The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia 2025 opened its 58th edition on Thursday, October 9, with Julia Ducournau's 'Alpha' serving as the opening gala film. This year's festival, running through October 19, features a record-breaking program of 395 productions between feature films and short films across all sections. The festival's official poster, designed by photographer Nacho Alegre, features a skull with a clown nose, highlighting the connection between humor and horror that serves as this year's leitmotif.
The competition section includes 34 feature films vying for top honors, with notable productions including Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice,' Radu Jude's 'Dracula' version, Ben Wheatley's 'Bulk,' and Mike Flanagan's 'La Vida de Chuck.' The festival will close with the screening of Francis Lawrence's adaptation of Stephen King's 'The Long March.' Other significant films in the official selection include works by Ion de Sosa, Gustavo Hernández Ibáñez, Nicolás Postiglione, and Zak Hilditch, representing a diverse range of international fantastic cinema.
This edition features an impressive roster of honored guests and award recipients. Benedict Cumberbatch will receive the Time Machine Award, while veteran directors Terry Gilliam and Joe Dante and actress Carmen Maura will be honored with the festival's major honorary awards. British actress Daisy Ridley, known for her role as Rey in the recent Star Wars trilogy, and iconic actress Barbara Crampton, celebrating the 40th anniversary of 'Re-Animator,' are among the special guests attending the festival.
Galician illustrator and four-time Goya Award-winning director Alberto Vázquez will premiere his new animated feature 'Decorado' at the festival, with screenings scheduled for October 11 and 12. The film, based on his 2017 Goya Award-winning short film of the same name, features the director's characteristic aesthetic and existential critique loaded with sarcasm. The Sitges Collection section, outside competition, will include Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Bugonia' featuring Emma Stone, Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein,' and Mamoru Hosoda's 'Scarlet,' among other notable productions.
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