Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia

Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia

Born in 1968 under the name of the 1st International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies, the Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia has become an unmissable event for movie lovers and audiences who are eager to see the latest trends and new technologies applied to fantastic and horror genre films.

The Sitges Film Festival is the world's number one fantastic film festival, both for its longstanding history and its media and industry impact. With its solid track record, this film competition offers a stimulating setting for encounters, exhibitions, presentations and screenings for fantastic genre films from all over the world.

Sitges can boast that it has welcomed visits from artists, directors and producers of the stature of David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, George A. Romero, Cameron Diaz, Ed Harris, Tilda Swinton, Peter Weir, Viggo Mortensen, Terry Gilliam, John Landis, Joe Dante, Zoë Bello, Dino de Laurentii, Takashi Miike, Wim Wenders, Tony Curtis, David Cronenberg, Álex de la Iglesia, Vanessa Redgrave, Darren Aronofsky, John Woo, Park Chan-Wook, Johnnie To, Paul Naschy, Ray Liotta, Jon Voight, Sam Raimi, Robert Englund, Mira Sorvino, Santiago Segura, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Guillermo del Toro, Kim Ki Duk, William Friedkin, Susan Sarandon, and a long etcetera that, year after year, are a genuine attraction for both audiences and the media.

Year after year, the town of Sitges prepares for its annual meeting with fantastic genre fans, the industry and the press. The Festival combines the best genre films of the moment with a special look at other movies that have shaped the history of the fantastic genre, as well as paying tribute to celebrities with a special connection to the fantastic genre.

A history through the poster

All throughout its history, the Festival's posters have been inspired by the icons of international fantastic genre filmmaking. In 2021 it was the werewolf's turn, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the release of George Waggner's The Wolf Man (1941). In 2020, the centenary of Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920) was celebrated here. In 2019, Sitges breathed in desert dust and rusty iron in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the premiere of George Miller's Mad Max (1979). In 2018, one of the greatest symbols in film history was the star of the poster for the 51st Sitges Film Festival: the mysterious monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick's science fiction classic that celebrated its 50th anniversary (1968). In 2017, and to celebrate the Festival's 50th anniversary, the poster made reference to Dracula, the fantastic myth par excellence, taking advantage of the 25th anniversary of the premiere of a film that is as definitive as Bram Stoker's Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1992). And we could go on listing examples until we reach the very first poster (1968), the first image of what was the 1st International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies, and which was, no more and no less, than the figure of Charles Chaplin.

The Sitges Film Festival has also been declared a qualifying film competition by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood for the ACADEMY AWARDS®; meaning that the winning short films in the fiction and animation sections are automatically shortlisted.