The annual SITGES International Film Festival of Catalonia, or Sitges Film Festival for short, is the number one festival in the world dedicated exclusively to “fantastic” film – a loose label that covers horror, science fiction, thrillers, martial arts, weird documentaries and all manner of genre fare from all over the world. It takes place in Spain in the small city of Sitges, a short commuter train ride from Barcelona. This year’s festival was held October 2 to 12, and as usual the lineup was strong both on new releases from around the world and impressively mounted retrospectives. Among the special screenings were a 40th anniversary celebration of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, with most of the cast and Kubrick’s family in attendance. Another 40th year anniversary was George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, with the director himself presiding over an impressive “zombie walk” through the streets of Sitges, joined by most of the surviving cast. And if that wasn’t enough, current directors and stars mingling in the bar – from Woody Harrelson to Charlie Kaufman – were joined by cult figures including everyone from Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, star of THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (now being re-made by Quentin Tarantino) to Italian cannibal and giallo movie maestro Uberto Lenzi.
I was only at the festival for two full days, but managed to take in six films – and at least twice as many Mojitos (see photo above), mixed by the festival hotel’s friendly bar staff. Just being at Sitges is an experience in itself, and even when the movies suck (as a few are bound to do) the atmosphere more than justifies the trip. And then of course there is always the chance to catch the first glimpse of an unknown international masterpiece or classic-in-the-making. There is nothing like sitting in the 1000-strong main auditorium when a film nobody has heard of before grabs the entire audience by the throat and doesn't let go, providing one of those truly unforgettable experiences. Even in an age where almost everything is available on DVD, a film festival like this is a unique opportunity to really feel the pulse of contemporary fantastic cinema.
So what about the movies? One of the big buzzes of the festival was actually from my native country Sweden, although unfortunately I still have not seen (it just opened here). LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Tomas Alfredson, Sweden 2008), is a new take on the vampire film that was awarded with the prestigious Golden Méliès prize for the year’s Best European Film, given out at Sitges. It has already taken the international festival world by storm and I talked to many people who sang its praise, comparing it to early works of Stephen King. It is based on a book by a Swedish writer, John Ajvide Lindqvist, who writes with a firm footing in real environments (in this case a Swedish suburb in the early 1980’s) while injecting a strong horror sensibility and just enough twists on familiar vampire themes. His second book was about zombies and his third, a ghost story, is already optioned for film, so it seems we will have a surprising but welcome mini-horror boom in Sweden! In the meantime, try to catch LET THE RIGHT ONE IN before the inevitable Hollywood remake…
Of the films I actually managed to catch at the festival, YOUR NAME HERE (Matthew Wilder, USA 2008) was stimulating for those willing to get into it. A barely-disguised dramatization of the life of science fiction author Philip K. Dick, it delves into his paranoid world-view and religious experiences, and manages to catch the sense of a borderline delusional genius on a low budget. I liked the way it mixes the realism of Dick’s struggle with ex-wives and bills, while spiraling into a fantasy world of his own creation. But for people with little background about the author it probably made little sense.
A big hit at the festival was SURVEILLANCE (USA 2008) by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David, who went on to win the grand jury prize for this, her second film. A gritty and stylish serial killer movie, it has a taste of TWIN PEAKS as well as SAW, with good performances and a gritty ambience. Two FBI agents are called in to investigate a set of serial killings, and interview the survivors – but all is not as it seems. Well in fact, for most seasoned horror film viewers the twist end will be visible a mile away, but it is still an engaging and well-made thriller.
In a dash of “reality can be stranger than fiction”, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION (Mark Hartley, Australia 2008) is a documentary about the weird and wonderful world of Australian exploitation cinema, concentrating on the 1970’s and early 80’s – and what a world it was! This is the most entertaining movie documentary I have seen for ages, and it really brings home the enthusiasm, daring and sheer craziness of the industry at the time. Crazy car stunts, vomiting (lots of it), lots of tits and tasteless gore all define an era that most viewers know very little about, but will want to investigate immediately after seeing this film! Well worth catching, and a stand-out of the festival for me.
Showing that low-budget horror is still alive and well (ahem) was DEADGIRL (Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel, USA 2008), an impressive twist on the zombie genre with small resources. Well-acted and filmed on digital video, it follows some young misfits who find an obviously dead – but strangely animated – girl in a forgotten warehouse. A mix of believable teenage angst and uncomfortable necrophilia ensues, bringing the film to a shocking but logical conclusion. This film was an example how much original ideas and good actors can overcome budget limitations, and these filmmakers are certainly worth watching in the future.
Finally, as a fitting end to my short visit, I saw EMBODIMENT OF EVIL (José Mojica Marins, Brazil 2008) with star and director Marins – aka Coffin Joe – in attendance! Marin is the Brazilian writer/director/star of a string of delirious 60’s shockers including AT MIDNIGHT I WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL and TONIGHT I WILL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE. In this update of the Coffin Joe character, he has just been released from a 30-year prison stint, presumably for the actions in one of his previous films – and just to ensure we don’t mistake him for a nice old man, we find out he also killed some 30 people while behind bars! With no remorse, Coffin Joe immediately sets up a new death cult and starts abducting and torturing people with a view to father a demonic successor. But it is a strangely vulnerable monster, haunted by visions form his past (shown in flashbacks from earlier pictures). And who is actually the monster in a country where the police are authorized to kill street children to keep the upper classes happy? EMBODIMENT OF EVIL is surprisingly good – not to mention gruesome – and a fitting return to (and most likely end piece for) Marin’s career.
Of course, this report can only give a glimpse of all the weird and wondrous films and events and Sitges – and even the lucky visitor to who stays for the whole festival can only hope to sample a small portion of it! But for anyone interested in fantastic film of all sorts, a Sitges visit is an amazing experience – just as much for the films as for the feeling of being among thousands of fellow genre fans as well as actors, directors and movie people of all sorts.
See you next year!
Lars Erik Holmquist
Terror in the Midnight Sun - http://lunchroommanners.blogspot.com
For more information about the festival visit:
http://www.cinemasitges.com/uk/
