Since the myth of the cavern, there is a representation of cinema; the magical art of the unknown world represented by the projection of images at the end of the cave. That is why cinema is always fantastic and among all its genres, fantasy fi lm is probably the one that carries out, more directly, the function that cinema generally fulfi lls. That is why it is considered the art of the masses since the 20th century and upon entering the 21st century, we can also affi rm that it will be that way throughout this century.

Ilya Ehrenburg accurately named it The Factory of Dreams in one of his most known books. It was factory of dreams since those fi rst showings of the Lumière brothers, which were strictly documentary fi lms: arrivals and departures of trains from a train station, perfectly trivial scenes that acquire a new dimension between their fi lming and their showing to the audience, because magic was in the representation itself more than in the represented story.

The genre, in the strictest sense, owes the cinema a considerable number of master pieces, since that beginning of the 20th century when one of the pioneers, Georges Méliès, made the fi rst science-fi ction fi lm in history: his famous Le Voyage dans la Lune (Trip to the Moon).

Gothic novels were a strong source of inspiration for the genre, as evidenced by the fi rst fi lm adaptation of Frankenstein, Mary W. Shelley’s immortal novel, written as early as 1910. Later came memorable adaptations of other novels of terror, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, that turned into Nosferatu, Murnau’s classic. Robert Wienne directed The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at the end of the decade and Fritz Lang did his fi rst two master pieces: Metropolis and M, the vampire of Dusseldorf. That is how German expressionism was born, one of the greatest schools of fi lm history.

FANT is, in its 13th edition, a consolidated reality, especially among the younger audiences. It was born as a fi lm genre exhibit, to try to put within the reach of those interested and the general public a series of premieres that had not made it to our screens through conventional distribution channels, and to offer retrospectives about fantasy fi lm classics in their several expressions: horror and mystery fi lms, science-fi ction, etc. FANT is 13 years old, a very pertinent age for a festival dedicated to fantasy and horror fi lm and today that exhibit is a festival, that in the week of May 7th to 13th is going to premiere 13 fi lms, besides its parallel section and retrospectives, with the Best Film Award of the Jury and the FANT Award to Macarena Gómez, for her work in Jaume Balagueró’s Para entrar a vivir, as well as the net contests, Nontzefi lm and Nontzefl ash, real image and animation respectively. FANT has a long life ahead of itself.

Jon Sánchez Ibarluzea.
Concillor for Culture and Basque Section
at Bilbao City Council

Astero, gure aretoek zortzi estreinaldi edo gehiago eskaintzen dituzte: batez ere, Hollywoodeko filmak eta autore zine bikaina. Hala ere, iristen zaiguna, nazioarteko zinematografia produkzioaren lagun bat besterik ez da. Areto komertzialetan sartzeko oztopo gehiago aurkitzen dituen zine fantastikoa bere zentzurik zabalenean harturik, aurreko ekitaldietan bezala, gure zinemaldiak zine fantastikoaren onena erakustea du helburu. Atal Ofizialak estreinazko hamabi film izango ditu aurten, inoiz baino gehiago. Hauetako bati, 5.000 eurotako saria emango dio epaimahaiak Luzemetraia Onenari. Aurtengo ekitaldian beste sari berri bat izango da: genero honetan bere balioa erakutsi duen talentu gazteari eskainiko zaion Fant Saria. Aurtengo sari hau, Dagon, la secta del mar (2001) filmeko izaki fantastikoarena eta oraingo denboraldi honetan Para entrar a vivir filman protagonista lana egin duen Macarena Gómez aktore bikainarentzat izango da. Eta, beti bezala, aurrera jarraitzen dute Nontze Berri/ Nontze Flash sariek eta oso harrera ona izaten duen laburmetraien saioak ere.

Zinemaldian zehar, Jaume Balagueró (Los sin nombre, Darkness, Frágiles) zuzendari bikainak zine ikasketa bat eskainiko du Zinebiklub saioan. Fant Lab atal berria, ohikotasunetik aldentzen diren lanik sortzaileenetakoak eskaintzen saiatuko da: ekitaldi honetan autorearen animazio lan batekin zabalduko da atal hau (Blood Tea and Red String de Christine Cegavke). Duela bi urte Ramones: End of the Centuryk izan zuen harrera onaren ondoren, Fant & Rock-ek heavy kulturari buruzko heavy Metal: a headbanger´s journey, dokumental interesgarria aurkeztuko du. El veneno del cine, pantailaren atzeko errealitateari eskainitako beste saio batean, Al Lewis, Monster aitona ahaztezina izan zen Al Lewis-en konpromiso politikoaren berri izango dugu (Goodbye, America, Elías Querejetak ekoitzi eta Valladoliden saritua). Fant erreskatean atalak, ikusteko zaila den (El estrangulador de Rillington Place, Richard Fleischer bikainarena) filma, eta kalitate handikoa izan arren, Bilboko aretoetan estreinatu ez den (Brick) filmak berreskuratu ditu. Bestalde, Zine Asia atalak, gure artean oso ezaguna ez den Filipinetako zinea eskainiko digu.

Montería kolonbiar herrian izandako nerabezaroan zehar, Juan Felipe Orozco izeneko gazte batek Sam Raimi, Regreso al futuro eta Peter Jackson aktoreak eman zituen ezagutzera. Helduarora iristean, osagai fantastikoak zituen suspenseko film bat egitea erabaki zuen, baina ez zitzaion oso erraza izan: bere herrialdean zinea egitea oso konplexua da eta apenas dagoen genero honetako tradiziorik. Datorren urtean hogeita hamar urte beteko dituen Juan Felipek, aurrera egin eta bere filma egitea lortu zuen. Roy Lee (The Ring, Infiltrados) produktoreak kontratatu zuen Nikole Kidman protagonista duen ingelesezko bertsio berri bat zuzentzeko. FANT 13 ekitaldia inauguratuko duen Al final del espectro dugu film hau. Ateak zabaltzen ditu zine fantastikoak. Munduko eta irudimenaren ateak. Ausartu zaitez zeu ere ate horiek zeharkatzen.