_{Exhibit #8 by Ruben Broekhuis}

Official Section Fantasy - Features

Exhibit #8, directed by Ruben Broekhuis and produced by Make Way Film, world premiered at Imagine Fantastic Film Festival in Amsterdam and will be screened in Fantasporto's feature film competition. The horror film tells the story of Bosnian refugee Aisha, who all her life has been looking for her brother Adin. He disappeared from a Dutch refugee centre when he was a teen. Now, Aisha teams up with her filmmaker friend Elias, who decides to film her search. The two travel to the town from which Adin went missing, but they soon start to suspect someone is playing a dark game with them. We gradually realize Aisha and Elias have fallen victim to a clandestine snuff community, preying on the nearby refugee shelter.

Official Section Fantasy - Shorts

The short film competition in Porto includes The Smile*, directed by Erik van Schaaik and produced by Pedri Animation. The animated short was previously selected for numerous festivals, including Anima Brussels, FIFF Namur and Anim'est Film Festival Bucharest. In The Smile Knud is only a young crocodile when he comes to America. With his irresistible crocodile-grin, Knud becomes the king of horror movies. His films – in which he plays sexy villains who devour scantily clad ladies – are worldwide hits, and fans all dream of being eaten by Smiley. Knud’s luck changes when he is linked to the disappearances of several young actresses. One lawsuit after another. Knud's empire begins to crumble, and eventually Knud's smile disappears for good. His career, as well as his life, comes to a sad end. Knud was never convicted.

Official Section Director's Week

Martijn de Jong's debut feature Narcosis**, produced by OAK Motion Pictures, is presented in the Director's Week competitive section. The magic realist film previously screened at among others Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Cairo International Film Festival. Narcosis is about a close knit family which is disrupted when the father fails to resurface during a professional dive.No funeral, no goodbye, just a house full of memories. Burdened by the elusive loss, Merel evades her husband’s death and her special power to contact the dead. When she uses her power and sees him, it means her husband will never really come back. Her young children become entangled in their search for answers, eventually bringing the family to a grinding halt. Merel has no choice but to face the loss in her own unique way, to start a new life together. International sales are handled by Coccinelle Film Sales.

Also part of Director's Week is minority Dutch co-production Kaymak**, directed by Milco Mancevski and co-produced by N279 Entertainment in the Netherlands (sales are handled by LevelK). The film world premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival and other selections include Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei. Kaymak is a black comedy about two Macedonian couples - one rich, one poor - that both become ‘threesomes’. Their journey into the romantically unconventional inevitably lays bare the secrets of family and class relations.

For more information on Fantasporto, click here.
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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Film Production Incentive