04/10/2018 - 4 October marks the start of the 51st Sitges Fantastic Film Festival, with the latest films by Gaspar Noé and Luca Guadagnino among the centrepieces

Sitges seems to flex its muscles with each new edition: more titles join the ranks of its various sections, and this year, at the 51st Sitges Fantastic Film Festival, which will unspool between 4 and 14 October, no fewer than 250 movies will be screened. The two biggest highlights among them are the hallucinogenic nightmare Climax [+see also:
film review
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interview: Souheila Yacoub
film profile], helmed by French-based Argentinian filmmaker Gaspar Noé, and Suspiria [+see also:
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film profile], a remake of the 1977 giallo film by Italy’s Dario Argento, directed by his fellow countryman Luca Guadagnino.

Standing tall among the premieres is Gun City [+see also:
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film profile], produced by Zentropa Spain, directed by Carlos Martín Ferrera, and starring Miriam Giovanelli, Brays Efe and Silvia Abril; and the Belgian co-production Ánimas [+see also:
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The other world premieres include Superlópez [+see also:
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film profile], an adaptation of the comic by Jan, entrusted to Javier Ruíz Caldera, who has convinced none other than Dani Rovira to don the character’s tights and cape; Bocadillo, the debut film written, directed and starring YouTuber Ismael Prego “Wismichu”; and the thriller 70 Big Ones [+see also:
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interview: Koldo Serra
film profile] by Koldo Serra (Guernica [+see also:
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More European films that audiences will be able to enjoy amidst the frenzy of Sitges 2018 are Ghostland [+see also:
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film profile] (USA/Iceland) by Joe Penna, which was presented at the most recent Cannes Film Festival; Keep an Eye Out [+see also:
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film profile] (France/Belgium) by Quentin Dupieux, toplined by Benoît Poelvoorde; The House That Jack Built [+see also:
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interview: Lars von Trier
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interview: Jane Magnusson
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With the gathering’s poster paying tribute to the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, directors such as Peter Weir and M Night Shyamalan, actors of the likes of Ron Perlman, Tilda Swinton, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris, and key figures from the film industry such as Douglas Trumbull and Greg Nicotero, among others, will be the stars of the 18 red carpets and the more than ten talks that the festival has in store. In addition, Sitges 2018 will top off its 51^st edition with a huge variety of parallel activities, such as the Sitges Film Hub (industry meetings), seven exhibitions, master classes, presentations and Q&As, as well as offering a more extensive collection of virtual-reality experiences and series this year.

The Filmarket Hub online platform and the Sitges Film Festival have selected the seven feature-length projects that will be taking part in the Sitges Pitchbox 2018 from among more than 200 candidates: they are 9 pasos by Moisés Romera and Marisa Crespo (Spain), Deus Irae by Pedro Cristiani (Argentina), Eat Me by David Michán (Mexico), The Night of the Crow by Pablo S Pastor and Fernando Polanco (Spain), The Occupant by Philip M Howe (Netherlands), The Second Child by Isabella Aguilar and Davide Orsini (Italy), and They Vanished by Inti Carrizo-Ortiz (Chile). First of all, a pitching session will take place in front of producers, sales agents, distributors and companies from the audiovisual sector. Subsequently, the garden of the Meliá Hotel, the festival headquarters, will host the networking cocktail party and the award ceremony (the top prize consists of €5,000 towards development expenses), where the participants will be able to share opinions and exchange contact information.

(Translated from Spanish)