The Isla Calavera Festival will offer this year a selection of 17 feature films that will participate in the Official Competition Section, which includes titles such as 'Belle' (Japan), 'Demonic' (Canada), 'Prisoners of the Ghostland' (United States, Japan), 'Mad God' (United States), 'La pasajera' (Spain), Jacinto' (Spain), 'The Medium' (Thailand, Republic of Korea), 'Y todos arderán' (Spain), 'Son' (Ireland, United Kingdom, United States) or 'The Other Side' (Sweden), in addition to other suggestive proposals from different latitudes, unreleased in the Canary Islands and in commercial theaters throughout the country.
Thus, the program also includes the Spain-Argentina co-production with Canary Islands participation 'Johan', starring Norberto Trujillo ('Hierro') and José Luis de Madariaga ('Malasaña 32'), an atmospheric psychological thriller written and directed by Santiago Tamagnone.
Produced in New Zealand, Isla Calavera offers the survival thriller 'Coming home in the dark', the feature debut of actor and short filmmaker James Ashcroft, who debuted with this film at the last Sundance Film Festival.
From Mexico comes the anthology film 'Aztech', which comprises nine segments combining science fiction, fantasy and horror directed by Fernando Campos, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Ulises Guzmán, Jasso Leopoldo Laborde, Jorge Malpica, Alejandro Molina, Francisco Laresgoiti, Rodrigo Ordóñez and Xavier Velasco.
Written, directed and starring Branko Tomovic, the program includes 'Vampir', "a Serbian vampire story". This is the first feature film by Tomovic, who before making the leap to directing worked with directors such as Paul Greengrass and Ken Loach.
With a successful career in the world of theater, where he worked as stage director and production designer, Jaco Bouwer debuts in film with 'Gaia', a South African production framed in the sub-genre of "eco-horror".
The selection is completed with the French film 'Out of this world' ('Hors du monde'), written and directed by Marc Fouchard, who, in his second feature film, presents a story of violence about inspiration, art and madness.
About the Festival de Cine Fantástico de Canarias Isla Calavera (Skull Island Fantastic Film Festival of the Canary Islands)
The fifth edition of the Festival Isla Calavera is sponsored by the Cabildo de Tenerife, the Canary Islands Institute for Cultural Development, Canary Islands Film, Development Society of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Department of Culture of the City Council of La Laguna, Tenerife Film Commission and the Ministry of Culture and Sport; and the collaboration of the University of La Laguna, Obra Social "la Caixa", Fly Luxury, Reel One Entertainment, Juan Antonio Ribas Subtítulos y Ediciones Digitales, Canary Pictures Vehicles, Cinedfest, Playmedusa, Cáncamo & Company, Mercado Nuestra Señora de África, Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey, Chocolates Lava, McDonald's, Planet Horror, Stan Winston School of Character Arts, AXN, Audi Canarias and Coca-Cola. Fundación Diario de Avisos and Televisión Canaria participate as media partners.
It is organized by the Asociación Cultural Charlas de Cine, the Asociación Cultural Isla Calavera, Multicines Tenerife and the specialized publication TumbaAbierta.com.
