Sitges International Film Festival

The Sitges Film Festival was born in 1968 under the name of the 1st International Horror and Fantasy Film Week, and is considered the first fantasy film festival in the world. It is an essential ten-day visit, not only for film lovers, but also for audiences who want to learn about new trends and technologies applied to cinema and the audiovisual world in general. The Festival has been visited by top level actors, directors and producers like Quentin Tarantino, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Paul Verhoeven, George A. Romero, John Landis, Dino de Laurentiis, Takashi Miike, Wim Wenders, Tony Curtis, David Cronenberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Sam Raimi, Roger Corman, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Guillermo del Toro, Kim Ki Duk, Álex de la Iglesia, Guillermo del Toro and Susan Sarandon.

About the 2023 Sitges Film Festival, the 56th edition

Let's start with the outstanding novelties of the Official Fantàstic Section, which do not compete for awards. Long-awaited films stand out such as Poor Creatures, the latest work by Yorgos Lanthimos, winner of the Golden Lion in Venice, starring Emma Stone with fantastic elements and the distinctive humor of the Greek director. Also,J. A. Bayona presents The Snow Society, which recently closed the Venice Festival. Also, The Boy and the Heron by Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese hit without promotion. We will also be able to see the long-awaited remake directed by Macon Blair of the 1984 classic, The Toxic Avenger. For fans of the most shocking horror, Blood by Brad Anderson by Brad Anderson offers a story with supernatural elements and realism. In the Mitjanit Special of the Official Section, the highlights are The Bullet of God, an action thriller directed by Nick Cassavetes, and The Deep Dark, a creepy monster movie by Mathieu Turi.

In the Official Fantastic Competition Section (SOFC) of the Sitges Festival, the Japanese film Kubi by Takeshi Kitano stands out, the debut of Yûta Shimotsu with Best Wishes to All, and the Korean thriller Killer Romance directed by Lee Won-suk. At the national level, Aritz Moreno presents Moscas, while France contributes three films: La Morsure, Salem, and Wake Up. Pascal Plante from Quebec brings Les Chambres Rouges. Also included is the debut of Barnaby Clay with The Seeding, an allegorical thriller, and films by Magnus Martens, Timm Kröger, Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó, as well as Sorcery, a Chile-Mexico-German co-production about witchcraft on the Chilean island of Chiloé.

The Sitges Festival continues its tradition of presenting Asian cinema in its Òrbita section. South Korea stands out with four films in this section, including Concrete Utopia by Um Tae-hwa, a disaster film; The Eyes of the Night by Ahn Tae-jin, a thriller about a blind acupuncturist; Smugglers by Ryoo Seung-wan, a crime thriller; and The Childe by Park Hoon-jung, a drama with thriller elements directed by one of the most prominent Korean genre directors of recent decade.

The Panorama section presents Spanish premieres of notable horror films. From the United States, Anna Zlokovic brings Appendix, a terrifying film with touches of humor; Larry Fessenden presents Blackout, a werewolf terror; Alan Scott Neal directs Last Straw, a horror story from two different perspectives, and Jenn Wexler presents The Sacrifice Game, where two students face an unknown danger in their residence.

The Noves Visions section, celebrating its 20th anniversary, will screen Contempt by Jean-Luc Godard in 4K, which represents the spirit of the section. As for the films in competition, several countries have up to two representatives, such as Belgium with Luka and Luxembourg with The Last Ashes, Japan with Mondays: See You This" Week! and River, France with The Vourdalak and En Attendant La Nuit, and Canada with My Animal and Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. The variety of nationalities is notable this year.

The Anima't section at the Festival stands out for its charm and presents three Japanese films in competition. These include Komada - A Whiskey Family, which tells the story of a family in their workplace; The Castle Through the Looking Glass by Keiichi Hara, where mirrors are portals to other realities; and Sand Land, a film based on a work by Akira Toriyama and directed by Toshihisa Yokoshima.

The Honorary Grand Prize of the Sitges Festival

Phil Tippet , creator of the enormous "Mad God" and winner of two Oscars for his work as visual effects supervisor on Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park; and Jan Harlan, essential producer in the construction of Stanley Kubrick's legendary work from A Clockwork Orange to Eyes Wide Shut, will receive the Honorary Grand Prize of this edition of the festival. In addition, The Shining, one of Harlan's most relevant productions, can be seen during the Festival.

Time Machine Award

The Time Machine award will be received this year by Hideo Nakata, J.A. Bayona and Lee Unkrich. Hideo Nakata, the Japanese director known for his powerful film The Ring, which won Best Film at the 1999 Festival, will receive the Time Machine Award. Nakata is an influential horror director of the last two decades and one of the pioneers in bringing j-horror to the West. In addition, his most recent film, Juego Prohibido (The Forbidden Play) , will be screened as part of the Panorama section. J. A. Bayona, beloved director of the Festival, will present his latest work, The Snow Society , consolidating the relationship that began with his memorable debut The Orphanage. Lee Unkrich, director and animator of successful Pixar films such as Toy Story 3 and Coco, will offer a masterclass on his outstanding career in animation.

Sections of the SITGES – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia

Official Fantastic Competition Section (SOFC)

Feature films of any nationality, unreleased in Spain, produced during the previous year and the current year in which the festival is held. The theme must be fantastic, in its broadest sense, and quality and trend setting are valued. These feature films will compete for the prizes awarded by an international jury, chosen by the Festival's management. The award categories are: best film, director, male performance, female performance, special effects, script, photography, music, Jury Special, fantastic genre short film (automatically entered to be considered by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscars® Awards). The Grand Prize of the Public and those of the critics (José Luis Guarner for the best film and Citizen Kane for the best First Feature) awarded by the Catalan Association of Cinematographic Critics and Writers are also awarded.

Fantastic Officer Out of Competition

Films that do not enter competition with fantastic themes, but that stand out for their unique proposal within the recent genre production.

New Visions Section

Titles of all nationalities, unpublished in Spain, produced during the previous year and the current year in which the festival is held and which, in addition to being fantasy-themed, are committed to experimentation, new languages ​​and formats, and hybridization of genres. An international jury will award the different prizes in this section.

New visions - New authorship

A section of the Noves Visions section for short films by students from Catalan film schools. The shorts are selected (based on a pre-selection made by the participating schools), with the collaboration of the SGAE Foundation.

Fantastic Panorama Section

Titles of all nationalities, unpublished in Spain, produced during the previous year and the current year in which the festival is held and which, in addition to being fantastic and horror-themed, have an independent vocation. In this section, a prize is awarded for the best feature film by public vote.

Anima't Section

Animated feature films produced during the previous year and the current year in which the festival is held, unreleased in Spain. The short films selected must also be unpublished in Catalonia. An international jury awards the prizes in this section.

Seven Chances Section

Seven feature films, related to the theme of the festival, selected in collaboration with the Catalan Association of Film Critics and Writers. The films must be unreleased in Catalonia and preferably also in Spain when they are selected.

Midnight X-treme section

Selection of the best independent horror films. Films are nominated for the Midnight X-Treme Award, which is awarded by popular vote. The competition is reserved for unreleased films in Spain, and produced during the previous year and the current year in which the festival is held.

Brigadoon Section

Feature films, documentaries and short films of independent production, made during the previous year and the current year in which the festival is held. The t'sSelected works will be included in premieres, retrospectives, tributes and cult films. It is not necessary that they be unpublished in Spain. A jury awards the Paul Naschy Brigadoon Award for the best fantastic genre short film.

Sitges Classics Section

Retrospective section of the Festival with tributes, anniversaries and collaborations.

Sitges Coming Soon

Selection of upcoming Catalan, Spanish and Latin American productions.

Sitges Documents Section

Non-fiction feature films, made this year or the previous year and thematically related to the Festival. An international jury will award the prize for the best documentary.

Orbit

Feature films of genres related to the fantastic such as thriller, suspense, martial arts, action... that stand out for their unique proposal and their interest for the audience.