Forty years after its premiere, Conan the Barbarian takes center stage again as the Elche International Fantastic Film Festival revisits the classic. John Milius directed the 1982 film, shot in Spain and featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a young Jorge Sanz among the cast. The festival’s tenth edition will unfold from November 2 to November 12 in Elche, highlighting this legendary sword-and-sorcery saga and inviting a new generation of artists to contribute their voices to the event.
This year’s program also shines a spotlight on the inspiring concept artists behind the festival. Joan Martin Gimenez, renowned for his sign illustrations, will present pieces on November 10 at Odeon cinemas in Elche, with free admission. The program also honors Mary Louise Pine, a celebrated editor and special effects expert who contributed to the film’s production and who has participated in the UMH documentary interview series Hall of Frame. William Lopez Aliaga and Fran Matteu, who lead the FantaElx project, will unveil a new project during the festival’s run, with a premiere scheduled for November 12.
Conan’s enduring saga traces its roots to the Conan comics created by Robert E. Howard in 1932. FantaElx has also invited Italian scholars and curators of the fantasy genre, notably Paul Bertetti, a key authority in Conan studies and the manager of the Mufant fantasy museum in Turin, to participate in the discussions surrounding the narrative universe of the character.
About forty short films
Marking its tenth anniversary, the festival will showcase around forty short-form works planned for November 11 and 12 at the Ciutat d’Elx Convention Center Auditorium. Many pieces will premiere in Elche, including a bold group of international selections. The festival will host a varied lineup, with works from Spain, Australia, and the United Kingdom, among others, and will feature a special focus on local talent from Alicante and neighboring regions. A notable example includes a photographic project by Gastón Diego Haag, which captures distinctive scenes from the area, and other works that explore fantastical themes and urban legends.
As part of this anniversary program, the festival will present the Alice King family collection and the Red Oscar, a series of titles that highlight the playful side of fantasy storytelling. These screenings will accompany other festival activities and provide audiences with a broad panorama of contemporary and classic fantasy cinema.
New award for best fake trailer
The festival will honor its established categories for best national and international short film and best Alicante production, and will introduce a playful new award for the best Fake Trailer of non-existent films. A separate prize will recognize the best Social & Fantasy short film, with direct access to the Sant Joan Film Festival for the winners. A special project involves UMH’s Audio-Visual Communications and Journalism Dual Degree students creating a Fake Trailer inspired by dinosaur imagery, filmed at the Elche Paleontology Museum (MUPE). This trailer will be screened as part of the festival, though it will be shown outside the main competition. From November 2 onward, selected shorts will be screened in the lead-up events and then compete on the giant screen at the l’Aljub shopping center.
JOAN MARTIN GIMENEZ is highlighted again for information as the festival continues to celebrate visual storytelling across dimensions of fantasy and cinema.
Fifth congress
The festival opens its fifth edition of the International Fantasy Genre, Audiovisual, and New Technologies Congress, a gathering dedicated to high fantasy realms and cutting-edge research. The event will be notable for its international participation, featuring more than 40 speakers from several countries, including Scotland, Italy, France, and Mexico. Distinguished scholars such as Sarah Brown from Signum University (USA), an eminent Tolkien scholar, will contribute insights into the evolution of fantasy literature and media.
The congress, organized in collaboration with the UMH and the Vice Rector for Culture, will take place on November 10 and 11 in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online attendance. It aims to disseminate research across diverse thematic strands within the genre, touching on storytelling, production, and platform distribution across multiple media.
In addition, Ali and TrucIt will host a retro-fantasy book launch, Retro fantasy. Perspectives of an imaginary past, which gathers papers from the previous congress. The event is set for Friday, November 4 and will be complemented by additional screenings and discussions. Miguel Herrera, a film producer and president of Cinestesia publishing, will help lead the dialogue around this archival perspective on fantasy cinema.