Sitges Film Festival gears up for bumper year of fantasy and horror

Fantasy and horror movie fans are set to make the 56th Sitges Film Festival one of the busiest yet, with almost 60,000 tickets sold during the first week of sales. 

In fact, organizers say this year's festival, running from October 5 to 15 in the coastal town south of Barcelona, will be a "record-breaking edition in every sense of the word: ticket sales, number of films, activities, guests." 

American director, Brad Anderson, will receive the Time Machine Award, joining Hideo Nakata, Lee Unkrich, J.A. Bayona, Mary Lambert and Lamberto Bava as this year's award winners. 

Anderson's 2004 film 'The Machinist', starring Christian Bale, premiered at the Sitges Film Festival, winning two awards (Best Actor and Best Cinematography). 

He will be presenting his latest project, 'Blood,' a horror film about a boy who, after being bitten by a dog, begins to suffer from a disease that causes him to develop an unquenchable thirst for blood. 

Horror comedy 'Dream Scenario' starring Nicolas Cage, will bring the festival to a close. Cage plays Paul Matthews, a teacher and family man with a seemingly normal life. Things change when, out of the blue, millions of people start seeing him in their dreams. 

Ticket sales 

At a press conference on Thursday at the Filmoteca de Catalunya in Barcelona, organizers revealed that 58,768 tickets had already been sold, 22.2% more than last year. 

Artistic director Ángel Sala was particularly pleased with the spread of ticket sales across many movies. 

Asian cinema 

Asian cinema will once again be in the spotlight at Sitges 2023, with a large number of films, and top guests such as Takashi Miike, who will present 'Lumberjack the Monster'. Fellow Japanese filmmaker Keiichi Hara will bring 'Lonely Castle in the Mirror'. 

South Korean films include Jason Yu's 'Sleep', Lee Sang-Yong's 'The Roundup: No Way Out,' and Ryoo Seung-Wan's 'Smugglers'. 

Closer to home, Catalan director J. A. Bayona will be presenting 'Society of the Snow,' which has been nominated for the European Film Awards and chosen to represent Spain in the Oscars race. 

Parallel events 

As well as the movies, visitors can enjoy parallel events in the King Kong Area, from food to exhibitions to shopping. 

And, of course, there is the annual Zombie Walk, where the undead will invade the streets of Sitges in one of the most eagerly anticipated events for festival fans.