Jun 24, 2021

Satoshi Kono performing in "Chimney City of Pupel" and "Fantasia Fest"

Fantasia International Film Festival, Motreal's peerless genre festival, is returning for a second straight virtual event. The 25th edition will run August 5–25 and will be geo-locked for Canadian audiences.

As always, animation is well represented in the program, where it has its own section: Axis. Fantasia has a history of championing anime - its animation award is named after Satoshi Kon - and this year sees a special focus on features from Japan.

The line-up includes the Annecy-playing Poupelle of Chimney Town, a family fantasy film based on a popular picture book; Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Ayumu Watanabe's follow-up to Children of the Sea; and Satoshi Kon, The Illusionist, a new documentary about the renowned director of Paprika and Perfect Blue.

Below is the animation line-up as it stands; titles we have covered are hyperlinked. More films will be announced in July, with tickets going onsale after that.

All films bar Satoshi Kon, The Illusionist and Junk Head are nominated for the Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation (Feature Film Category).