EXIT AT FANTASIA

EXIT was finished only a few days before we stuffed it into our carry-on luggage and began the long journey from Melbourne to Montreal for the 15th annual Fantasia Festival. And we had a blast while we were there, beginning with the certifiably insane Thai action movie Bangkok Knockout and ending with 1925’s Phantom of the Opera complete with a live score from a 30-piece orchestra.

As for EXIT’s premiere? Do you remember that bit in Inception when the car fell very, very slowly off the bridge? That’s exactly how it feels to sit in a sold-out screening of your own movie. Luckily, our second screening saw time return to normal, and the movie felt like its ninety minutes again rather than seventeen hours of slow motion. We had a great response from the crowd in the following Q&As, and director Marek Polgar managed to speak in public without unexpectedly combusting.

EXIT is an arthouse sci-fi drama with no famous actors made by first time filmmakers - and both its screenings at Fantasia were sold out. This is a testament to the awesomeness of the festival and the audience it attracts. We can’t thank Simon Laperrière, Mitch Davis, and everyone else who believed in the film and invited us to premiere it with them in Montreal.