Sitges film festival to pay tribute to Sam Neill, Pupi Avati and Alien

Sam Neill, star of the first 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Piano', will receive the Grand Honorary Award at this year's edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.

The 52nd edition of the prestigious film festival will also pay tribute to Italian filmmaker, Pupi Avati, the director of such classic movies as 'Zeder' and ‘La casa dalle finestre che ridono’.

Some of the highlights of what to expect at Sitges 2019, which will take place in the southern seaside town between October 3 and 13, were revealed.

This year's edition will feature movies such as Rob Zombie's '3 From Hell', the return of the Firefly Family in 'The Devil's Rejects', and Adam Egypt Mortimer's thriller 'Daniel Isn’t Real'.

As for local talent, the festival will also premiere 'Cuerdas', by the Goya and Gaudí prizewinning director from Tarragona, José Luis Montesinos. 

Focus on female filmmakers

With over 40 titles on the line-up so far, women filmmakers are well represented this year, from Australia's Mirrah Foulkes to American duo Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe.

Meanwhile, Mitzi Peirone's troubling thriller 'Braid' will also be screened, as will 'Darlin’' by Pollyanna McIntosh, and genre newcomer Roxanne Benjamin's 'Body at Brighton Rock'.

In animation, Japanese director Keiichi Hara presents 'The Wonderland', and also from Japan, Ayumu Watanabe's 'Children of the Sea' and Takashi Otsuka's 'One Piece Stampede'.

A classic of the Japanese horror genre also returns this year, with the screening of 'Sadako', the latest chapter in Hideo Nakata’s popular 'The Ring' universe.

40 years of Ridley Scott's 'Alien'

This year is also the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien saga, and to celebrate, Sitges will screen the documentary 'Memory - The Origins of Alien' by Alexandre O. Philippe.

And it's not all about film either, as Sitges will dedicate an evening to music, with concerts by Hermann Kopp and Nightcrawler, and a retrospective of John Williams’ soundtracks.

Festival director Àngel Sala said the aim of this year's edition was to open "new doors" to attract "new audiences" and to create a fresh debate about the limits of genre film.