Offscreen Notes
SP Terror 2009
São Paulo will host its first International Fantasy Festival
SP Terror –International Fantastic Film Festival 25th June – 02 July
The programme includes over 40 titles most as Premiere in Brazil.
The Programme consists of two Competitive sections, Official International and Iberoamerican, a non competitive section of short films and Special Section showcasing films from the most sublime to the most ridiculous genre bending and cult classics.
Taking residence at the prestigious Reserva Cultural Cinema, at the Avenida Paulista, Sao Paulo’s student, financial and touristic epicenter, SP TERROR is set to become, according to Director Betina Goldman, a mark in the city’s calendar.
The International Official Section includes Brazilian premieres such the controversial French high art Eden Log (dir: Frank Vestilel), and Humains ( dir: Jacques Olivier-Molon and Pierre Olivier-Thevenin ) the British Lesbian Vampire Killers (dir: Phil Claydon) The Descendents (dir Jorge Olguin) regarded as the enfant terrible of Chilean cinema, the American independents Strange Girls (dir Rona Marks) and Dead Girl (Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel), the Japanese Yoroi Samurai Zombie , (dir.: Tak Sakaguchi).
Other highlights include the most awarded genre film of recent times the Swedish Let The Right One In (dir Tomas Alfredson) and an eclectic programme, amongst these Sex Galaxy and Pervert both by (dir Mike Davis) and Big Man of Japan (Dir (dir.: Hitoshi Matsumoto), the Argentian genre bending dark psychological horror The Owner and the hilarious splatter comedy 36 Steps (dir Adrian Garcia Bogliano). Brazilian titles competing in the Iberoamerican section include the already internationally awarded Mud Zombie (dir Rodrigo Aragao), Brazil’s first eco zombie film (Best New Director Chile Rojo Sangre, Best Film Audience award Rojo Sangre Buenos Aires), and Fim da Picada (dir Christian Saghaard).
The Jury will be presided by the Iconic Master of Horror Mojica Marins and Festival judges among the most representative local luminaries film critics and filmmakers, including Dennison Ramalho, Erico Borgo e Leopoldo Tauffenbach.
“Cinema is the most perfect medium for the Fantastic, and Fantastic Cinema appeals to a wide audience who enjoy its sub genres – supernatural, horror, sci fi, zombie, vampire, action hero, psycho thriller,” confirms Festival Director. SP Terror’s plan is to create an eclectic window from the sublime to trash and splatter. “The experience of the Fantastic in the Cinema, particularly horror, is a kind of a cathartic nervous experience,” explains Betina Goldman. “In the most important international film festivals such as Sitges, Brussels (BIFFF) , Imagine (Amsterdam), festivals which have inspired us, is frequent to see the audience reacting to the most horrific scenes laughing,’’ says Betina Goldman.
“We believe , she continues , that SP TERROR comes at the right time to Sao Paulo, the city has a high percentage of young people, an urban cosmopolitan population, who enjoy fantastic cinema, and horror as amusement and not as a vehicle for propagation of violence. Whereas in the 60’s young people were countercurrent through radical politics today the young and older enjoy horror cinema a cultural transgression.”
SP TERROR is being organized by Veras Imaginario a Brazilian arm of ONE EYED FILMS a UK based sales agency in partnership with ROCK COMUNICAÇÃO, a Sao Paulo based promotional marketing company.
