Sitges FanPitch Announces the Selected Projects for Its Eleventh Edition
This 58th edition of the Sitges — International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia held its now traditional Sitges FanPitch, an event that has been building bridges for over a decade between creators of horror, science fiction, and/or fantastic audiovisual projects on the one hand, and leading figures from the film and television industry on the other. For this eleventh FanPitch, the selected projects were Grandmonster (Vegard Dahle), La forma animal (Sofia Esteve and Isa Luengo), La huida (Paul Urkijo), Umbra (William Miller), and Holi Womb (Anouk Whissell), as well as the stop-motion series Dolls (Joachim Hérissé, David Súkup, Von Dubravaya, and Patrick Pass).
The event featured a welcome speech by director Joe Dante (Gremlins, Piranha, The 'Burbs), Godfather of this year's “Laughter and Chills” theme and winner of the Festival's Grand Honorary Award. “I got into film a long time ago, and the business itself has changed a lot, but what has remained the same is the fact that it's still an art, and that it's still expressive,“ Dante remarked. The director emphasized the importance of creative passion and shared his insight on how to pitch a project with the FanPitch participants: “The best thing you have to sell is yourself, and your confidence in what you do.”
Sitges FanPitch, which included Spanish, Portuguese, British, American, Japanese, Mexican, and Colombian projects, among other nationalities, created a meeting place for emerging projects, leading industry companies, and creative figures. During the presentation sessions, representatives from the different projects were able to present their central ideas, in addition to teasers, mood boards, reels, benchmarks, and already secured artists. Following the pitches, a series of meetings took place where, using a speed-date format, participants were given a few minutes to meet with participating companies interested in their projects.
The selected feature film projects will receive travel grants to access international markets. To this end, the Sitges Film Festival maintains agreements with the NAFF-Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), Frontières - Fantasia Film Festival (Canada), Ventana Sur - FANTASTIC! (Argentina), and the Brussels Genre Film Market (Belgium). They will also be able to be part of the Feratum Residency at the Feratum International Fantastic Film Festival (Mexico) and participate in the FantasoLab Award, part of the Ibero-American Fantastic Film Project LAB. The winning series, meanwhile, will receive a cash prize of €2,500 to develop the project, will be able to participate in the Showrunners LAB seminar, dedicated to the role of the showrunner, and will receive individualized mentoring from showrunners attending this year's Festival.
Also among the projects presented were Corpse, by Leah Shore, winner of the Girls Just Wanna Have FAN: IV WomanInFan Short Teaser Creation Contest – Sitges Fanlab; Neo Forest, by Keishi Kondo, which already boasts the iconic Eihi Shiina (Audition) in its cast; Mother of All Evil, a documentary invited by WomanInFan and focusing on female horror icons, directed by Heidi Honeycutt; Black Samphire, by British filmmaker Catherine Joy White; and The Still Man, by Emily Greenwood, one of the finalists in the 2nd WomanInFan Fantastic Residency, among others.
In addition to the winner, Dolls, the other series presented were Asakku, by Alberto Heredia, a dark comedy horror series revolving around a heavy metal band; La Ruleta, an anthology piece that blends genres and styles; House of Synths, by Han Tang, a dystopian sci-fi series focusing on a talent show; and Awakened, by Oscar López, a procedural thriller about ethical dilemmas and the threat of social collapse.
Grandmonster
Directed by Vegard Dahle
A misguided young woman, a clueless nurse, and a disgraced scientist attempt to cure her grandmother's dementia with an experimental jellyfish-based treatment... and end up unleashing a zombie apocalypse in a Norwegian nursing home on the verge of being shut down.
La huida
Directed by Paul Urkijo
An inmate and a prison guard rob a bank, each planning to betray the other before the heist even begins. In their dispute over the money, they end up badly wounded and trapped in a remote mountain cabin inhabited by two sisters who have zero fondness for men.
Umbra
Directed by William Miller
When an ancient curse is unleashed, a long-forgotten tragedy resurfaces. A family finds themselves haunted by the echoes of a past they never lived. In order to survive, they must uncover the truth before it consumes them completely.
La forma animal
Directed by Sofia Esteve and Isa Luengo
Mid-1950s. Years of dictatorship, persecution of dissidents, and varmint hunting. While her brothers try to kill the wolf that threatens the local flocks, Valentina begins to experience bizarre cravings for the flesh and fresh blood of the livestock.
Holi Womb
Directed by Anouk Whissell
Faced with an unplanned pregnancy that shatters all her career ambitions, Grace travels to Poland to an exclusive retreat for expectant mothers. But what starts out as an escape soon becomes a fight for survival when she discovers the spa's terrifying secret.
Dolls
Directed by Joachim Hérissé, David Súkup, Von Dubravaya, and Patrick Pass
This stop-motion anthology series presents us with an array of deformed or mutilated rag dolls that comment on our own concerns and our connections to others.
United by common aesthetics, the series focuses on the sensory and textural aspects, leaning towards a highly distinctive type of body horror. In the vein of other classic anthology series, each episode of Dolls will feature a live-action introduction by a master of ceremonies.
