german premiere

dead talents society

Anyone who is familiar with haunted films will know: Ghosts want to come back to life, protect their refuge, take revenge or all of this at once. But that's not true! In reality, they are competing for the “Golden Ghost Award”, a distinction for the dead who can most effectively shock the living. What you need are a once spectacular cause of death, a bloodcurdling background story and a perfect jump-scare timing. The absolute stars in the afterlife showbiz are: the old-fashioned diva Catherine and her former protégée, the scheming Jessica. But the next generation is already lurking! The aspirants must first get through the tough audition casting, though. 

It is a real pleasure to see how cleverly every cherished detail of ghost movies is turned upside down. The sheer mass of ingenious details keeps you put so intensively that you may laugh too much to creep out – and vice versa. At the same time, DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY delivers a heartfelt reflection on the value of remembering and letting go.

german premiere

the surfer

Nicolas Cage aka “The Surfer” takes his teenage son to Australia to show him the dream beach of his own childhood. But when they arrive, the spot is occupied by aggressive locals who beat up anyone who dares to move his or her board towards the waves. The anti-gentrification credo of local patriot and bully Scully (Julian McMahon) is that no one is allowed into the water, unless he or she is an official resident. Since Cage is unwilling to back down, the increasingly ruthless harassment by Scully's followers brings the normally righteous man to his limits. Until he finally can’t take it anymore! 

Lorcan Finnegan's (VIVARIUM) delightfully over-the-top revenge movie was the reason for a great party at the Cannes Festival Midnight section. It offers 99 minutes of full screen presence for the Oscar winner with his indisputable instinct for roles that are literally tailor-made for him. “All I want is to take my son surfing, that's all!” Exactly!

german premiere

i, the executioner

A self-proclaimed executioner assassinates on camera delinquents, on who, in his opinion, the state was way too indulgent. The brutal murderer gets viral and becomes a hero to everyone who falls for populist online influencers. This doesn't make it any easier for Seo Do-cheol and his team of investigators: Who is a copycat here? And who the real, frighteningly cunning killer? Seo is assisted by newcomer Park Sun-woo. The hotshot quickly attracts attention with his effective martial arts skills – and a tendency towards excessive violence. 

From the opening sequence to the showdown, I, THE EXECUTIONER sets an enormously fast pace and thrills us with uniquely staged over-the-top action scenes that are painful to watch. The ambiguous, twist-filled story raises important questions, while its black humor insertions allow us to take a quick breath – just before everything gets out of hand again.

internationale premiere

the wasp

After years of no contact former schoolmates Heather and Carla meet again. Heather has a special offer for Carla: 50.000 pounds if she gets rid of Heather’s husband. THE WASP by Guillem Morales is a horror thriller version of GONE GIRL. Naomie Harris (Oscar nominated for MOONLIGHT) and Natalie Dormer (GAME OF THRONES) are on top form. A cinematic gem for fans of intelligent suspense cinema.

fear good – deutschlandpremiere

interstate

After presenting SALOUM in 2021 at the Fantasy Filmfest Congolese director Jean-Luc Herbulot comes back with INTERSTATE. The plot turns around Franck, a contract killer, who will bitterly regret his newly found mercy for one of his victims. INTERSTATE is another entertaining mix of genres – and a tribute to THE GODFATHER. The plot is full of clever twists and turns and has the potential to drive us all crazy.

german premiere

a place called silence

Sam Quah's Chinese remake A PLACE CALLED SILENCE of his own Malaysian thriller from 2022 is a film that pulls the rug out from under your feet. Without exception, the themes are heavy and relentlessly brutal: bullying, abuse, power structures, manipulation and murder. Good and evil become blurred. Exciting and thought-provoking, but definitely not for the faint-hearted!

fresh blood – deutschlandpremiere

she loved blossoms more

Three brothers are working on a time machine, that shall be able to bring back dead people back to life. What survives the trip through their closet is so far a headless chicken. Then, a young woman appears with her more drugs and alcohol. A melancholy fever dream, a surreal science fiction fable, a head-spinning body horror: director Yannis Veslemes invites us on a mysterious, sometimes uncomfortable journey.

The short A MONSTER CALLED LOVE will be screened prior to the film.

pre-screening: a monster called love

In the supporting film A MONSTER CALLED LOVE by Sophia Lara Nimue Schweizer, a young woman encounters a monster called LOVE in a forest.

fresh blood – deutschlandpremiere

scared shitless

Sonny’s fear of germs is not a good premise to help his father with the family’s plumbing business. But then the two are called urgently to an apartment complex, Whatever is clogging the pipes here... lays eggs. It's also extremely voracious and makes its bloody way from human buttock to buttock. The creature effects of Vivieno Caldinelli’s first feature are by Steven Kostanski, director of THE VOID and PSYCHO GOREMAN.

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german premiere

peg o‘ my heart

Dr Man takes his job very seriously. In the case of his patient and taxi driver Choi San-keung, who suffers from severe sleep problems, this will drag him deep into an unsettling world. PEG O' MY HEART is a psychological thriller that peers into the horror of our subconscious through a kaleidoscope of nightmare images. Hong Kong legend Nick Cheung uses stylish surrealism to test what genre has to offer.

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european premiere

escape from the 21st century

Time travelling through sneezing … Immediately from its international premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival to the Fantasy Filmfest: The stylish madness of ESCAPE FROM THE 21ST CENTURY is for sure not from this star. This fast-paced action-martial-arts-what-the-fuck firework resembles a cinematographic LSD trip!