Hungry for quality Canadian zombie films this summer? Look no further: Julien Knafo’s comedic Quebec-made zombie flick Brain Freeze will open this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, taking place from August 5 to 25, 2021. The internationally beloved, Montréal-based genre fest’s 25th edition will be a hybrid festival, with a combination of online and in-person screenings and events. 

In addition to its exciting world premiere as Fantasia 2021’s opening film (and its upcoming Canadian theatrical release), Brain Freeze will take center stage in the festival’s market section as a Case Study in the Spotlight Programs of Frontières International Co-Production Market, whose 13th edition is happening online this year from August 3 to 6.  

Fun fact: Brain Freeze was first pitched at the Cannes Marché du Film’s Frontières International Co-Production Market back in 2015. This year, WaZaBi Films brought Brain Freeze to the Cannes Pre-Screening event. 

Starring Roy Dupuis, Iani Bédard, and Marianne Fortier, the scene is set in an opulent gated community, where a new fertilizer has a particular effect… you guessed it, turning people into zombies! As quarantine sets in a newly-orphaned teen and his little sister try to survive and find an antidote, along with a security guard (Dupuis) and his daughter. As for the film’s director, did you know Julien Knafo is also a renowned composer, who scored the soundtrack to Brain Freeze (and many other films)? 

With a screenplay penned by Knafo and Jean Barbe, you can catch the flick on big screens throughout Canada in its theatrical release on August 13 (by Filmoption International). Plus, big news: its U.S. rights have been scooped up by Cinedigm.  

Find out more about the Fantasia Film Festival’s program here!