Films

In the opening film of this year’s festival, director Ryan Ward further develops the story of Sonny (Ward) who struggles with Tourette’s Syndrome and, along with his 12-year-old daughter Hildie (Nyah Perkin), tries to escape his past. But Hildie longs for a normal family life, so she befriends a bunch of outcasts in the wilderness. Little does she know, however, that her new friends want to exploit the supernatural powers her father is so desperate to hide from the world. This slow-burning, beautiful, melancholic film about human fragility and the relationship between father and daughter will aim straight for your heart. The film will be presented in Prague by the director himself together with the film’s producer Mackenzie Leigh.

Dutch’s (the brilliant Benedict Wall) life went to pieces the moment he was hit by a car. The driver fled the scene and disappeared to who knows where. He lost his job, his wife and his house, and now spends his time mostly grumbling discontentedly. But he’s also building up anger and wants revenge. Then the mysterious Lyra (Florence Noble) approaches him and offers to teach him how to travel through time and influence events. But instead of being satisfied, Dutch soon learns the flip side of supernatural forces and sets out to find the powerful Time Crystal in time to stop the malevolent Haxan (Jonny Brugh) from taking over the world. A little bit of sci-fi, a little bit of fantasy, and a lot of comedy from Michael Duignan will take you on a fun cosmic ride.

Losing a parent is hard – trying to revive one is even harder. Yet that’s exactly what a trio of young brothers attempt to do when, with their father’s support, they build a special machine together. It is designed to allow them to enter other time planes and dimensions. In one of them, they search for their long-dead mother whom they desperately want to bring back to our world. This visually arresting sci-fi horror film, full of strange characters and surreal imagery from Greek director Yannis Veslemes, is a raw study of grief and mourning, dressed in a darkly psychedelic coat that is fluffed up here and there with a fresh, lightening breeze of black humour. Veslemes will also be one of the guests at this year’s festival.

If you saw the film Jesus Will Show You the Way… to the Highway at the Future Gate festival four years ago, you may still have a vivid memory of it. But forget it now – director Miguel Llanso’s new film, Infinite Summer, imagines the world as it might one day, perhaps soon, be. A week of holiday fun that three girls wanted to spend in a quiet lake house turns into a bad trip full of futuristic substances and exploration of worlds beyond ordinary human perception. Llansó will also be one of the guests at this year’s festival and will reveal a lot about this visually captivating spectacle full of contemporary themes in a discussion after the Prague screening.

If you like Rick and Morty or Big Mouth, you can’t miss this! A disparate group of outcasts plunge headlong into a wild mission to Mars. But they quickly discover they’ve been duped by a billionaire with a hidden agenda. As their situation escalates into ever greater absurdity, the band of shady characters must face a series of unexpected and hilarious twists. Sevan Najarian’s film serves up a large helping of clever and properly peppery humour but also delivers a biting commentary, tearing modern America and its penchant for conspiracy theories apart.

The guests of the Prague screening will be the filmmakers Darren Trumeter and James Bristow. You can look forward to the discussion after the film, which will take place only in English.

One of the most talked-about films of the year has driven audiences out of the theatre at every summer film festival. Can you handle it? Future Gate will screen Coralie Fargeat’s body horror in an exclusive preview. Ageing TV star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) gets the chance to try a miracle substance that can make her younger and more beautiful. But the desire to change the natural course of things is never easy, which is why there’s a catch – Elisabeth must share her time with her new, better self (Margaret Qualley). A shocking satire thematising our obsession with perfection, this is a must-see if you want to stay in the know.

A young girl Natomi lives in a world where everything is artificial – there is nothing natural left. Society resembles one big factory where everyone wears the same uniforms, which breeds rebelliousness. When the riots escalate, Natomi’s father decides to transport his daughter to another dimension: a wondrous, green realm called Esluna. He promises to come to her soon but that doesn’t happen. With the help of her quirky friends, Natomi must track down her father in time or else not only is she in danger but all of Esluna as well. Denver Jackson’s anime offers a thrilling family spectacle that is a powerful viewing experience simply because Jackson not only directed the film but also wrote and animated it himself.

Denver Jackson will be a guest at the Prague screening. You can look forward to the discussion after the film, which will take place only in English.