Today will see Companion by US director Drew Hancock opening the 32nd Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival, an event unfolding in the French department of Vosges up until 2 February, which is set to reunite countless fans of this genre which regularly works its magic in cinemas.

The festival agenda includes a competition comprising nine films, including five European (co)productions: the stupefying Else [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film] by French director Thibault Emin (discovered in Toronto), The Wailing [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Pedro Martín-Calero, Isabe…
scheda film] by Spain’s Pedro Martín-Calero (awarded the Best Director Prize in San Sebastian), Rich Flu [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by fellow Spaniard Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia (a movie only just released in Spanish cinemas), Oddity [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Ireland’s Damian McCarthy (screened in Austin’s SXSW and awarded trophies in Galway and Neuchâtel) and the Canadian-German title Rumours [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson (unveiled out of competition in Cannes). The line-up will be rounded off by one US film, one Canadian, one South Korean and one from New Zealand. The jury presiding over this competition will be led by actress Vimala Pons, who’s joined by her colleague Clotilde Hesme, filmmakers Jérémy Clapin, Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel, actor William Lebghil and DJ Vladimir Cauchemar.

Twelve feature films screening out of competition are also gracing the showcase, including two European movies: the psychedelic She Loved Blossoms More [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Greece’s Yannis Veslemes (discovered in Tribeca) and Last Stop: Rocafort Station by Spain’s Luis Prieto.

Likewise worthy of attention, among other works, are Les aventures du Nexus VI by French director Alexandre Marinelli, which is showing in a Special Screening, Deviant by Spain’s Daniel M Caneiro within the "Nuits décalées" programme, a tribute (revolving around the three films in his X trilogy) to American director Ti West, who’s also delivering a masterclass, a "V-Horror" focus, exploring the genre’s rise in Vietnamese cinema, a "retromania" line-up, a short films competition (judged by a jury led by director Emma Benestan) and a section entitled "Histoires(s) de fantôme(s)", centring around works from the past coming courtesy of Gaspar Noé, David Lowery, Kitarô Kôsaka, Kaneto Shindô, Peter Jackson, Danny and Michael Philippou, Antonio Margheriti and Joseph L Mankiewicz.