The short version
- Marion Le Coroller won the best feature film award for her body horror entry Sanguine, continuing a trend of female-led genre successes.
- A significant portion of the competition lineup was directed by women, highlighting diverse perspectives in thriller and horror narratives.
- Joko Anwar’s Ghost in the Cell received critical praise for blending prison drama tropes with supernatural elements and social commentary.
The 59th International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia concluded in Sitges, a coastal town south of Barcelona, showcasing a lineup defined by intense themes of family dynamics, body horror, and supernatural tension. This year’s programming emphasized the work of female directors, with one-third of the titles in competition helmed by women. The festival’s top prize for best feature film went to Marion Le Coroller for Sanguine, also known as Species, a French entry that explores medical horror through the lens of a disfiguring skin condition affecting a hospital intern.
Le Coroller’s victory places her within a lineage of prominent female directors in the genre, following in the footsteps of Julia Ducournau and Coralie Fargeat. The film’s visceral approach to physical transformation resonated with jurors, distinguishing itself among entries that frequently examined the darker aspects of parenthood and birth. Several competing films focused on postpartum experiences and the psychological toll of motherhood, often blending domestic realism with elements of folk horror or sci-fi.
Among these was Nightborn, a film starring Rupert Grint as a husband struggling against a supernatural bond forming between his depressed wife, their newborn child, and the surrounding forest. Director Hanna Bergholm noted that her own experiences with motherhood inspired the narrative, though the resulting story leans heavily into eerie, unsettling territory. Similarly, Mutter: The Diary of a Mother, directed by Alphan Eşeli, depicted the social and economic challenges faced by a single parent after the father abandons the family upon seeing their infant.
Performance awards also highlighted strong female leads in genre cinema. Jasmine Trinca received the festival’s award for best female performance for her role in The Spiral, a film centered on a mother entering into a dangerous pact. Supporting actor Valeria Bruni Tedeschi drew particular attention for her portrayal of a sophisticated demonic figure. On the male side, Benoît Magimel won best actor for his menacing turn in Léa Mysius’s The Birthday Party, a home invasion thriller that also explores fraught maternal relationships.
Beyond the competition winners, the festival offered a diverse range of international genre films. Joko Anwar’s Ghost in the Cell stood out as a critical favorite, merging traditional prison movie elements like riots and corruption with supernatural curses and interpretive dance. The Indonesian production was noted for its unexpected warmth amidst violent imagery and its commentary on systemic issues. Meanwhile, Casey Affleck’s Company shifted from a western setting to a supernatural tale, demonstrating the versatility of genre blending in contemporary cinema.
Other notable entries included Javier Ruiz Caldera’s 5 More Minutes, which evolved from a lighthearted time-loop story into a darker thriller reminiscent of Timecrimes. Takashi Shimizu returned to J-horror form with The Mouths, a disorienting film about a cursed tree that grew increasingly sinister. Sabu’s Arrested Memory offered a comedic take on trauma and crime, following a confused police officer through a series of chaotic events in Taipei.
The festival also celebrated its history with an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of Who Can Kill a Child?, a classic horror film partially shot in Sitges. The expo traced the evolution of the evil-child subgenre from mid-20th-century cinema to modern iterations. Additionally, attendees viewed a 4K restoration of Master of the Flying Guillotine and honored late actor Sam Neill, who voiced a magpie in The Fox, an Australian folk tale featuring Olivia Colman as a talking fox.
As the event concluded, several films secured distribution deals or upcoming releases. Ghost in the Cell is scheduled for digital release in the UK on October 26, extending its reach beyond the festival circuit. The strong presence of female directors and protagonists in this year’s lineup suggests a continuing shift in the genre landscape, with creators increasingly using horror and thriller frameworks to explore complex social and personal issues.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian US↗Explosive births, talking foxes and the devil in a trenchcoat – the Sitges fantastic film festival in all its creepy glory
