The 34th edition of the Oporto International Film Festival, Fantasporto, was held between 28th of February till the 9th of March. Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal.
The Oporto International Film Festival, known widely as Fantasporto, started life as a haven for SF and fantasy films, but the festival has now giving space to big screen productions, to auteur films, and to experimental projects.
A film festival filled with personality, rated in Variety as one of the 25 leading festivals of the world. All kinds of films, all genres, all audiences. But with a special taste for Fantasy.
Giving screen space to fantasy/science fiction/horror-oriented commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from cinephiles to more popular spectators, with an annual average of 110,000 attendees.
The festival was born in 1980 at a table of a small coffee shop in the center of Oporto, heritage world town by UNESCO, in a conversation between the three founders, film critics Mário Dorminsky and Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and the painter José Manuel Pereira. It immediately presented in the first edition (1981) the structure of a festival although still non-competitive, which has happened in the following edition.
The name Fantasporto had its origin in the reference used in the first letters – Fantas, because the festival started with a fantasy competition, and Porto, the name of the city.
Going now to its 34th edition, the Oporto International Film Festival – Fantasporto is a film forum of the arts, with nearly 200 films, book presentations and art and photography exhibitions at the main theatre. The festival also tries to bring to its programme various events such as art exhibitions, theatre plays, puppet presentations, lectures, seminars, poster competitions, comics and amateur film-making, as well as the publishing of several film related material :
www.fantasporto.com and Facebook page FANTASPORTO with 75.000 fans
The festival has the following sections:
FANTASY FILM
DIRECTORS WEEK
ORIENT EXPRESS
FANTAS IN SHORTS
PORTUGUESE FILM PANORAMA
PREMIERE AND PANORAMA
RETROSPECTIVES
HISTORY OF FANTASPORTO
It begins on the 28th February till the 9th March, introducing this year two new sections and screening many World and European Premières which will spice up the original competitions, Fantasy Films, Directors Week (general films), Orient Express (Asian Films) and Portuguese Cinema.
With lots of directors, producers, actors, guests and a very special atmosphere, Fantasporto is indeed a treat with 33 participating countries.
The first new section is Fantas Classics, to present the remastered versions of film classics such as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind” which are the highlights in this edition.
The second new section is called Industry Screenings, a chance for producers and sales agents to screen whatever films they want. It´s perhaps the beginning of a small market for Fantasy Films. Who knows ?
Portuguese Cinema, also presented in all the competitive sections includes an homage to a great producer, Henrique Espírito Santo.
AWARDS
Fantasy films jury:
Cyril Despontin (fetival director), France ; Loris Curci (producer), Italy ; Jordi Navarro (film teacher), Spain ; Nigel Floyd (film critic), UK; Vassilis Mazomenos (producer and director)
The International Jury of the Fantasy Section on the 334th Oporto International Film Festival – Fantasporto 2013 has decided to grant the following awards:
The Best Movie Award FANTASPORTO 2014 :
“Miss Zombie” by Hiroyuki Tanaka (Sabu) /Japan
The Jury’s Special Award :
“Chimères” by Olivier Beguin (Switzerland)
The Best Direction Award :
“Big Bad Wolves” by Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado (Israel)
The Best Actor Award :
Duval’e Glickman in “Big Bad Wolves” (Israel)
The Best Actress Award :
Ann Walton in “Soulmate” by Axelle Carolyn (UK)
The Best Screenplay Award :
Sang–Ho Yeon, “The Fake” (South Korea)
The Best Special Effects Award:
“Witching and Bitching” (Las Brujas de Zagarramurdi) by Alex de la Iglesia (Spain/France)
The Best Short Film Award :
“Rabbitland” by Ana Nedeljkovic, Nichola Majdak, Jr (Serbia)
DIRECTORS WEEK
Manoel de Oliveira /Manoel de Oliveira Award :
Ian Hayden Smith (film critic, UK) ; Alice de Sousa (actress and producer, UK) ; Christoph Thoke (producer, Germany) ; Horacio Urban (producer, Argentina); Isabel Pina (producer, Portugalia)
The International Jury of the 24th Directors Week –Fantasporto 2014 has decided to grant the following awards:
MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA´S AWARD
and The Directors Week Best Film Award:
“Heavenly Shift” by Márk Bodzsár (Hungary)
The Directors Week Jury’s Special Award:
“Love me” by Maryna Gorbach, Mehmet Bahadir Er (Ukraine/Turkey)
The Directors Week Best Director Award:
Carlos Cuarón – “Sugar Kisses” (Besos de Azucar), Mexico
The Directors Week Best Screenplay Award:
“Love me” by Maryna Gorbach, Mehmet Bahadir Er (Ukraine/Turkey)
The Directors Week Best Actor Award:
Garreth Dillahunt – “Houston” by Bastian Günther, Germany
The Directors Week Best Actress Award:
Onata Aprile – “What Maisie Knew” (US)
ORIENT EXPRESS AWARD :
Cyril Despontin (festival director), France ; Jordi Navarro (film teacher), Spain
Best Film Orient Express Award:
“Why Don’t You Play in Hell ?” by Shion Sono (Japan)
Special Award Orient Express :
“Miss Zombie” by Hiroyuki Tanaka (Sabu), Japan
The Portuguese Cinema Awards
Best Portuguese Film Award 2014:
“José Combustão dos Porcos” by José Magro
Best Film School Award 2014:
Universidade Católica do Porto
Critics Award :
“Love me” by Maryna Gorbach, Mehmet Bahadir Er (Ukraine/Turkey)
Audience Award :
“Las Brujas de Zagarramurdi” (Witching and Bitching) by Alex de la Iglésia (Spain)
Career Award:
Henrique Espírito Santo
Producer
FANTASPORTO HOMAGES:
Antónia Gomes, Painter – for her contribution to the festival
Helena Leão, Painter – for her contribution to the festival
Rui Videira, Photographer- for his contribution to the Festival
http://www.fantasporto.com/home
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https://www.facebook.com/FANTASPORTO?ref=nf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasporto
