The fifth season of Noviembre Fantasma returns with interviews, talks and other previously unreleased content

2024.10.28

Once again this year, the arrival of autumn brings with it a new edition of Noviembre Fantasma, the collaborative venture involving four of the most important fantasy and horror film festivals in Spain: San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, Fancine, TerrorMolins and Isla Calavera.

Now in its fifth season, the project continues to establish its position, with more than twenty previously unreleased audiovisual offerings which will gradually be posted from this month onwards. All the content will be available free of charge on the Noviembre Fantasma website, giving followers of the genre the chance to enjoy interviews, talks, concerts and other exclusive events from the comfort of their own homes.

San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (25 October – 1 November)

The San Sebastian Festival will be offering a varied programme, with leading lights from horror and fantasy film-making around the world. The most eagerly awaited features include the meeting with Morito Inoue, who will be sharing the surprising story behind his film Onsen Shark, a project which took off thanks to an ingenious crowdfunding venture that added more sharks to the film for each donation received. There will also be an interview with veteran Japanese film-maker Koji Shiraishi, known for his blend of horror and humour, in which he will be presenting his latest work, House of Sayuri, and reflecting on how his personal experiences have influenced his career.

Meanwhile, anime fans can enjoy a talk with the popular youtuber El Quinto Emperador, who will be analysing the global success of the series One Piece. There will also be a contribution from the horror film expert Heidi Honeycutt, talking about the role of women in the genre through her book I Spit on Your Celluloid. And for lovers of film theory, there will be two unmissable events: first, the presentation of the book Kafka, lo kafkiano y el cine fantástico, published by Isla Calavera and the San Sebastian Festival, featuring its authors, Jonathan Allen and Jesús Palacios, who will be discussing the Czech writer's influence on fantasy film-making. Lastly, there will be a conversation about Spanish fantasy-horror between Ángel Sala and Alberto Sedano (director of the documentary Exorcismo).

TerrorMolins - Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival (8-17 November)

The Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival has chosen to explore the new trends and horizons of independent horror films through a series of talks. These will include the discussion with the film-makers Caye Casas and Víctor Catalá, moderated by youtuber Héctor García, who will be exploring in depth the challenges of making horror films outside the commercial circuit, with the iconic example of The Coffee Table. Another intriguing event will be the talk by journalist Manuel Mañero, author of the book Cine de terror contado a los niños, discussing how horror films can be adapted for a younger audience, addressing the educational possibilities of the genre and its influence on child development. The programme is rounded off with a lecture about the art of illustration in horror film-making courtesy of Jordi Pastor and Dani Noblon, who will be revealing the creative processes behind their works.

As a finale, Rocío Alés, author of América profunda, cine norteamericano de terror rural, will be giving a talk about how films set in the most desolate landscapes of America have shaped a subculture within horror film-making, through such classic titles as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes.

Isla Calavera - Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival City of La Laguna (8-17 November)

Isla Calavera pays tribute to some of the leading names in fantasy film-making. This year, Javier Botet, the actor behind some of the most horrific beings in recent film, from [REC] to Alien: Covenant, will receive the Isla Calavera 2024 Legend of Fantasy Award, in recognition of his chameleonic career and contributions to the genre. And this will not be the only accolade on view: we will also be witness to the meeting with Tami Stronach, the unforgettable Childlike Empress from The Neverending Story, who will likewise be collecting her own Isla Calavera 2024 Legend of Fantasy Award.

Meanwhile, webseries pioneer Borja Pérez, known for his work on Qué vida más triste, will be telling us about his passion for fantasy film and its importance in his career. The festival will also feature a talk with Marcus Nispel, setting out his vision of the legend of Leatherface and his impact on modern horror films. To round things off, the Fantasy Film Festival of the Canaries will be marking 70 years of Godzilla with a round table featuring the documentary-maker Jonathan Bellés and the director of the Sitges Festival, Ángel Sala, who will be analysing the lasting influence on world cinema of the king of monsters.

Fancine - Malaga Fantasy Film Festival (13-21 November)

True to its alternative focus, Fancine will be exploring the intersections between technology, music and visual narrative. This year, the festival will feature a fascinating analysis of the influence of artificial intelligence on comics, courtesy of the lecturer and illustrator Pepo Pérez, who will compare this new creative era with Marvel's famous "Infinity Gauntlet". Likewise in the field of graphic narrative, the award-winning author Antonio Altarriba will be chatting with students to share his experience of the process of adapting comic scripts to images, while the lecturer Mikel Lagar will examine the impact of AI on creative industries, focusing on how it is used within cinematographic production.

There will also be space for an experimental approach in the form of the concert by CRAVAT and PRRMB, who will be blending electronic sounds, shoegaze and visual art to create an immersive and multisensory experience. And fantasy will continue to call the tune with the traditional recital of soundtracks courtesy of the Málaga Symphony Orchestra, which will this year be dedicated to the Ghibli studio, with a programme including themes from films such as My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. Lastly, we will have the chance to become more familiar with David Pareja, the actor and comedian known for his involvement in films such as Amigo and The Coffee Table, through an interview in which he speaks about his career and his particular focus on humour within horror.

All these videos will be available free of charge on the platform noviembrefantasma.com. With some twenty items added this year, the Noviembre Fantasma catalogue now amounts to more than 70 pieces since the venture was first launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic restrictions. Over the course of five years, the project has proven itself a successful alliance within the network of fantasy and horror film festivals in Spain, providing fans of the genre with access to exclusive content, and linking them together via a shared platform.

This collaboration supplements the films screened at the participating festivals, and underpins their commitment to showcase genre cinema and promote a taste for fantasy in all forms and beyond borders. A synergy which fosters not only a sense of community among aficionados, but also drives a broader and more diverse cinematic culture, in which each festival contributes its distinctive angle, giving viewers the chance to enjoy a richer and more complete experience of genre cinema.