash-up of short films has been a mainstay event of the festival for the past 15 years. This year’s edition includes 22 shorts in total.

Weyward
World premiere
Saturday, July 27 at 9:45 p.m.
Cinéma du Musée

This Western short film by current Concordia film production student Logan Fulford is set back in 1853.  The Outsider rides into a city centre plagued with disease. Meanwhile, stories circulate of women in the woods.

Check out a list of must-see Fantasia screenings from festival programmer and Concordia alum Ariel Esteban Cayer (BFA 16).

Find out more about the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival and the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema.