Day 5 it's Carnival Mardi Gras in Porto (and everywhere else) also a big fat day for me with 4 films to judge.

Prime Time  (in fantastic competition) ie: I cant comment

Does fiction copy reality or is it that reality inspires fiction? Is TV a mirror of the society and a reality show a virtual reality that anticipates the future which awaits us? After "Big Brother "and other shows that invaded the intimacy and privacy of the competitors, "Prime Time" crosses the last barrier. A show where the competitors are volunteers by force. They all hide a secret and a crime and are now hostages at the mercy of the audience. Elena is a psychologist who works with victims of terrorism. One night, she is drugged and kidnapped by a group of men in disguise. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a glass cage, and has six other fellow competitors/prisoners. Under the promiscuous gaze of the spectators, crimes that have not yet been paid are revealed, and the grand prize is life itself. TV as a metaphor of  the world, as a demonization of the worst of the human species and a live court of justice. A movie that makes you think and refers to the terror which lurks in the magic box. You are on air.

Directed by Calvo Ramos
Calvo Ramos was born in Malaga in 1975. He graduated from the Faculty of Communication in Malaga in 1999 and specialized in scenic direction and dramaturgy at the School of Dramatic Arts. He participated in films such as "Besos para todos" by Chavarri, "Moulin Rouge" by Baz Lhurmann, "Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón" and "Ibéria" by Carlos Saura and in  TV series such as "Arrayán".

In 2006 he took over the direction of the creative department at King P.C. Since then he directed "Cinco millones de títulos" and "Prime Time".

Absurdistan (in fantastic competition) ie: I cant comment

Between the burlesque and the serious, this is the most recent film by "Tuvalu" director Veit Helmer who won the Special Jury Award and the Audience Award in Fantasporto back in 2000. And, again, we are  confronted with a very personal and original point of view.

In a nameless village,  a water duct has collapsed. And the men pretend not to care-  it is the women who do all the chores...- and go on with their normal lives in the tavern. All atttempts to solve the problem fail.  And, in the meantime, a young couple waits the consumation of their love. A not too correct comedy in which the war of the sexes becomes a true lesson in imagination and humour, with a lot of non-sense and a genuine charm.

Directed by Veit Helmer

Veit Helmer was born in 1969 and studied direction at the Munich Film School. Co-producer of "Die Gebruder Skadanowsky" by Wim Wenders, he is better known by the shorts "Tour D'Amour" (89), "Die Rauber" (90), "Within Grasp" (92), "The Widowasher" (93), "Tour Eiffel" (94), and mostly "Surprise" (95) which conquered 42 awards in film festivals. "Tuvalu" was his debut in feature length film, primed in Fantasporto 2003 with the Special Award of the Jury and Audience Award.

Astrópía (in fantastic competition) ie: I cant comment

How can an Icelandic movie become an international blockbuster? The formula is simple. The main actress was Miss Iceland and is a successful TV presenter, with a northern volcanic sensuality. Hildur is a beauty who lives at the expense of her rich boyfriend. Unfortunately he has just been arrested for tax evasion and their source of income is frozen. Obliged to search for her first job, she discovers that having as the unique qualifications the futileness, know how to shop and spend the money of others are not great advantages to get a job. The only place where the only requirement is the physical aspect is a shop called Astrópía, place of worship of the nerds where they can find their RPGs, card games, comics and whatever else they like. Challenged to engage in a role play game, Hildur discovers that the world of imagination is full of surprises, adventure and fantasy. And if it isn't a Dungeons&Dragons, it will be at least a Dorks&Damsels.

Directed by Gunnar B. Gudmundsson

Gudmundsson was born in Iceland in 1972. Young promise of Icelandic cinema has in "Astrópía" his fourth work as a director. His debut in directing was with the short film "Flying Blind" followed by the award-winning "Karamellumyndin". After a raid in the documentary genre with the video "Sailesh in Iceland" he created "Astrópía", a fantastic comedy that was the biggest box office success of the country in recent years.

Outlander (in fantastic competition) ie: I cant comment

One of the major productions of the year in the field of science fiction. A humanoid warrior from another galaxy, Kaiman, appears by accident in the land of Vikings and brings with him a predator, Moorwen. Although both, the humanoid and the monster, seek revenge for what was done to them, it will be Kaidan who will provide the advanced technology to the Vikings and that will allow the victory over the evil Moorwen. In the line of "Beowulf", "Predator" or "Braveheart", this is a story of bravery and courage.

With Jim Caviezel ("The Passion of Jesus Christ"), Sophia Myles ("Underworld"), John Hurt ("1984") and Ron Perlman ("Hellboy"), last ones as two of the most emblematic actors of today's fantastic cinema.

Directed by Howard McCain

"Outlander" is the second feature by Howard McCain, following the comedy "No Dessert, Dad, Till You Mow the Lawn" (1994).  In the meantime, he directed two tv films "The Unspeakble" (1996) and "Perfect Prey (1998) with Kelly McGillis from "Top Gun". The screnplay of "Outlander" is also McCain's as the ones of "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" e "Conan".