Fantastic Pavilion, the genre hub launched last year in Cannes, returns to the Croisette for its second edition, returning with a host of activities including Fantastic Galas, cocktail parties, a showcase of video games of the genre, as well as the second edition of the fantastic Latido Prize.
The Fantastic Pavilion has been welcomed by the Marché du Film as part of its ecosystem, where it will pay tribute to this year’s Country of Honor through a cocktail party on the sidelines of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFF), as well as highlighting Swiss films and Switzerland as a leading country. Filming location for The Fantastic Pavilion Rue Morgue special edition magazine.
“The pavilion is returning to the Croisette, thanks to the overwhelming response from the community that has embraced the pavilion in ways we couldn’t be more thankful for. We heard their screams and we responded. I said it from “He accepted and I will say it again: community is the key.”
“They made a truly remarkable debut last year, injecting a dynamic energy and vibrant spirit into the Palais and offering a wide range of activities for the film community to come together and connect,” agrees Guillaume Esmeul, Executive Director of the Cannes Film Festival.
“Fantastic, quality films have always played a crucial role in the many deals reached at Cannes, and we are very proud to extend our support to them. Now that Fantastic Pavilion is an integral part of Marché, we are very much looking forward to their innovative contributions to this year’s market edition.”
The inaugural edition of the spectacular pavilion attracted more than 2,300 visitors over eight days, according to its organizers. Among them were 28 film festivals, 13 production companies and 11 sales agents/distributors who made the pavilion their primary base for doing business.
While for some, the Fantastic Pavilion was a place to hang out and socialize, for others, like Monica Lozano of Mexico’s Alebrije Cine, it was an opportunity to introduce her sci-fi romantic drama “Sign Here” to international buyers. It was one of the films shown at last year’s screening event. “We were able to start conversations with potential international buyers,” said Lozano, who praised the pavilion as a great networking space.
Apart from the wonderful parties held, the sales agents organized special shows in the market with the cast and crew in attendance in some cases.
The Pavilion will announce the six films selected for presentations later in May. These are open to new type features and are limited to one per company, Joysa Koestinger said.
New genre video games will also be showcased and talks hosted by experts in the field. Fantastic Pavilion and Maquinitas, a program that debuted in Ventana Sur in 2022, are jointly calling for horror and fantasy video game projects to be submitted for their inaugural “Let’s Spook Cannes” program.
This showroom will take place from May 17 to 20 and will provide selected participants with opportunities to network with potential partners or investors.
Games published between 2022 and this year, or those in production with a release date in 2024, are eligible to participate.
Applications are open online until April 11. The two shortlisted projects will be announced on April 18 via Fantastic Pavilion’s social media.
Guillaume Esmeul and Pablo Géza