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Montreal's Fantasia Fest to Show Manga/Anime Films

The Fantasia Film Festival opens next Thursday with several Japanese animated films and live-action films inspired by manga. Takashi Yamazaki returns with the Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 sequel to his award-winning adaptation of Ryohei Saigan's Sunset On Third Street post-war nostalgia manga. Hideo Nakata (The Ring) puts the focus on the genius detective L (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) in the much anticipated L change the WorLd spinoff from the Death Note suspense movies. The Genius Party anime anthology pools the experimental talents of seven directors, including Shōji Kawamori, Masaaki Yuasa, and Shinichiro Watanabe.

Actor Tak Sakaguchi (Versus, Death Trance, SHINOBI) and Isao Karasawa appear in person to introduce Be a Man! Samurai School, Sakaguchi's screenwriting and directing debut that is based on Akira Miyashita's Sakigake!! Otoko Juku manga. Hong Kong's Soi Cheang provides his own over-the-top take on Izō Hashimoto's violent martial arts manga in Shamo. Yūdai Yamaguchi (live-action Cromartie High School) offers a darker story with his adaptation of Kazuo Umezu's luridly comic horror story Tamami: The Baby's Curse (Akanbo Shojo).

Similar to The Animatrix, the Batman: Gotham Knight anthology provides six different, Japanese-animated takes on DC Comics' Dark Knight. Jeon Yun-su adapts a popular manhwa in Le Gran Chef from South Korea. Ryuhei Kitamura will appear to introduce his American movie based on Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train story. Director Yoshihiro Nishimura, actress Eihi Shiina and action choreographer Sakaguchi will appear to introduce the Tokyo Gore Police horror film.

Movie historian Mark Schilling will present A Colt Is My Passport, one of three cult action movies from the Nikkatsu film company. Other notable Japanese films include the game-inspired Chanbara Beauty, Machine Girl, Negative Happy Chain Saw Edge, Robo Rock (with robot computer graphics by Gonzo), and Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django with Quentin Tarantino.