L’Etrange Festival will held its 24th edition from the 5th to the 16th of september 2018. The french festival has grown to be one of the french’s most anticipated festival for many genre lovers, tho the festival regularly abolish movie borders to deliver every year an ecclectic but refine selection. This year, the festival teamed up with Premiere magazine to announce a few titles of this year’s 24th edition.

Here are the first titles revealed, while the full line-up should be announced soon :

Opening :

• Anna & the Apocalypse, directed by John McPhail (french premiere)

Recently seen at Fantasia Festival, the christmas zombie musical – which you can read SA’s review right here – will open the festival in a very unusual way : opening film usually were way more “serious” on their approach, even action comedy seemed less light toned.

Competition :

4 titles have been yet anounced as part of the movie competition, taking a claim on the “Nouveau Genre” Prize.

• Amalia – Omar Rodriguez Lopez (world premiere) : The Mars Volta’s former guitarist is back in Paris, 6 years after Los Chidos got screened in the festival.
• Dachra – Abdelhamid Bouchnak (french premiere) : it’s pretty rare to see north-african movies coming to France, or to the festival itself. For his first full lenght feature, Tunisian director Abdelhamid Bouchnak is going staight to the competition with a promising attempt we can’t wait to discover.
• School’s out – Sébastien Marnier (french premiere)
• May the devil take you – Timo Tjahjanto (french premiere) : half of the Mo Brothers duo, director Timo Tjahjanto is about to deliver his first solo full length movie. May the devil takes you deals with two stepsisters trying to help their father, and doing so unleash a demonic entity.

MondoVision :

• Coincoin and the extra humans – Bruno Dumont (french premiere) : following the events of Lil’ Quinquin, Bruno Dumont take us back to his absurd universe.

L’Etrange Gems :

The so well called L’Etrange Gems are back ! The category, which takes interests in really rare, often ancient or missknown movies, comes back and a first title has been yet announced :

• El Otro Cristobal – Armand Gatti

In addition to this program, l’Etrange Festival will dedicate a focus program on the work of khazak director Adilkhan Yerzhanov, discoverd in 2016 with “The Plague at the Karatas Village”.

Part of this year’s main event is the celebration of the 25th anniversary of  Le Dernier Cri, the french underground publishing house, specialised in subversive serigraphy. The team will benefit from a “carte blanche” in the festival where they will screen in world premiere their animation movie, Mondo DC.

L’etrange music, on another side, seem to take interest on Jose Mojica Marin’s Embodiment of Evil. The bands performing have yet to be announced.

We’re expecting the full line-up in the upcoming week.