german premiere

a whale

Ingrid is a contract killer with a special bond to a mysterious creature, from which she receives special powers. The deathly pale young woman finishes her victims emotionless off and leaves no trace – making her a legend in the Spanish underworld. A classic killer noir meets mysterious sci-fi fantasy. With its silent, creeping force A WHALE literally goes UNDER THE SKIN.

german premiere

a girl with closed eyes

One minute he is the bestselling author of a disturbing novel about a child abduction, the next his brutal murder makes the news. The alleged perpetrator is found on the spot with a bloody weapon in her hands. Director and author Chun Sunyoung brilliantly stages her first feature, a mystery thriller, and follows in the footsteps of greats such as Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho or David Fincher.

closing night – german premiere

the damned

The inhabitants of a small island witness a shipwreck. Shall they rush to the rescue? If they could instead take over the supplies on the ship, they would assure their own fragile survival. It’s a difficult decision. The small island community fears that a curse in the form of something evil will take possession of them. First feature by Icelandic director Thordur Palsson makes your blood freeze in your veins.

german premiere

the weekend

Even though he turned his back on his family years ago, Luc gives in to his fiancé Nikiya who wants to meet her soon to be in-laws. The meeting quickly brings back Luc’s reluctance. The Nigerian horror thriller by Daniel Oriahi plays with our innermost fears and expectations in an abysmally nasty way. The prescribed family celebration develops a dynamic that can only end in a bang.

german premiere

the rule of jenny pen

Dave is a psychopath. He bullies his housemates in a home for elderly people with the help of his silly hand puppet Jenny Pen and finally drives them to death. When the former judge in a wheelchair, Stefan, arrives, he thinks of him as an easy prey, but he couldn't be more surprised… Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and Oscar nominee John Lithgow engage in an extremely painful, ultimative duel, both mentally and physically.

international premiere

redux redux

Irene’s rage is insatiable. With the help of a coffin-like time machine, she travels to countless parallel universes, always with the same goal: to take revenge on her daughter's murderer. The McManus brothers present an unusual movie mixing science fiction elements to a classic revenge thriller. Powerful suspense cinema with a driving soundtrack and excellent performances.

opening night – german premiere

kung fu in rome

The search for her sister takes the Chinese woman Mei to Italy and the Eternal City. On her path she meets not only a horde of Chinese gangsters that are not willing to help her, but also kind hearted pasta cook Marcello. After THEY CALL ME JEEG ROBOT and FREAKS OUT, Italian director Gabriele Mainetti comes back with a frenetic martial arts drama starring the brilliant Yaxi Liu and her deadly skills.

german premiere

the gesuidouz

Hanako and her horror punk band are given a last chance to release a successful album. Time is running out, since Hanako’s 27th birthday – by which rock legends normally should be dead – approaches quickly. After Toronto THE GESUIDOUZ brings its pogo vibes to the Fantasy Filmfest Nights. It is as eccentric as LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA, as energetic as EX DRUMMER and as charming as HEAVY TRIP.

bring them down

When Michael’s neighbor and rival Gary finds two of Michael's sheep dead, an old feud between the two flares up again and threatens to drag everyone into doom. Christopher Andrews' first feature begins like classic Irish cinema with its pitch-black humor, but then develops into a dense, non-linear revenge drama – right up to a Greek tragedy, at the end of which no one escapes without bloody hands.

german premiere

noise

Ju-Hee hears strange noises. When the young woman disappears without a trace, her hearing impaired sister starts investigating. She soon begins to hear dangerous things, too. After cursed eye operations (THE EYE) and hair extensions (EXTE), in NOISE the ears are the thread. This classic ghost story is an example of the qualities of Asian genre cinema, scaring at the point to make you not believe your ears anymore.