Films catalogue
Fantas
Synopsis
Tania decides to take her horse Fantas to meet her friends in her working-class neighborhood. By sharing her passion, she seeks to bring together two parts of herself, two worlds that have never crossed paths before and which will collide in an urban tale with surreal overtones.
Cast & Crew
- Screenplay : Halima Elkhatabi
- Cinematographer : Ménad Kesraoui
- Editor : Xi Feng
- Sound : Julia Innes
- Sound mix : Isabelle Lussier
- Sound editor : Olivier Calvert
- Production : Halima Elkhatabi
Genre
Topics
Trailer
Biography
Halima Elkhatabi was trained at the National Institute of Image and Sound in Montreal (INIS), where she received the Excellence Scholarship. She has directed several documentaries and short fiction films that have received various distinctions: Coup de cœur of Cannes Short Film Corner and selection in Canada’s Top Ten at TIFF for "Nina"; Pioneer of Cinema Award at Ciné-Québec, Best Short Fiction Film Award at the Rimouski International Youth Film Festival, and Best Quebec Short Film Award at the Fantasia Festival for "The barricade" (screenwriter); Special Jury Mention at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois for the documentary "Head Against the Wall." She was also a finalist in the SODEC's "Write Your Short" competition, co-director of the film "St-Henri, the 26th of August”, and co-screenwriter of the youth series "Dounia, The Great White North." She produces some of her projects within Les Films de l’Autre and has been creating sound documentaries for several years (La route du bled, Chloe et Abdi). In 2024, she directed the short film "Fantas" (Les Films de l’Autre), the documentary "Living Together" (NFB), and the sound documentary "Sector Dodging" (Arte).
Festivals
[2024] Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Canada
[2024] Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC), Canada
[2025] Berlinale - Generation 14plus, Germany
[2025] Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, Montréal, Canada
[2025] Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Canada | Best Canadian short
[2025] Vues d'Afrique, Montréal, Canada
[2025] Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, USA
[2025] San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, USA
[2025] Festival du Film d'auteur de Val-Morin, Canada
[2025] Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival, Norway | Best International Short Film
[2025] Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Canada
[2025] Vienna Shorts, Austria
[2025] Palm Springs Short Film Festival, USA
[2025] Canadian Screen Awards - Finalist for Best Fiction Short Film, Canada
[2025] NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), USA
[2025] Boston Short Film Festival, USA
[2025] Gimli Film Festival, Canada
[2025] Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina
[2025] SWIFF - Seoul Inernational Women's Film Festival, South Korea
[2025] Shorts Mexico - Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Mexico, Mexico
[2025] Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec (FCVQ), Canada
[2025] Seoul International Children's Film Festival (SICFF), South Korea
[2025] Minikino Film Week, Indonesia
[2025] Giffoni Macedonia Youth Film Festival, Macedonia
[2025] Bolton International Film Festival, UK
[2025] Cinemagic - International Film Festival for Young People, Ireland
[2025] Annual Short Film Festival at the Roxy Theatres, Canada
[2025] Kerry International Film Festival, Ireland
[2025] St. John's International Women's Film Festival, Canada
[2025] Tehran International Short Film Festival, Iran
[2025] Reel Sisters of the Diaspora, USA
[2025] International Izmir Short Film Festival, Turkey
[2025] Cinemania (Focus Maroc), Canada
[2025] Zagreb Film Festival (Spotlight TIFF), Croatia
[2025] Gala Québec Cinéma - Finalist for Best Fiction Short Film , Canada
[2026] Cinoche - Festival du film de Baie-Comeau, Canada
[2026] Un poing c'est court, France
[2026] Cinema on the Bayou, USA
[2026] New York International Children's Film Festival, USA
[2026] Vues dans la tête, Canada
[2026] Festival Filministes, Canada | Special Mention
[2026] BUFF Malmö Film Festival, Sweden
[2026] Uptilt Film Fest, USA
[2026] Psaaroloco International Children's & Young People's Film Festival, Greece | Inclusion Award
[2026] FilmFest Dresden, Germany
[2026] Beirut International Women Film Festival, Lebanon
[2026] New York African Film Festival, USA
[2026] Stockholm Independent Film Festival, Sweden | Best short film
[2026] In the Palace International Short Film Festival, Bulgaria
Director's statement
I wanted to create a little urban tale inspired by a true story. It's the story of a quest for self-determination, that of Tania, who wants to share her passion for horses in her neighborhood, her world. Seeing no incompatibility in this unlikely encounter, the young woman embarks on a surprising odyssey. In this way, the film stealthily portrays a reflection of the social determinism that Tania tries to thwart on the back of Fantas.
Photos
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