CITY WIDE FEVER by Josh Heaps, produced by GUY MADDIN. Sam, a young film student, discovers a USB detailing the life and career of forgotten Italian horror director Saturnino Barresi. As she begins to investigate his mysterious disappearance, Sam finds herself pulled into a violent conspiracy eerily similar to those of the films she adores. City Wide Fever is a modern giallo film starring a number of familiar faces, including Larry Fessenden, Ian Fidance, Michael M. Bilandic, and Carolyn Farina. “We chose to shoot on a Mini DV camera to get a gritty 2000s vibe. Euro horror with a necessary 21st century update.”

THE FRIENDS by Shinji Somai (1994 restored 2024) It’s the dog days of summer vacation. Up to no good, a group of three wily young friends discover a decrepit house and the old coot who lives there all alone. They begin to spy on him, expecting to find his corpse when he dies. But soon, as they learn the sad story behind his present wretchedness, the boys develop a touching bond with the old-timer. They even help replant his overgrown garden. Shinji Somai’s follow-up to his acclaimed Moving is a comic spectacle of movement and play and a stirring contemplation on time’s ravages and delights. Evoking other preteen anarchist masterpieces like Typhoon Club and P.P. Rider, the film is another testament to Somai’s singular ability to enter into the unruly world of children, using his liberated long takes to stir up the energies of a raucous ensemble of first-time performers.