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Netflix's original series, The Witcher, has been a huge hit since its initial release, especially among fans of the book series and the video game. Henry Cavill himself was a fan of the series prior to becoming Geralt in the television series. This latest season has left the plot wide open for season four, and many fans are left with a plethora of questions after its many twists and turns.

While attempting to bring the Brotherhood together at Aretuza, Yennefer and Geralt are determined to find out the identity of the Nilfgaard spy hiding among them. Their suspicions, however, fall on the wrong person, and it is, in fact, Tissaia's lover Vilgefortz who is behind the disappearance of the apprentices and brings about the destruction of Aretuza.

The trio later becomes separated, with Yennefer returning to help Tissaia and Geralt determined to stop Vilgefortz. All the while, Ciri makes her way to Gulls' Tower,...

Dracula's hot. The bloodsucker always has been, it seems, dating back cinematically for more than a century. But with this year's Empire V and Renfield, along with upcoming films like Robert Eggers' Nosferatu and a possible Dracula remake from Chloé Zhao, it seems like vampires are trending. One of the most distinct Dracula movies to come along in a while, however, is the gothic new film The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

The film is inspired by the Captain's Log portion of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel, which is a brilliant idea; the section essentially works as a self-contained story, very different from the overdone adaptations of the book as a whole. It turns the vampiric count into clandestine cargo on a schooner headed to England, where he'll own property and have a wider array of prey. The ship's captain and crew then become the major players here, as they...

"The world is a vampire, sent to drain," sang the angst-ridden '90s band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was true then, it's true now, and it probably always was and will be. Whether it's Egyptian slaves, occupied countries, serfs, migrant laborers, or indentured servants, there's always an underclass that produces excess labor, which is sucked dry by those with wealth and power.

It might look a little different today, but just because you have a cell phone and a car, doesn't mean your time and self-worth isn't being quietly drained by undeserving overlords in the governments, banks, and corporations that own you. It's even easier now to rob us of what we're worth, thanks to the society of spectacle, in which we're all too busy streaming, browsing our phones, and tearing each other apart over politics. Try having a revolution when TikTok and legal weed exists.

If this sounds like the ravings of a communist,...

Taya Radchenko as Hera in Empire V

Given the political climate this year, one does not expect to encounter Russian films at festivals, but Empire V is something a little different. A vampire-themed satire banned in its homeland, it’s a film which the government in Moscow would rather you didn’t see – and the Fantasia International Film Festival has given it a platform.

Even if it weren’t for that, the chances are that this film would attract a lot of attention. It’s based on the book by Viktor Pelevin, which has been a hit beyond Russian borders. When I met up with director Victor Ginzburg, who was born in Russia but now lives in Venice Beach in California, he told me how Pelevin urged him to take on the project and how, despite attempts at sabotage, he hopes that audiences will get the chance to appreciate the...

Rama (Pavel Tabakov) is a vampire.

In writer/director Victor Ginzburg’s adaptation of Russian novelist Viktor Pelevin’s Empire V, however, the term takes on a whole new meaning.

Mixing the action of Nightwatch with the philosophical underpinnings of The Matrix sequels, Empire V is an unconventional entry in the vampire subgenre. Working as both an introduction to a sprawling new mythology, as well as a satirical critique of (Russian) capitalism, the film has already been banned in its home country where it was due to premiere last year.

The film’s politics aren’t exclusive to Russia, though co-star Oxxxymiron (aka Miron Fedorov) and lead actor Vladimir Epifantsev have both been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the former very publicly denouncing the invasion of Ukraine. For the most part, however, Empire V isn’t only commenting on Russia; its political commentary is broadly critiquing how the...

The Fantasia International Film Festival is back for its 27th annual edition, running July 20 through August 9, and it’s bringing one of Hollywood’s biggest stars––in spirit now; he’s officially canceled so as to not cross the picket line of the current SAG-AFTRA strike––to Montreal with a world premiere and career recognition. Nicolas Cage, his new film Sympathy for the Devil, and his Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award aren’t the only draw for this three-week event, though.

You’ve got a spotlight on Korean cinema to celebrate sixty years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea. There’s the honor of bestowing underground filmmaker Larry Kent with the 2023 Canadian Trailblazer Award alongside a screening of a rare 35mm print of his 1981 film Yesterday. And a slew of world premieres from horror’s best and brightest––a list spanning Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Jenn Wexler...

"A vampire employs the same mental constructs as a human but his thoughts follow a different path." An official trailer is available for a Russian film called Empire V, a vampire thriller from filmmaker Victor Ginzburg. Empire V is a social parody of modern Russian society being controlled by vampires. The film was originally set to be released by Sony in Russia in 2022. After the start of the Ukrainian war and one week prior to the film's release, it was pulled from theaters by the Kremlin and banned, making it a film without a country. It stars popular Russian rapper Oxxymiron, whose anti-war stance has recently led to him to be labeled a "foreign agent". Empire V follows a 19-year-old Moscow nobody who receives an invitation to join an elite and powerful echelon of society, only to discover the bloody secrets of a vampiric dictatorship who has controlled humanity since time immemorial.

Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has announced the opening film of its 27th edition: Pascal Plante’s “Red Rooms,” about a high-profile case of a serial killer and the woman (Juliette Gariépy) obsessed with him.

“It’s a film of enormous emotional force, unbelievably controlled and smart, with a staggering performance from Gariépy. Pascal is one of the greatest talents of his generation in Quebec cinema and among the strongest filmmakers in the country right now,” says festival’s artistic director Mitch Davis.

“In a sense, it’s an unconventionally grim note to open a festival on. It’s a profoundly disturbing film. But I know the audience is going to be left completely breathless by it.”

“As a Montrealer, I have been a regular festival goer of Fantasia for years now, but it’s the first time one of my features will be screened in their lineup. I...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a selected first wave of titles and happenings.

Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition

Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho (The King Of Pigs) among many others.

Event will include a spotlight on South Korean cinema and an award for underground filmmaker Larry Kent.

The Fantasia International Film Festival has revealed the first wave of titles for its July 20 to August 9 run in Montreal.

Among titles getting their world premieres at the genre event will be Theresa Sutherland’s directing debut Lovely, Dark, and Deep; Russian-American director Victor Ginzburg’s vampire story Empire V; Jared Moshe’s Aporia; Where the Devil Roams, from the writing-directing team of John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser; Xavier Gens’ Mayhem!; Larry Fessenden’s Blackout; and Nicholas Tomnay What You Wish For.

The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to run from from July 20th through August 9th at the Concordia Hall Cinema in Montreal, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée – and today the festival announced the first wave of titles that will be screening there this year! The festival runners promise this edition of the show will deliver “a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events”, with a spotlight on South Korean cinema, a Canadian trailblazer Award being presented to Larry Kent, and World Premiere screenings of new films from the likes of Larry Fessenden, Xavier Gens, Jenn Wexler, The Adams Family, and Victor Ginzburg. They’ll also be hosting the International Premieres of Tsutomu Hanabusa’s blockbusters Tokyo Revengers 2 – Part 1 & 2.

2023 marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea, so Fantasia is teaming up with the Korean...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected first wave of titles and happenings.

Here’s the press release:

Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition

Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho...

The Fantasia Film Festival, North America’s largest genre film festival, has released the first wave of titles for its upcoming 27th edition.

There’s world premieres for Theresa Sutherland’s Lovely Dark and Deep, which features Barbarian star Georgina Campbell; Victor Ginzburg’s Empire V; Jared Moshe’s Aporia, led by Judy Greer and Faithe Herman; and Where The Devil Roams, from directors Toby Poster, John Adams and Zelda Adams, also known as The Adams Family.

Other world bows in Montreal include Xavier Gens’ Mayhem!, which stars Nassim Lyes and Olivier Gourmet; horror auteur Larry Fessenden’s Blackout; Nicholas Tomnay’s What You Wish For, with Nick Stahl playing a chef with a gambling problem and from the producers of The Florida Project; and Ryan Ward’s Daughter of the Sun.

Fantasia’s first titles includes a world premiere for Jenn Wexler’s The Sacrifice Game, the follow-up to the debut feature The Ranger,...