29th Fantasia International Film Festival

The 29th Fantasia International Film Festival will be held from July 16 to August 3, 2025, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.^[1] The festival will open with American neo-Western black comedy film Eddington, by Ari Aster. Canadian Trailblazer Award will be presented to Hungarian-born Canadian filmmaker George Mihalka, the director of the 1981 slasher film My Bloody Valentine and Sheila McCarthy, Canadian actress and singer during festival.^[2][3]

Pascal Plante, a Canadian film director and screenwriter served as jury president for Compétition Cheval Noir. The festival will close with dog sex adult comedy Fixed, by Russian-American animator, producer–director, Genndy Tartakovsky, who will also be honored with 'Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award' alongwith Danny Elfman, American film composer, and musician.^[4]

• Pascal Plante, Canadian film director and screenwriter – Jury President
• Ethan Eng, Canadian filmmaker
• Alison Foreman, Journalist, features writer at IndieWire
• Payton McCarty-Simas, freelance writer, artist, and editor based in New York City
• George Schmalz, Vice President, Theatrical Distribution and New Business Development at Kino Lorber

• Chris Nash, writer, director, and prosthetics effects artist from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – Jury President
• Jim Brunzell, director of festivals, Dark Star Pictures
• Louise Buckler, head of marketing Arrow Films
• Deirdre Crimmins, film critic and programmer
• Anelle Deghani, The Coven sales agent
• Jean-François Leblanc, filmmaker

• Kaniehtiio Horn, Canadian actress and filmmaker – Jury President
• Rémi Fréchette, Director, Screenwriter, Editor
• Evan O’Brien, Junior Executive, NEON
• Carol Nguyen, Vietnamese Canadian filmmaker
• Wylie Rush, Director, Screenwriter

• Rachel Samson, an animation filmmaker and programmer from Quebec City – Jury President
• Sam Chou Animation Director and Showrunner
• Chimwemwe Miller, Voice Actor

• Elza Kephart, Canadian filmmaker, from Montreal, Quebe – Jury President
• Cam Maitland, Film and Content Specialist, Hollywood Suite
• Alanna Thain, Professor of Cinema and Cultural Studies, McGill University
• Joe Lipsett, Freelance Film and Television Critic
• Olivia Norquay, Film Programmer, Dave Barber Cinematheque

• Ginette Petit, Producer – Jury President
• Bryan Perro, Québec author of the children's fantasy fiction series Amos Daragon
• Luc Chamberland, Director, Screenwriter and Teacher
• Alex Parkinson, Associate Director and Feature Animation VFX Supervisor at Cinesite

• Miguel de Plante, film critic, editor, director
• Louis-Paul Rioux, Mediafilm Senior Collaborator
• Elijah Baron, Film Critic, AQCC Vice-President

• Yves Rivard, French-Canadian film critic

• JP Bergeron, Actor, Director
• Isabelle Giroux, Actress
• Hélène Théberge, Director of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival

Source:^{[5][6][7][4][8][9]}

The opening film Eddington is a 2025 American action comedy film by Ari Aster. It depicts the political and social turmoil in the fictional city of Eddington, New Mexico, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The closing film Fixed is a 2025 American adult animated romantic comedy film by Genndy Tartakovsky. It follows a dog who learns that he is going to be neutered in the morning.

This section highlights the talent of Quebec filmmakers, shown across their feature films.^[10]

Source:^[11][12]

• Canadian Trailblazer Award:
  • George Mihalka
  • Sheila McCarthy

• Cheval Noir Lifetime Achievement Award:
  • Danny Elfman

• • Genndy Tartakovsky

• Indie Maverick Award: Lloyd Kaufman

• Denis-Héroux Award: Anne-Marie Gélinas

• Official website
• Fantasia International Film Festival at FilmFreeway