Yahoo Lifestyle Cannes’ Frontières Platform Reveals 2025 Selection, Ranging From Epic Fantasy to Indigenous Folklore and Drag Queen Horror (EXCLUSIVE)
Robert Ten Eyck’s “Skin Side Up,” Sebastian McKinnon’s “The Stolen Child” and Richard Raaphorst’s “Children of the Moor” look like three potential standouts at this year’s Frontières Platform in Cannes which bids fair to prove one of the festival’s highest-caliber project showcases.
Described as Drag Queen Horror and boasting a heart-in-the-mouth promo, “Skin Side Up” marks the directorial feature debut of Australian Ten Eyck who as Lazy Susan won RuPaul’s “Drag Race Down Under” Season 4.
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Visually gorgeous, shot in lush British Columbia forests, as well as Iceland and France from last October to this July, “The Stolen Child” weighs in as the biggest title at this year’s Platform, a Tolkien-esque dark fantasy which is the only Platform title to have been picked up by a sale agent: Germany’s Picture Tree Intl.
“Children of the Moor” marks one of the latest projects from the Netherlands’ Richard Raaphorst, best known for the celebrated XYZ Films-sold 2013 horror action “Frankenstein’s Army.” In “Children of the Moor,” again it’s the creature designs and practical FX – the children, corpse white, fly infested and a bloated-mushroom headed leader – which stand out.
With key dates over May 17-18, and split between Proof of Concept projects and a Buyers Showcase of titles in post-production, the Frontières Platform also serves as testament to the growth of genre as it is ever more embraced by the film community worldwide.
Presented by Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival and Cannes Marché du Film, the Frontières Platform program received over 100 submissions this year, compared to 82 in 2024, said Annick Mahnert, Frontières executive director.
“We have more and more companies that never came in the past now writing to me to ask: ‘How do we participate in the Platform’ or ‘Can we come to Montreal?’”
That can be put down to companies’ need to look for international financing, the emergence of genre as a U.S. theatrical market phenomenon and recognition of Frontières’ curation, choosing solid titles supported by reputable producers.
Companies behind titles this year include, for example, Federation Spain, part of Federation Studios, and headed by Juan Sola, whose credits include Liam Neeson-starrer “Retribution,” which produces Proof of Concept “Who Knows?”with Corte y Confección de Películas, behind Canneseries winner “Perfect Life.”
“A spicy mixture of bodies, food, lust and death,” said writer-director Marc Schießer, “Taste of Heaven” is from Germany’s Outside the Club, founded by Tobias Lohf and Marc Schießer, behind the Grimme Award winning “Wishlist,” pilot episodes of ARD Mediathek hit Almania” and third German Amazon Original “Trunk.”
“Skin Side Up” is produced by Cellophane Studios and Iris Arc Pictures, whose founder Lauren Simpson produced “Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism,” which won an Audience Choice Award at the Sitges Festival in 2023 before a global theatrical run and streaming releases.
McKinnon’s Five Knights Productions partners on “The Stolen Child” with Quebec’s Metafilms, behind Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language” a Variety’s Critics’ Pick, and Tara Cowell Plain at Cowpi Media who has produced or directed over 65 films.
This year’s Platform also underscores genre’s constant renovation with new concepts – drag queen horror, imaginary friend horror in “Henry’s Ebb” – and new sources of Platform titles, such as from Malaysia (“Baran”) and Cyprus (“Motherwitch”).
“There’s not too many Malaysian genre films. So when we got the submission, we were really happy. It’s like a high quality movie made in Malaysia which is folklore horror while looking like a ghost story,” Mahnert said. “I’ve never seen a gothic horror story based on mythology from Cyprus and ‘Ancestral Beasts’ is one of the few Cree projects we’ve received.”
The real reason for genre’s popularity, however, may be its resourcefulness. “Genre offers possibilities to filmmakers to tell their stories, whether mental illness, via folklore, or cultural clashes,” said Mahnert.
“Baran” turns on intergenerational abuse, “Henry’s Ebb” on “how children process trauma,” says director Thomas Mendolia . “Feed” addresses the real-life horror of breastfeeding, “Turn It Up!” and “Taste of Heaven” turn on the obsession with success, and “Who Knows?” on the malaise of Millennials. “Motherwitch” is multi-faceted, explained scribe-helmer Minos Papas. “It is a fairy tale about parenthood, mourning, and how we attempt to overcome grief and loss. The film paints a magical story of creativity vs anger, while exploring the fragile creative child within us all,” he said.
All in all, the Platform is a rich panorama.
A drill-down on individual titles:
BUYERS SHOWCASE
“Baran (Inheritance),” Joel Soh (Malaysia)
A haunting tale of familial reckoning, this Malaysian entry follows a son returning home to face the demon kept by his father. A fusion of generational trauma and supernatural horror from Soh’s BlackFlag Sdn. Bhd, behind “Polis Evo,” a local smash hit action comedy film franchise. “‘Baran: Inheritance’ draws a chilling parallel between the folklore of Djinn-inheritance and the terrifying traits we inherit from our parents,” says Soh.
“Bloodsucker,” Kasper Juhl (Denmark)
Vampirism becomes a metaphor for loss of identity and control in this psychological descent into darkness. Prolific Danish auteur Kasper Juhl, three times nominated for Denmark’s Robert Awards, delivers an unflinching, hyper-realistic, blood-soaked portrait of transformation as recorded by his chortling friend Danihjel on amateurish vidcam. “With ‘Bloodsucker,’ the goal is to create the darkest, most brutal vampire film, and at the same time tell a deeply emotional story about the chaos of life and the allure of the forbidden,” says Juhl.
“Henry’s Ebb,” Thomas Mendolia(U.S.)
A southern-set, coming-of-age fable in the tradition of “Stand By Me” but with genre, “Henry’s Ebb,” Mendolia’s feature debut after hit Fantasia short “Mr. Thisforthat,” blends childhood imagination with genre, as a boy’s imaginary friend turns sinister. Up-and-coming Kingston Southwick (“Presumed Innocent”) and Banks Repeta (“Armageddon Time”) star. For Films produces. ”What sets ‘Henry’s Ebb’ apart is its grounded perspective and emotional realism,” says Mendolia.
“Motherwitch,” Minos Papas (Cyprus, Northern Macedonia, U.S.)
Billed as “Cypriot Gothic,” Papas’ third feature, set in 1882 Cyprus, a grieving painter and mother resurrects more than just memories in this folkloric nightmare. “‘Motherwitch’ is a captivating folk horror story based on never-before-seen Cypriot folklore, told in a Gothic fairy tale style,” says Constantinos Nikiforou at Cyprus’ Caretta Films which produces with North Macedonia’s Focus Pocus and Cyprian Films New York.
“The Stolen Child,” Sebastian McKinnon (Canada)
An epic fantasy unfolding in war-torn realms and Faerie kingdoms, McKinnon’s feature mixes Tolkien-esque scope with “Stalker” eeriness and poetic gravitas, often borrowing from W.B. Yeats as a heroic journey unfolds made by four heroes – the Poet, Knight, Horse and Fat Princess – to restore peace. “My aim was to find the balance between minimal arthouse and epic quest films, with an authentic depiction of Celtic Faerie folklore that will resonate with a global audience, offering something beautiful, lyrical, daring and unseen,” says McKinnon.
“Turn It Up!,” Samuel Scott (Canada)
This genre-bending, punk rock sci-fi comedy about a struggling band caught in a sonic conspiracy throws in mad scientists, exploding heads, and alternate dimensions for a heady hit of cinematic mayhem. “A love letter to indie music and indie horror, it captures the strange paradox of chasing art while the universe unravels. ‘Play the Riff. Face the Void,’” say producers Liv Collins and Jesse Thomas Cook whose Collingwood Film Company made Fantasia 2022 title “Cult Hero,” nabbing six Canadian Screen Award nominations.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
“Ancestral Beasts,” Tim Riedel (Canada)
A troubled Indigenous woman returns to her homeland to rid herself of the figurative monster sabotaging her life, only to unleash a real ancestral monster. The second feature from Canadian writer-director-producer Riedel (“Jackstones”), based on personal experience as the son of an Indigenous (Red River Métis) woman taken from her family as a child as part of the ‘60s Scoop. “Later in life, she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder as a result of the trauma she endured,” he told Variety.
“Children of the Moor,” Richard Raaphorst (Netherlands, U.K.)
A family moves to a rural farmhouse, its teen daughter discovering the land is haunted by the spirits of children murdered there long ago. “Our short ‘Gnomes’ was really well received by audiences around the world, and perfectly encapsulates our approach: Crazy, slightly surreal, hand-made filmmaking with a distinct tone and a wild aesthetic,” said Mad Scientists Movement producer Marijn van der Ploeg.
“Feed,” (Nancy Urich, Canada)
To be directed by Nancy Urich, a producer at Nova Scotia’s Cut/Off/Tail Pictures, behind 2017’s “The Crescent,” bowing at Toronto’s Midnight Madness and sci-fi thriller feature “Tin Can,” premiering at Sitges, both helmed by company partner Seth A. Smith. Here, a sore breast-feeding mother is offered a cream by an old lady, whose origins are horrific.”We are taking this real life horror fuel and adding folklore creature elements and other fun 80s/90s horror inspirations. We just want to have fun, O.K.?” said Ulrich.
“Light Years,” (Vergard Dahle, Norway)
An astronaut in space grasps at fractured memories, realising he has a daughter he never knew existed. Co-writer director Dahle’s first feature, backed by the Norwegian Film Institute. “’Light Years’ expands ‘Nordic Noir’ into a rarely explored sci-fi realm, merging dark psychological depth with a character-driven, artistically ambitious story that demands attention but rewards it with an immersive, emotional experience,’ Dahle told Variety.
“Skin Side Up,” (Robert Ten Eyck, Australia)
Performing at an unsettling remote hen party, drag queen Bertha Woodhouse plays a game of “affirmations” with the just four party guests. She receives an anonymous note: “I don’t know who these people are. HELP.” Packing style and what looks like an entirely relatable central role of Bertha, “a deeply human story about identity, control and survival,” Ten Eyck told Variety.
“Taste of Heaven,” (Marc Schießer, Germany)
A horror-laced psychological thriller. Aspiring chef Joline dreams of creating her culinary masterpiece at renowned fusion restaurant Heaven; desire and pleasure turn her strange relationship with boss Mrs. Su into psychosexual power play; Joline realizes too late she’s the final missing ingredient on the menu. “Culinary mastery becomes a battleground for identity, obsession, and the pursuit of artistic perfection,” says producer Lohf.
“Who Knows?” (Carlo Padila, Spain)
Co-written, directed by Padial (“Dr Portuondo”), social satire and also dark comedy and psychological horror, loosely adapting Guy de Maupassant’s “Qui Sait?”, a recently separated illustrator furnishes his apartment buying second-hand pieces from an unsettling seller. “Carlo Padial combines absurd humor with unsettling social satire, blending everyday lives of Millennials living in Barcelona with surrealism and online conspiracies,” says exec producer María Rocher.
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