There's not many writers that have had as much of an impact on the genre-literature world as Stephen King has, even having more than 50 original writer and screenplay credits. The Life of Chuck is the most recent example of this. So, what better way to both champion this new sci-fi drama but also the lifelong contributions by the King of Horror, then to create a list of some of our favourite adaptations that are available on streaming! 2g5bw

• The Life of Chuck

  Released on 5 June 2025.

• Gerald's Game

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Running Man

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• Secret Window

  Streaming on Netflix

• Children of the Corn

  Streaming on Prime Video

• The Lawnmower Man

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Pet Sematary

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• 1408

  Streaming on Videoland

• The Dark Tower

  Streaming on Prime Video

• The Shining

  Streaming on Max

7 Films, VR, 1 weekend - 20, 21, 22 June

With Club Imagine in LAB111 we treat you twice a year, for three days, to the tasteful mix of Fantastic genre films, both old and new.

us! INFO & TICKETS

• Bring Her Back

  Friday 20 June 19:00
  Festival Theme Reveal

• U Are the Universe

  Friday 20 June 21:30

• Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature

  Saturday 21 June 17:00

• Purple Noon

  Saturday 21 June 19:00

• Clown in a Cornfield

  Saturday 21 June 21:30

• Kind

  Sunday 22 June 16:15
  This pre world premiere of Kind will be accompanied by a Q&A with director Jan Verdijk, writer Paul de Vrijer and actors Vincent van der Valk and Tamar van den Dop.

• Harvest

  Sunday 22 June 18:45

As one of the most innovative ways fantastic cinema will reach your eyeballs, animation has been a staple of Imagine for four decades. That's why we've been anticipating the release of Netflix's first Korean animation original Lost in Starlight. It follows the story of (the literally) star-crossed lovers in a romance-drama that crosses the cosmos when one of them leaves for Mars. In light of this sweet tale we decided we would gather a bunch of films that feature hard choices, bittersweet moments and beautiful love. When you're done with this list you'll definitely be crying, and don't blame us, we already did.

• Lost in Starlight

  Streaming on Netflix from 30 May

• Howl's Moving Castle

  Streaming on Netflix

• Weathering with You

  Streaming on CineMember

• Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Stranger by the Shore

  Streaming on Crunchyroll

• The Wind Rises

  Streaming on Netflix

• Burning

  Streaming on MUBI

• Space Sweepers

  Streaming on Netflix

• Wonderland

  Streaming on Netflix

• Way Back Love

  Streaming on Netflix

Heyyy, summer! Hot days, sun and sweat, but we still want to make you sweat in a different way. Genre fans have plenty to see look forward to in cinemas and on streaming this summer – with titles like Ryan Coogler's musical/horror classic-in-the-making Sinners, spy -thriller Black Bag and the fourth season of fan favourite series Love, Death + Robots. Get ready for a summer full of Fantastic media!

• Fear Street: Prom Queen

  Streaming on Netflix since 23 May
  Slasher fans will be treated well this summer with the return of Netflix’ original film series Fear Street. Following the initial trilogy, Prom Queen is a more unique entry into the series as it’s the first installment that hasn’t been directed by Leigh Janiak. The film follows the ‘It Girls’ of Shadyside High trying to get votes to become this year's prom queen until an unusual nominee appears and the competition starts disappearing.

• Lost in Starlight

  Streaming on Netflix 30 May
  Anime fans, tis one’s for you. Netflix is releasing its first original Korean animated film! Lost in Starlight, starring The Handmaiden's Kim Tae-ri and K-Drama sweetheart Hong Kyung, follows the story of star-crossed lovers Nan-young and Je-i in a romance drama that crosses the cosmos when one of them leaves for Mars.

• The Life of Chuck

  In cinemas 5 June
  A life divided into three stories in fantasy/science-fiction drama The Life of Chuck from Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan. This adaptation of horror-legend Stephen King's novella by the same name stars Tom Hiddleston as the unassuming Charles Kruntz, a.k.a. Chuck, who experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.

• 28 Years Later

  In cinemas 19 June
  23 years after having made 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle finally returns to finish what he started with part three of his zombie trilogy, aptly called 28 Years Later. Returning with the likes of Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), this (final?) installment follows a group of survivors living in a ruthless dystopia created by the original film’s rage virus, which is still plagueing the world 28 years later.

• The Old Guard 2

  Streaming on Netflix 2 July
  Another immortal fantasy action epic awaits! Continuing where The Old Guard left of, the immortal warriors are again threatened by a powerful enemy, while grappling with a long-lost immortal making it damn difficult to protect humanity from destruction.

• Rosario

  In cinemas 10 July
  Occultists, witches, family secrets, supernatural entities and gore. Promising new director Felipe Vargas’ debut feature has it all! Rosario follows the story of Rosario Fuentes encountering the supernatural after she discovers occult artifacts in her late grandmother's home.

• Brick

  Streaming on Netflix 10 July
  If you're claustrophobic, Brick will definitely do it for you. When Tim and Olivia's apartment building is suddenly surrounded by an impenetrable brick wall, they must collaborate with their neighbours to find a way out.

• I Know What You Did Last Summer

  In cinemas 17 July
  Take a trip down memory-lane with this remake of the 1997 teen-slasher classic! Starring an all-new cast (and some throwback cameos, as per the trailer), the story is again about a group of teenagers who cause a deadly car accident and decide to never tell a soul. That’s until they start receiving threatening letters...and dying. Get ready for a new interpretation of a fan-favourite by promising director Jennifer K. Robinson of Do Revenge fame.

• Bring Her Back

  In cinemas 21 July
  After taking the horror world by storm with Talk To Me, the Philippou brothers – also known for YouTube channel RackaRacka – are back with another terrifying horror story. Bring Her Back follows a sister and brother get adopted into a – seemingly – loving family following the death of their father. Sally Hawkins shines.

• Freakier Friday

  In cinemas 6 August
  It's about to get freaky! Freaky Friday returns after 22 years with a sequel starring both Jamie Lee-Curtis and Lindsay Lohan (!). Lightning indeed strikes twice!

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Nic Cage fights for his right to surf in the long-awaited crime-thriller The Surfer! In light of this release we have decided to curate a list with a lot of bad beaches, pun intended. In this list you'll find stuff ranging from modern-horror to absolute genre-film classics, so there must be something in there that piques your interest!

• The Surfer

  Released on 22 May 2025.

• Old

  Streaming on Pathé Thuis

• The Beach

  Streaming on Disney+

• The Shallows

  Streaming on Netflix

• Sweetheart

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• The Lighthouse

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Us

  Streaming on Netflix/Prime Video

• Jaws

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• Planet of the Apes

  Streaming on Disney+

The unlimited fantasy gorefest Death of a Unicorn by Alex Scharfman is definitely a doozy. Yet, only this film doesn’t satiate our thirst for more bloody horror films with a comedic twist. That’s why we have another pile of creature features and otherwise weird film recommendations for you!

• Death of a Unicorn

  Released 3 April 2025.

• The Meg

  Streaming on Netflix

• Humanoids from the Deep

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Sweet Home

  Streaming on Netflix

• Deathgasm

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Midnight Mass

  Streaming on Netflix

• It's Alive

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Agak Laen

  Streaming on Netflix

• Anaconda

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Velvet Buzzsaw

  Streaming on Netflix

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Alpha
• Eddington
• Sons of the Neon Night
• Exit 8
• The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

With Mickey 17 out into the western world, opening even more people up to Korean perspectives in media, we decided to create a list of even more fantastic Korean media, that gets the Imagine stamp of approval! Going from Fantasy Horror to Supernatural Sci-Fi, take your pick and you'll find it.

• Mickey 17

  Released 6 March 2025

• Okja

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Call

  Streaming on Netflix

• The 8th Night

  Streaming on Netflix

• JUNG_E

  Streaming on Netflix

• Space Sweepers

  Streaming on Netflix

• Hellbound

  Streaming on Netflix

• Psychokinesis

  Streaming on Netflix

• Sweet Home

  Streaming on Netflix

• Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds

  Streaming on Netflix

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Gaming and horror fans unite for Until Dawn! The meta-game based on popular horror film tropes makes it back to the big screen, through this interpretation following a new group of mischievous teenagers. If you can’t have enough of it, we have prepared a list of films that will hopefully satiate your yearning for more!

• Until Dawn

  Released April 24 2025.

• Jumanji

  Streaming on Netflix

• Tron

  Streaming on Disney+

• Ready Player One

  Streaming on Netflix/Prime Video

• Ready or Not

  Streaming on Netflix/Prime Video

• Escape Room

  Streaming on Netflix

• Battle Royale

  Streaming on MUBI

• Five Nights at Freddy's

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• Evil Dead

  Streaming on Netflix

In light of the release of Adam Elliot's Oscar-nominated Memoir of a Snail, we decided to put together a list of our favourite stop-motion classics and underground gems for you to watch, to prepare yourself for the utterly depressing yet beautiful film. So, get ready and enjoy Memoir of a Snail!⁠

• Memoir of a Snail

  Released 13 March 2025.

• James and the Giant Peach

  Streaming on Disney+

• Isle of Dogs

  Streaming on Disney+

• Harvie Krumpet

  Streaming on Plex

• Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

  Streaming on Netflix

• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

  Streaming on Netflix

• Frankenweenie

  Streaming on Disney+

• The House

  Streaming on Netflix

• Wendell & Wild

  Streaming on Netflix

Novocaine by director-duo Dan Berk & Robert Olsen caused quite a stir. A gory action film about a guy who doesn't feel any pain portrayed by dorky sweetheart Jack Quaid. In light of this release we have prepared a list of films that you should watch to prepare yourself for the over-the-top mayhem that's about to begin!⁠

• Novocaine

  Released 20 March 2025.

• The Man Who Feels No Pain

  Streaming on Netflix

• Headshot

  Streaming on Netflix

• Boy Kills World

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Shadow Strays

  Streaming on Netflix

We know anything and everything there is to know about fantastic adventures in cinema, from classic to underground. In the mainstream not a lot of films have scratched that itch. However, the French adapation The Count of Monte Cristo did. However, if your hunger for the magic of adventure isn’t stilled after watching The Count of Monte Cristo, we have prepared a list for you that will be sure to quench that thirst!

• The Count of Monte Cristo

  Released 10 April 2025.

• Gladiator

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Green Knight

  Streaming on Prime Video

• The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain

  Streaming on Netflix

• Conan the Barbarian

  Streaming on Disney+

• The King

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Princess Bride

  Streaming on Prime Video

• A Knight's Tale

  Streaming on Netflix

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Another couple has entered the fray to fight their way out of absolutely insane situations. Kerry Washington of SCANDAL fame teams up with Omar Sy known for Intouchables and Jurassic World, to fight special ops sent by their former employer, that have been sent to kill them. However if you want more top-notch action by extremely capable yet unsuspecting heroes, then watch these movies!

• Shadow Force

  Released on 1 May 2025.

• Back in Action

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Harder They Fall

  Streaming on Netflix

• Queen & Slim

  Streaming on Pathé Thuis

• Bad Boys

  Streaming on Prime Video

• Chi-Raq

  Streaming on Prime Video

• They Cloned Tyrone

  Streaming on Netflix

• The A-Team

  Streaming on Disney+

• Kill Boksoon

  Streaming on Netflix

• Kill

  Streaming on Prime Video

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

FINAL DESTINATION RETURNS
The classic supernatural slasher series is back! Final Destination has been scaring and confusing fans for years with its creative yet bizarre deaths. Fans have been waiting for quite some for a new one. But after 14 years its finally back with Final Destination Bloodlines, with a new spin on the concept, it’s sure to keep you enticed! This will also be the last time we'll see horror legend Tony Todd, known for Candyman and of course Final Destination, as he has sadly ed away after production. He brought something special to every single role, including his part in Bloodlines, so for the love of all that's holy check it out! Then again, if you need more slashers or insanely bizarre horror films, we put together a roster of other films to check out!

Final Destination (2000) by James Wong - Streaming on Netflix
Final Destination 2 (2003) by David R. Ellis - Streaming on Netflix
Final Destination 3 (2006) by James Wong - Streaming on Netflix
The Final Destination (2009) by David R. Ellis - Streaming on Netflix
Final Destination 5 (2011) by Steven Quale - Streaming on Netflix
Candyman (1992) by Bernard Rose - Streaming on SkyShowtime
Happy Death Day (2017) by Christopher Landon - Streaming on SkyShowtime
Another - Streaming on Crunchyroll
Kaal (2005) by Soham Shah - Streaming on Netflix/Prime Video
Mirrors (2008) by Alexandre Aja -Streaming on Disney+

• Final Destination Bloodlines

  Released 15 May 2025.

• Final Destination

  Streaming on Netflix

• Final Destination 2

  Streaming on Netflix

• Final Destination 3

  Streaming on Netflix

• The Final Destination

  Streaming on Netflix

• Final Destination 5

  Streaming on Netflix

• Candyman

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• Happy Death Day

  Streaming on SkyShowtime

• Another

  Streaming on Crunchyroll

• Kaal

  Streaming on Netflix/Prime Video

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

We had eagerly awaited Ryan Coogler’s dark and twisted tale Sinners! His latest collaboration with actor Michael B. Jordan carries once more the focus on Black storytelling within the scope of genrefilms. If this interests you as well then we have some more genre recommendations that center Black voices. A list of more macabre tales that go from sci-fi horror to supernatural mysteries. Check out this list and you might find exactly what you’re looking for...

• Sinners

  Released 17 April 2025.

• Mr. Crocket

  Streaming on Disney+

• AVP: Alien vs. Predator

  Streaming on Disney+

• In Fabric

  Streaming on Mubi

• Vampires vs. the Bronx

  Streaming on Netflix

• Day Shift

  Streaming on Netflix

• His House

  Streaming on Netflix

• They Cloned Tyrone

  Streaming on Netflix

• Django Unchained

  Streaming on Netflix

• Nanny

  Streaming on Prime Video

6 Films, 1 weekend - 28 February - 2 March

With Club Imagine in LAB111 we treat you twice a year, for three days, to the tasteful mix of Fantastic genre films, both old and new.

us! INFO & TICKETS

• The Cell

  Friday 28 February 19:00

• Jimmy and Stiggs

  Friday 28 February 21:30

• Fréwaka

  Saturday 1 March 19:00

• The Return of the Living Dead

  Saturday 1 March 21:30

• Bookworm

  Sunday 2 March 16:30

• Presence

  Sunday 2 March 19:00

The selection of winners at the 40th edition of Imagine Fantastic Film Festival. Congratulation to all cast and crew.

Visit our Awards page.

• Barlebas

  MÉLIES D’ARGENT FOR BEST EUROPEAN SHORT FILM

  The Mélies Jury has chosen Barlebas for the esteemed Mélies d’Argent Award for the Best European Short Film-category. Congratulations Malu Janssen!

  The jury for the Mélies d’Argent for best European short film consisted of filmmaker and actress Juliette van Ardenne, film programmer Miranda van Gelder and journalist and author Barend de Voogd.

  From the jury report:
  The poetic images and beautiful sound design bring to life a world you can not only see and hear, but also smell and feel. The whole film shows an awful lot of attention and love for detail.
  At a very confident and calm pace, we are transported into a world, not even that far away from here, but long ago - while the film will continue to echo in your head for a very long time after it is over.

  The double wins for Mr K and Barlebas are the crowning glory of a strong year for Dutch fantastic cinema.

• Mr. K

  MÉLIES D’ARGENT FOR BEST EUROPEAN FEATURE FILM

  The Mélies Jury has chosen MR. K for the esteemed Mélies d’Argent Award for the Best European Feature Film’-category. Congratulations Tallulah H. Schwab!

  The jury for the Mélies d’Argent for best European feature film consisted of journalist Joyce Roodnat, film producer Marleen Slot and director Michael Middelkoop.

  From the jury report:
  We chose the film that took us elsewhere, into strange territory, known and unknown at the same time. And when the film released us, we were not only satisfied, we understood our own lives better.
  We chose the film that is surreal and current. Where refugees are silent and deniers dance on the edge of cookers.
  This jury is excited to award the Mélies d’argent to Mr K.

  The double wins for Mr K and Barlebas are the crowning glory of a strong year for Dutch fantastic cinema.

• Rita

  THE SEA DEVIL AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM

  The Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Jury has chosen Rita for our very own Sea Devil Award which is awarded to the Best Feature Film. Congratulations Jayro Bustamante!

  The jury for the Sea Devil Award consisted of film programmer Mackenzie Fincham, film journalist Julius Koetsier and curator René Wolf.

  From the jury report:
  Jayro Bustamante packs an indictment of the harsh conditions in a youth boarding school in Guatemala into a fairytale as fairytale as it is grim, designed with sophisticated cinematography and carried by strong leads. Rita is more than a political pamphlet: a deeply moving film that shows that reality is sometimes best seen through the lens of the fantastic.

• Anora

  THE SILVER SCREAM AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
  The finale of the festival has arrived, it’s time for The Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Silver Scream Award! Where every year the audience will choose which fantastic film deserves the title of best feature film! It was a close one, but this year the best fantastic feature film goes to Anora, congratulations Sean Baker!

  Mikey Madison is Anora, an exotic dancer and sex worker in Brooklyn whose life gets upended when she encounters Vanya, a young Russian oligarch happy to spend his parent’s money. The two start a whirlwind romance, but fairytales can’t last forever.

  The film has already started screening outside of festival screenings, so be sure to catch it at either LAB111 or Filmhallen if you decide to do so!

  We at Imagine thank you all for an amazing 40th Anniversary edition of the festival, it couldn’t have been done without any of you! Yet, most of all, we hope to see you next year!

The Features selection of the 40th edition of Imagine Fantastic Film Festival.

This year's main theme is 1984 Re:Imagined.

Imagine has 5 pillar themes:
Main Programming
1984 Re:Imagined
Interfaces of Reality
Djinn in Islamic Horror
Guest of Honour: Phil Tippett

Programme items not available on Letterboxd:
- Specials: Dystopia in Denial (Video Essay)
- Interfaces of Reality: Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom (VR Feature)

For dates and times check out the programme here:
www.imaginefilmfestival.nl/en/programme2024/

• Nineteen Eighty-Four

  1984 Re:Imagined

• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

  Guest of Honour: Phil Tippett

• Albert Pyun: King of Cult Movies

  Straight to Video

• Algol: Tragedy of Power

  1984 Re:Imagined
  Film Concert

• Animale

  Main

• Anora

  Main

• Artificial Justice

  Main

• Azrael

  Main

• The Banished

  Main

• Bramayugam

  Main

...plus 54 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Mad God
• Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
• Starship Troopers
• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

• D@bbe: The Possession
• Hüddam 4: Ahmer
• Hwjn
• Sakaratul Maut
• Three

• The Conversation
• Algol: Tragedy of Power

  Film Concert

• Artificial Justice
• Nineteen Eighty-Four
• Crumbs

  Afrotopia: In Conversation with Felwine Sarr

• Decoder
• Fahrenheit 451

• Nineteen Eighty-Four
• The Conversation
• Fahrenheit 451
• Artificial Justice
• Algol: Tragedy of Power
• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
• Starship Troopers
• Mad God
• Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
• D@bbe: The Possession

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

7 Films, 1 weekend - 21-22-23 June 2023

With Club Imagine in LAB111 we treat you twice a year, for three days, to the tasteful mix of Fantastic genre films, both old and new.

And we'll revealing our main Festival themes for 2024!

us! INFO & TICKETS

• Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust
• They Live
• I Saw the TV Glow
• Cuckoo
• Exhuma
• Interview with the Vampire

  4K Restoration

• Kill

Six Films, one weekend - 1-2-3 March 2023

With Club Imagine in LAB111 we treat you twice a year, for three days, to the tasteful mix of Fantastic genre films, both old and new

us! INFO & TICKETS

• Omen
• Asphalt City
• Born in Flames
• City Hunter the Movie: Angel Dust
• With Love and a Major Organ
• Baghead

The Features selection of the 39th edition of Imagine Fantastic Film Festival.

This year's main theme is Fantastic Alchemy

Awards winners 2023:
Sea Devil - Tiger Stripes
Melies Feature - Vermin
Melies Short - A Kind of Testament
More info www.imaginefilmfestival.nl/en/awards

Imagine has 4 pillar themes:
General Programming
Fantastic Alchemy
Virtual Alchemy
Myths of the World: Iran, the Unveiled Revolt

• 180 Degree Rule

  The Unveiled Revolt

• Birth/Rebirth
• Bitten
• The Boy and the Heron

  OPENING FILM (NL PREMIERE)

• Brainstorm
• Chess of the Wind

  The Unveiled Revolt

• The Coffee Table
• Concrete Utopia
• Dario Argento: Panico
• Divinity

...plus 52 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

THIS YEAR’S PROGRAM WITH A COUNTRY FOCUS, MYTHS OF THE WORLD, FOCUSES ON A MYTHICAL CITY: IRAN.

The Unveiled Revolt. Monsters, Myths and Power in Iranian genre cinema.

Dive into the world of Persian mythology, where female power and bravery rise to overcome fear and oppression. This Myths of the World programme explores the themes of female agency and resistance in Iran, where Islamic law, the economic crisis and deeply entrenched misogyny have created a struggle for women’s rights, on which Iranian and Iranian diasporic genre film can shed a fascinating light.

• 180 Degree Rule
• Chess of the Wind
• Subtraction
• Under the Shadow

Eight Films, one weekend - 23, 24, and 25 June 2023

With Club Imagine in LAB111 we treat you twice a year, for three days, to the tasteful mix of Fantastic genre films, both old and new.

This June edition we have 2(!) 4K restorations in addition to the six new titles. Come feast your eyes.

• Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

  Friday| 4K Restoration

• Sisu

  Friday

• Unicorn Wars

  Saturday

• Talk to Me

  Saturday

• Naked Lunch

  Saturday | 4K Restoration

• Superposition

  Sunday

• Soft & Quiet

  Sunday

• From Black

  Sunday

Six Films, one weekend - 10-11-12 March 2023

With Club Imagine in LAB111 we treat you twice a year, for three days, to the tasteful mix of Fantastic genre films, both old and new

• Influencer
• The Devil Conspiracy
• Medusa Deluxe
• Skinamarink
• Alma Viva
• Memory of Water

The Features selection of the 38th edition of Imagine Fantastic Film Festival.

Awards winners 2022: www.imaginefilmfestival.nl/en/awards/

Imagine has 4 pillar themes:
General Programming
Lab Rats!
Myths from the World: Hong Kong
Industry

• The Addams Family

  KIDS Halloween party

• Ajagajantharam
• Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation
• Attachment
• Barbarian
• The Black Minutes
• Brian and Charles

  Lab Rats!

• Candy Land
• Christmas Bloody Christmas
• Dark Glasses

...plus 61 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

THIS YEAR’S PROGRAM WITH A COUNTRY FOCUS, MYTHS OF THE WORLD, FOCUSES ON A MYTHICAL CITY: HONG KONG.

In this year’s country-focus programme Myths of the World, we’re focussing on a mythical city: Hong Kong. Imagine shows the unique melting pot that is the city through five films in five genres from five different decades. The festival features famous Hong Kong Cinema titles such as Pang Hon-Cheung’s heart-pounding Dream Home(2010), a 4K restoration of the ultimate crime thriller Infernal Affairs (2002) by Alan Mak, musical film history with The Wild Wild Rose(1960) by Wong Tin-Lam and much more special cinema history.

• Dream Home
• Wild Search
• Infernal Affairs
• The Wild, Wild Rose
• Trivisa

IN HONOUR OF LAB111’S HISTORY AND THE LONG-STANDING KINSHIP BETWEEN FANTASTIC FICTION AND MAD SCIENCE, LAB RATS! CELEBRATES HUMAN EXPERIMENTS GONE WRONG (OR JUST RIGHT!) WITH CLASSIC FILMS, NEW RELEASES, TALKS, GAMES, ART AND MORE.

From body horror to bio hacking, Lab Rats! focuses on death, life, and everything in between. It is about anatomy and about technology, and what it continues to do for and to our bodies and minds. Was there ever a better time to celebrate our scientists, reclaim our bodies and, indeed, come alive? ‘So, come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab!’

• Brian and Charles
• Flux Gourmet
• Vesper
• From Beyond
• Swallowed
• Tetsuo II: Body Hammer
• Sputum

A South Korean double feature night on Friday October 28th, with some cultural extras and a special guest!

• Hunt
• Project Wolf Hunting

Heyyy, summer! Hot days, sun and sweat, but we still want to make you sweat in a different way. Genre fans have plenty to see look forward to in cinemas and on streaming this summer – with titles like Ryan Coogler's musical/horror classic-in-the-making Sinners, spy -thriller Black Bag and the fourth season of fan favourite series Love, Death + Robots. Get ready for a summer full of Fantastic media!

Fear Street: Prom Queen 
Streaming on Netflix since 23 May 
Slasher fans will be treated well this summer with the return of Netflix’ original film series Fear Street. Following the initial trilogy, Prom Queen is a more unique entry into the series as it’s the first installment that hasn’t been directed by Leigh Janiak. The film follows the ‘It Girls’ of Shadyside High trying to get votes to become this year's prom queen until an unusual nominee appears and the competition starts disappearing. 

Lost in Starlight 
Streaming on Netflix 30 May 
Anime fans, tis one’s for you. Netflix is releasing its first original Korean animated film! Lost in Starlight, starring The Handmaiden's Kim Tae-ri and K-Drama sweetheart Hong Kyung, follows the story of star-crossed lovers Nan-young and Je-i in a romance drama that crosses the cosmos when one of them leaves for Mars.

The Life of Chuck 
In cinemas 5 June 
A life divided into three stories in fantasy/science-fiction drama The Life of Chuck from Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan. This adaptation of horror-legend Stephen King's novella by the same name stars Tom Hiddleston as the unassuming Charles Kruntz, a.k.a. Chuck, who experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.  
 
28 Years Later 
In cinemas 19 June 
23 years after having made 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle finally returns to finish what he started with part three of his zombie trilogy, aptly called 28 Years Later. Returning with the likes of Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), this (final?) installment follows a group of survivors living in a ruthless dystopia created by the original film’s rage virus, which is still plagueing the world 28 years later. 

The Old Guard 2 
Streaming on Netflix 2 July 
Another immortal fantasy action epic awaits! Continuing where The Old Guard left of,  the immortal warriors are again threatened by a powerful enemy, while grappling with a long-lost immortal making it damn difficult to protect humanity from destruction.

 
Rosario 
In cinemas 10 July 
Occultists, witches, family secrets, supernatural entities and gore. Promising new director Felipe Vargas’ debut feature has it all! Rosario follows the story of Rosario Fuentes encountering the supernatural after she discovers occult artifacts in her late grandmother's home.

Brick 
Streaming on Netflix 10 July 
If you're claustrophobic, Brick will definitely do it for you. When Tim and Olivia's apartment building is suddenly surrounded by an impenetrable brick wall, they must collaborate with their neighbours to find a way out. 

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) 
In cinemas 17 July 
Take a trip down memory-lane with this remake of the 1997 teen-slasher classic! Starring an all-new cast (and some throwback cameos, as per the trailer), the story is again about a group of teenagers who cause a deadly car accident and decide to never tell a soul. That’s until they start receiving threatening letters...and dying. Get ready for a new interpretation of a fan-favourite by promising director Jennifer K. Robinson of Do Revenge fame. 

 
Bring Her Back 
In cinemas 21 July 
After taking the horror world by storm with Talk To Me, the Philippou brothers – also known for YouTube channel RackaRacka – are back with another terrifying horror story. Bring Her Back follows a sister and brother get adopted into a – seemingly – loving family following the death of their father. Sally Hawkins shines.  

Freakier Friday 
In cinemas 6 August 
It's about to get freaky! Freaky Friday returns after 22 years with a sequel starring both Jamie Lee-Curtis and Lindsay Lohan (!). Lightning indeed strikes twice! 

 
The Ritual 
In cinemas 21 August 
Al Pacino enters the realm of the macabre in David Midell's The Ritual. Pacino teams up with Dan Stevens of Cuckoo fame as two priests set to perform a risky exorcism while struggling with their own personal problems. 
 

Club Imagine is back!  This March we again have great films to shock and bedazzle, six of them in three days, ranging from folk horror to goofball comedy, and from genre-film classics to new and exciting visions in fantastic cinema. Get ready! 

Legendary filmmaker and director Tarsem Singh returns to Imagine with the 25th anniversary of cult classic The Cell. Where psychologist Catherine Deane needs to figure out where serial killer Carl Rudolph Stargher has hidden his final victim. An experimental procedure allows Deane to enter Stargher’s unconscious mind, where she becomes entangled in his horrific fantasies. 25 years later it remains an awe-inspiring masterpiece full of disturbing visuals. No wonder the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Make-Up! Get ready for the sureallist experience of your dreams. 

After his intense debut film Bliss (2019), Joe Begos is back with another drug-fuelled riot in Jimmy & Stiggs. Shot entirely in Begos’ L.A. apartment during lockdown, with a shoestring budget and plenty of imagination, it stars the director as frustrated horror director Jimmy, who gets attacked by aliens. His friend Stiggs comes to his aid. Under the influence of kilos of cocaine, the duo uses any weapon they can find to fend off the space creatures – spilling litres upon litres of blood, guts and other unidentified fluids.  

After the recent loss of her mother, Siobhan is asked to care for a woman with dementia living in a remote house in the Irish countryside. Leaving her pregnant fiancé behind, Siobhan takes the job, which turns out to be much more intense than expected. The vibe of Fréwaka is sinister from the get-go, director Aislinn Clarke uses some classic horror elements: a remote house, a mysterious elderly resident and a large collection of stuffed animals. But this largely Irish-spoken film also focuses on the distance between Siobhan and her Ukrainian fiancé, adding to the film’s sense of alienation. Even more specific is the horror Siobhan encounters, which hints to Irish mythology and Irish politics. In short, an Irish folk-horror with a very personal twist. 
 
To celebrate 40 years of undead mayhem, we're bringing back one of the weirdest zombie films ever made. Since 1985, The Return of the Living Dead has been melting minds, corrupting youth and forever changing the way we think about zombies (yes, they talk, and yes, they really, reaaaally love brains). With its punk-rock energy, splattery gore and razor-sharp wit, Return… remains one of the most entertainingly chaotic horror films ever made. So, grab your leather jackets, crank up the soundtrack and us as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of fast-running, brain-craving and utterly unstoppable undead friends! 

Eleven-year-old Mildred spends all her time reading books, making her an easy target at school. When her mother dies unexpectedly and it seems there’s no one to care for her, Mildred’s fathers show up after a ten-year absence. But Mildred doesn’t give in that easily. In Bookworm, Elijah Wood gives the father – a failed illusionist with a Vegas history – so much warmth and grit he manages to convince both the audience and his daughter. As he takes her on a trip to find a mythical creature in the New Zealand wilderness, the film truly soars through the fantastic stories he tells her on the way. It's a magical and heartwarming ode to storytelling that you shouln't miss!

And of course, last but not least our late addition to the program, Presence. Steven Soderberghs return to horror after Unsane (2018). A haunted house movie like you haven’t seen before. The always quirky genre hopper Steven Soderbergh, who won a Golden Palm for his debut film Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989) and an Oscar for Traffic (2000), made Kimi (2022), an updated version of the paranoia thriller, two years ago. Presence is also written by David Koepp, filmed on one location and a play on genre conventions, this time that of the supernatural thriller. Soderbergh takes on the role of cinematographer in addition to director, essential in this cinematic experiment. Not a film for lovers of jumpscares, but rather one that makes the hairs on your arm slowly rise.
 
TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE! CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE CLUB IMAGINE PAGE. 

As we start fantasising about next year’s festival (and the Club Imagine editions in between), here’s a list of genre must-sees for the following weeks on the big screen or from your lazy sofa. Dark content for darker days!

Fantastic Animation: Flow
Not very dark, but very Imagine: Flow, a gorgeous animated feature from Latvia which centres on a very cute cat navigating the ruins of civilisation ed by a capybara, a lemur and a big bird. Flow will be released nationally on December 25th, but Imagine hosted the Dutch premiere of Flow on December 9th and a special pre-screening on December 10th together with Bantam Film and Kaboom Animation Festival. Where director Gints Zilbalodis presented a masterclass and held a Q&A after the film.

Zombieverse: New Blood
Now streaming on Netflix
Part 2 of the hit Korean reality-zombieshow, which sees participants facing the living dead on a quarantaine island. Fast, gory and hilarious. Perfect for a wintery night in!

Heretic
In cinemas from 21 November
The Imagine audience made sure this scary theology lesson made it to the top 3 of our Audience Award, which makes total sense. The ever-excellent High Grant (strongly ed by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher as two young mormons) releases his inner villain in this tight horror film with more twists than a mountain road.

Bird
In cinemas from 28 November
This magical-realist tale directed by Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, American Honey) played at Imagine this year too. Mixing true, hard facts with fairytale elements, Bird took the festival by storm, ending up with a number two spot on the Silver Scream Audience Award list. See it while you can!

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (re-release)
In cinemas from 5 December
Another Imagine 2024 title, this 4K restoration of classic anime Ghost in the Shell (1995) delves even deeper into that first film’s existential themes and ups the visual ante. No wonder it was nominated for a Golden Palm, the first animated feature to do so. Deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Hellbound Season 2
Now streaming on Netflix
It took some patience, but the second season of Yeon Sang-ho’s popular horror series Hellbound – in which supernatural creeps take people on a one-way ride to hell – is finally here. There’s a few changes (actor Yoo Ah-in, currently in the midst of an ugly lawsuit, has been replaced by Kim Sung-cheol) but its style and madness remain.

Kraven the Hunter
In cinemas from 12 December
Come get your superhero fix before the year is over with this long-awaited take on Kraven the Hunter, the first R-rated film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven and Russell Crowe as his father. We love villains with daddy issues.

The Conversation (re-release)
In cinemas from 19 December
Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid classic from 1974 is coming back to cinemas nationwide after playing at Imagine as part of our 1984 Re:Imagined festival theme. Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who becomes convinced Big Brother is watching hím.

Squid Game Season 2
Streaming on Netflix from 26 December
Boxing Day is so much better than Christmas this year, because that’s when it’s time for season two of Squid Game! Seong Gi-Hun is back as Player 456, and Hwang Dong-Hyuk, de show runner, has already described certain scenes as ‘hell’ in Empire Magazine. We can’t wait to obsess over this one.

Arcane (Series Finale)
Now streaming on Netflix
It’s not too let to get hooked on Netflix Original Series Arcane. The second and final season of this amazing animated series – which is based on League of Legends, but can also be watched without any knowledge of the game – is now available. Pure art.

Sting
Streaming on Netflix, Prime Video and Pathé Thuis from 1 November
Arachnophobia eat your heart out, there’s a new spider horrorfilm in town: Sting. A 12-year-old girl decides to keep a spider for a pet, but her eight-legged friend is no ordinary critter… Sting was created by Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood) who’s from Australia so knows exactly how terrifying spiders can be.

Chucky (The Series)
Now streaming on Netflix, SkyShowtime and Videoland
The United States were treated to three whole seasons of your favourite killer doll before we were, but it’s finally our turn. Season 1 of Chucky can be seen on Netflix, the other on Videoland. Wanna play?

Happy viewing and see you in 2025!

Salut, Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2024! This Saturday was our official closing night. We capped our most succesful edition ever with a screening of Belgian thriller Night Call and drinks in LAB111. Before the film, festival director Chris Oosterom announced the three films taking home an award: the Sea Devil for best feature at the and the Méliès d’Argent for Best European feature and short. Worth mentioning: Dutch genre film is doing great! Because both d’Argent awards went to Dutch films this year (whereas the recipient of Imagine’s own Sea Devil Award, for best international feature at the festival, comes from the other side of the world).

Méliès d’Argent for Best European Fantastic Film
Tallulah H. Schwab’s Mr. K opened Imagine with its Dutch Premiere. The story, about an illusionist who gets lost in a maze-like hotel full of weird guests, tends to stick with you, and it sure stuck with the jury. Quoted from the jury rapport written bij journalist Joyce Roodnat, producer Marleen Slot and direct Michael Middelkoop: ‘We picked a film that is both surreal and real. Where refugees stay silent and sceptics dance next to the fire.’
In her speech, the director thanked her cast and crew, and the festival. She also thanked all the people who helped her breathe new life into Mr. K whenever she was doubtful.

Méliès d’Argent for Best European Short Film
Filmmaker/actriceJuliette van Ardenne, programmer Miranda van Gelder and journalist Barend de Voogd gave Barlebas by director Malu Janssen met the Méliès d’Argent for best short European film. Barlebas is about the witch hunts in the late Middle Ages, shot in glorious black-and-white. From the jury rapport: ‘Through poetic images and beautiful sound design, a world is created that can’t just be seen and heard, but smelt and felt too.’
In her speech, Janssen said she loves amplifying female voices, and hopes there will be more space for women and women-led stories in the industry soon.

Imagine Sea Devil Award for Best Feature Film of Imagine 2024
This year’s Sea Devil went to Rita, by Guatamalan director Jayro Bustmante. In Rita, the tragic (true) story of a deady fire in a boarding school for girls is transformed into an amazing magical-realist take. According to the jury, containing programmer Mackenzie Fincham, film journalist Julius Koetsier and curator René Wolf, the film is ‘more than a political plamflet: it’s a deeply moving film, proving how reality is often best told through the lens of the fantastic. 

Silver Scream Award
You saw and you voted. The in-between scores for The Silver Scream Award, Imagine’s audience prize, were all over the place this week, but the number 1 stayed consistent from the get-go: Anora, a crime fairy tale directed by Sean Baker. Not the most conventional Imagine title maybe, but you lapped it up. Plus Anora won the Palme D’Or this year, so we’re not the only ones who love it.

See our Letterboxd-list.

‘My God! The mortuary voice of the Djinns! What noise they make!’
-         Victor Hugo, Les Djinns, 1829

This year, Imagine is celebrating the figure of the Djinn in Islamic storytelling, both feared and adored. We will be focusing on the many faces of the Djinn in horror films from Turkey, Saudi-Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, specifically. Come by for education and thrills combined. Brrrr!

The figure of the Djinn 6y55n

Djinns are supernatural creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian and later Islamic mythology and theology. They live amongst us on earth but (usually and often thankfully) can’t be seen by humans. Djinns have their own tribe-like societies which can be Muslim, Jewish, Christian or non-religious. And contrary to what you may think, Djinns are not inherently good ór evil – though the films we’re showing at Imagine definitely include Djinn of the nasty kind.
Beliefs regarding Djinns are deeply ingrained in Muslim cultures and religion, and have a everlasting presence in legends, myths, poetry, literature and cinema, with traditions ed on to new generations through the telling of Djinn stories during sleepovers and family get-togethers, and idols, symbols and prayers.

Djinn in Islamic Horror at Imagine 2024 1g3k

In the Djinn programme at this year’s Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, we will explore the many different manifestations of the Djinn in the cinema and arts of several Islamic societies. The programme consists of five Djinn films, a talkshow, five storytelling introductions and a full Djinn story night. Here’s a complete rundown.

Talkshow: Djinn and Turkish horror cinema (incl keynote, music and talk)
27 October at 19:30 at OBA De Hallen Café Belcampo
A full event focused on the figure of the Djinn in Turkish horror films, including a keynote lecture by Dr. Cüneyt Çakırlar; music by ud player Mehmet Polat, short film Haunted by Al Karisi the Childbirth Djinn plus a talk with directors Can Evrenol and Utku Uçar. Having completed a research project on the global revival of folk horror, funded by the British Academy, Çakırlar will discuss how Turkish Djinn horror films’ engagement with religion and folklore captures the shifting dynamics of gender, nation, and family in contemporary Turkey.

Hwjn حوجن - Yasir Alyasiri – Saudi-Arabia, 2023
The only feel-good fantasy film on the list, in which a Djinn falls in love with a human woman but is forbidden to interact with her. A love story which develops into a search for identity in modern-day Saudi Arabia, and a nice example of the way Saudi Arabia has started opening itself up to film and cinema recently.

Three – Nayla Al Khaja – United Arab Emirates 2024
One-of-a-kind Djinn horror by Nayla Al Khaja, the first female director from the United Arab Emirates. A mother enlists the help of an exorcist in trying to save her son from a curse that Western medicine can’t seem to cure.

Hüddam 4: Ahmer – Utku Uçar – Turkey, 2024
Part 4 of Utku Uçar’s hugely popular Hüddam horror series, in which a woman becomes possessed by a Djinn after a forced abortion.

The Death Throes – Sidharta Tata – Indonesia, 2024
A scary Indonesian Djinn story full of twists, from famous horror production house Rapi Films. As two siblings battle over their recently deceased parents’ heritage, the Djinn in their dead father’s body is ready to take on a new host.

Dabbe: The Possession – Hasan Karacadağ – Turkey, 2013
Another film that’s the fourth part of a series, found footage horror
Dabbe: The Possession is considered the best out of all the iconic Turkish Dabbe films. It was heavily inspired by Japanese horror films.

Mezrab Storytellers on Djinn / Mythos: Djinn Stories
29 October at 19:30 at Mezrab Amsterdam
The cherries on top of our Djinn theme programme are five unique Djinn fables told by international storytellers from Amsterdam-based storytelling platform Mezrab. These stories will be performed as introductions to some of the Djinn film screenings at Imagine and combined into a full programme called Mythos: Djinn Stories at Mezrab. The storytellers included are Sarah Montazeri (Iran), Sahand Sahedivani (Iran), Raffi Feghali (Libanon), Sia Cyrroes (Iran) and Can Bora (Turkey). Each will bring their own singular storytelling style and heritage to the festival. Prepare to be mesmerised!

Buy tickets for any of these screenings/events here.

Imagine proudly presents the full programme for Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2024. Just one more month till our 40th edition! From 24 October – 3 November, we’ll be taking over LAB111, De Filmhallen and Galerie Beeldend Gesproken in Amsterdam-West with the best and latest genre films, shorts and VR, including three theme programmes, 63 features, 51 shorts, 8 VR experiences, specials, talks, exhibitions, games and more.  
Ticket sales start 3 October. In the meantime, KINO Rotterdam and Forum Groningen are showing a selection of Imagine titles during Imagine On Tour from 18 – 20 October. Keep reading for more information about our opening film, our guests and the rest of the programme.  

Fantastic Opener: Mr. K
Imagine 2024’s opening film, on 24 October, is Mr. K, a Kafkaesque mystery directed by Norwegian-Dutch filmmaker Tallulah H. Schwab. Crispin Glover shines as a travelling illusionist trying to check out of a labyrinthine hotel. Schwab will be ing us at Imagine! 

Fantastic Themes
Imagine has three festival themes this year. us in a deepdive! 1984 Re:Imagined takes Orwells vision as a starting off point for films and talks about futures past and present. For Djinn in Islamic horror, special screenings, Mezrab storytelling intros and a talkshow will be focusing on the figure of the Djinn in horror from, amongst others, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Interfaces of Reality, this year’s Expanded theme programme, is about all the different ways interfaces allow us to relate to technology. And the cherry on top is Imagine 40th birthday party, which includes a special screening of The House (shown at the very first Weekend of Terror in 1984) and a talkshow about the good old days.  

Fantastic Films
There’s no less than 63 features and 51 shorts to choose from at Imagine, from classics like Decoder (1984) and Dollman (1991) to the latest in horror, sci-fi, fantasy and everything in between. Check out the block schedule for the entire line-up. Highlights includie survival horror Azrael with scream queen Samara Weaving, monochrome Indian folk epic Bramayugam starring Mammootty (including a Q&A with the director) and the exclusive Dutch première of Guy Maddin’s supernatural satire Rumours with Cate Blanchett. Also the list: Alexandre Philippe’s new documentary Chain Reactions (about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre); Cloud (the new Kiyoshi Kurosawa); Escape from the 21st Century (time travel for TikTokkers); Heretic (Hugh Grant goes full creep); Kizumonogatari – Kyomi Vamp (the most original and sexy anime of the year) and The Rule of Jenny Pen (named one of 2024’s best films by Stephen King). We will be closing the festival with Night Call, about a locksmith diving into Brussel’s seedy underbelly.  
Besides these features, the programme also includes four short film compilations with the prettiest, scariest and most confusing shorts about weird encounters and odd monsters, as well as four blocks of Dutch genre shorts: Nieuw Nederlands Peil. 

Fantastic VR 
Immerse yourself in the latest interactive experiences at Galerie Beeldend Gesproken during Imagine. From philosophical interactive VR to Mixed Reality fairy tales: we’ve got you covered. We’re especially proud of epic anime experience Mobile Suit Gandam: Silver Phantom and Uncanny Alley: A New Day, a live theatre/VR show with real actors. Book your slot from 3 October!  

Fantastic Specials and Guests 
More than movies and VR at Imagine! Our specials this year include an afrofuturism talk with Senegalese writer Felwine Sarr and a screening of Crumbs, a live theremin score accompanying expressionist sci-fi classic Algol, and a book presentation of Heidi Honeycutt’s I Spit on Your Celluloid about the female voice in genre. We’re also welcoming a lot of wonderful guests. Guest of Honour Phil Tippett, the VFX wizard behind Starship Troopers and Jurassic Park is doing a Career Talk and bringing his favourite classics. And directors like Emma Benestan (Animale), Yannis Veslemes (She Loved Blossoms More) and Rahul Sadasivan (Bramayugam) will be introducing their own films. Plenty of screenings will be introduced by specialists and storytellers, plus we’re hosting a free Halloween party with drag karaoke (of course). 

Tickets are now live for sale, get them here!

Only two more months until Halloween...so two more months until Imagine Film Festival 2024! We hope you’ve already marked October 24th – November 3rd blood red in your calendars. In anticipation of all the weird and wonderful things we’re cooking up for this very special 40th Anniversary edition of our genre party, here’s a first look at this year’s themes, artwork and highlights.  

40 years of Imagine  
Imagine is turning forty this year! Who would have imagined that during the first Weekend of Terror in 1984? Not us! Come celebrate four decades of fantastic film in the Netherlands, as we time travel from those first terrific, terrifying weekends through to the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival-era and on to the genre-bending festival we are now. We’re organising a few festive events for our birthday, including a nostalgic film screening and a Weekend of Terror quiz for our die-hard fans. We will be adding more information on the website soon. 

 Theme: 1984 Re:Imagined 
Besides the first Weekend of Terror, another pretty big deal in 1984 was the fact that the world – thankfully – didn’t quite look like the dystopian nightmare predicted by George Orwell in his literary classic 1984, which was published in 1949. In celebration of the book’s 75th anniversary, and because so many of Orwell’s themes are still relevant today, we’ve decided to draw from1984 for this year’s central festival theme, 1984 Re:Imagined. By ‘reimagining’ 1984 in 2024, we, like Orwell, want to focus on urgent matters of today, but also give the stage to a multitude of contemporary storytellers speculating about possible responses to dystopian future scenarios. We will be seizing the future through the lens of the past, and we want you to think along! 

Titles in the 1984 Re:Imagined programme include dystopian classics like Michael Radfords 1984 adaptation (but of course), Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid thriller The Conversation, notorious German cult film Decoder (best soundtrack ever!) and François Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451, as well as newer titles such as Spanish AI-sci-fi Artificial Justice. Also on the list: a very special live concert screening of Algol: The Tragedy of Power, which already tried to warn us way back in 1920.  
Keep an ever-watchful eye on our website and socials for updates on (the rest of) the programme. 

Festival poster and artwork 
This year’s dystopian festival poster, created by Emir Ayouni at Growcase, Sweden, was inspired by 1984, They Live! and V for Vendetta, with elements of Amsterdam thrown in. We love it and hope you do too! 

Guest of Honour: Phil Tippett
We are so, so happy to announce this year’s Guest of Honour: amazing director / animator / visual effects wizard Phil Tippett! Tippett will be receiving a well-deserved Career Achievement Award at Imagine, and he will be ing us on stage for a Career Talk about his decades of work on films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (which also came out in 1984!), Star Wars and Jurassic Park. We will also be diving into Tippett’s biggest inspirations and his own contributions to fantastic cinema with screenings of stop motion classic The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers – which Tippett created the arachnids for – as well as his own masterpiece Mad God. A documentary about him – Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters – will also be shown. 

Djinn in Islamic horror cinema 
As part of our yearly focus Myths of the World, this festival edition will be looking at the many mythical manifestations of the figure of the Djinn in Islamic horror films. Starting from Turkish Djinn titles such as Dabbe: The Possession and Hüddam 4: Ahmer, the representation of the Djinn in films from Saudi-Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia will be further explored in titles like Hwjn, Three and Sakaratul Maut. Next to these screenings, which will be accompanied by Djinn storytelling by Mezrab, the programme includes a lecture by Turkish Djinn horror specialist Dr Cüneyt Çakırlar.  

Other guests 
Besides Phil Tippett, many other guests will be coming to Imagine 2024, including Turkish filmmakers Can Evrenol and Utku Uçar and director Miguel Llansó (Crumbs), whose new sci-fi Infinite Summer is screening in the main programme. 

Main programme titles  
Speaking of that main programme... here’s a few first titles for you to get excited about. We’ve got identity switchery and mind fuckery in Aaron Schimberg’s festival hit A Different Man; Kim Tae-gon's thrilling disaster movie Project Silence; feminist coming-of-age horror Animale; The Devil’s Bath, the latest nightmare from Austrian duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy); Bruno Dumont’s Star Wars-parody The Empire; terrifying Mexican horror film Párvulos; and a 4K restoration of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. 
More information and titles will be added to our website and social media soon.

See you in October! 

Just under a month until Imagine 2023. The contours of the festival edition have been known for some time, with special attention paid to Iran and Fantastic Alchemy in addition to the film programme. Therefore: it is high time to reveal more of the content.

 The Boy and The Heron opens Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2023. b2b5j

 
From October 25 to November 4 in LAB111, the Filmhallen and Gallery Beeldend Gesproken, Amsterdam
 
Imagine Fantastic Film Festival proudly announces that the festival will open with The Boy and the  Heron on 25 October, a semi-autobiographical anime about life, death, creation and a tribute to friendship. The Boy and the Heron is from Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, who previously made My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, for which he won an Oscar. The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki's first project since his Oscar nomination for The Wind Rises from 2013 and is released in the Netherlands by Paradiso Filmed Entertainment. Imagine also announces its full program today. Tickets are available here from October 4. View the full program of Imagine Fantastic Filmfestival here.
 
Synopsis
Mahito, a boy who longs for his mother, steps into a world that is shared by both the living and the dead. In this world, death fades and rises in a new form. The Boy and the Heron is a semi-autobiographical fantasy that explores life, death and creation, as a tribute to friendship, conceived by Hayao Miyazaki.
 
With endless detailed backgrounds, stunning compositions, magical elements and young characters on self-discovery, The Boy and the Heron is through and through a Miyazaki film. The director also appealed to his permanent employees. The music is by Joe Hisaishi, while Atsushi Okui stood in for the anime photography.

The movies: legends and growing pains
Miyazaki isn't the only legendary director contributing to Imagine 2023. This is posthumously the case with William Friedkin, creator of perhaps the most terrifying horror film of all time, who died in August of this year. The Exorcist, because that's what we mean, made its worldwide debut exactly fifty years ago. Reason for a special screening, which can also be regarded as a tribute to one of Hollywood's most headstrong directors.
A living legend is the now 76-year-old Japanese director Takeshi Kitano, creator of crime classics such as Violent Cop and Sonatine. In Kubi he takes us back to 16th century Japan where warlords were killing each other in spectacularly bloody skirmishes. As red as the blood is, the humor is as black. We are not used to anything else from Kitano, who also plays one of the leading roles.

And speaking of living legends: In Dream Scenario, Nicolas Cage, as a somewhat dorky, bald professor, doesn't know what happens to him when he suddenly appears in the dreams of millions of people. In the new film by Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli, which gave Imagine a hilarious highlight last year with the satirical Sick of Myself, the professor goes viral and dreams can easily turn into nightmares. The absurdist theme also turns out to be an excellent hook for satire about masculinity, social media and cancel culture. According to Variety, Cage has rarely been better, and that's saying something.
No theme is discussed in films as extensively as the struggle with puberty, or coming-of-age. In the Malaysian Tiger Stripes by British-Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu, 12-year-old Zaffan struggles with the monster within himself as an adolescent. The film won the Grand Prix of the Semaine de la Critique this year, an important ing program of the Cannes festival. Even more growing pains in the French Bitten by Romain de Saint-Blanquet, about Françoise, who thinks she only has one day left to live, flees her Catholic boarding school with a friend and ends up at a creepy costume ball. A film situated in the uncertain twilight zone between adolescence and adulthood, where fairy tale and giallo reach out to each other. Of course, you can also remain an adolescent forever, literally, like vampire Sasha in the Canadian Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. In this beautifully stylized horror comedy by Canadian Ariane Louis-Seize, the main character struggles with a very strange problem: her bloodlust is only aroused by people for whom she feels sympathy, such as the suicidal Paul.
Sasha's dilemma pales in comparison to the moral choices faced by the characters from director Um Tae-hwa's Korean Oscar entry Concrete Utopia. When an earthquake hits Seoul, the veneer of civilization quickly peels away and the peaceful utopia of an apartment complex quickly turns into its violent opposite. Devastating action with a touch of satire.

Imagine 2023 Schedule and Programme went live today and checked here.
Ticket sales start next week on October 4th.

THIS YEAR’S PROGRAM WITH A COUNTRY FOCUS, MYTHS OF THE WORLD, FOCUSES ON IRAN: “THE UNVEILED REVOLT”.

In this year’s country-focussed programme Myths of the World, we put our lens on Iran in “The Unveiled Revolt: Monsters, Myths, and Power in Iranian Genre Cinema”. Imagine invites you to explore some of the most remarkable cinematic gems following the Islamic Revolution of 1978/79.

The program features four Iranian films, brilliant in their own way, that are rarely shown in the Netherlands: the chilling “Under the Shadow” (2016), the horror-infused thriller “Chess of the Wind” (1976), a Hitchhockian thriller with a double motif called “Subtraction” (2022), and the intense family drama “180° Rule” (2020).

In addition to the exclusive screenings, Imagine welcomes special guest Zahra Khosroshahi and a full female existing of Iranian artists sharing their work and discussing the contagion in recent Iranian protests.

The Imagine Fantastic Film Festival is back, and we are excited to announce this year’s theme: Fantastic Alchemy.

Fantastic Alchemy is about the fusion of science and storytelling. It once united scientists, wizards and chemists in their search for the essence of life. Nowadays, alchemy is growing in our present and entering the world of fantasy.

At a time in which science and emotion are at odds, Imagine explores a concept in which they come together. Not to turn lead into gold, but to unlock profound insights that go beyond the mundane.

Imagine Fantastic Film Festival will return to LAB111 and the FilmHallen Amsterdam from October 25 to November 4, with s, industry workshops, shorts, of course, films and much more.
 
Imagine has 4 pillar themes:
General Programming
Fantastic Alchemy
Virtual Alchemy (VR/Expanded
Myths from the World: Iran, The Unveiled Revolt