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Madrid — M.C.ed in 2017 by Guillermo del Toro, and Ron Perlman last year, the Sitges Festival’s Sitges Pitchbox, a genre movie project pitching event organized by the festival and online market Filmarket Hub, has opened for 2019 business, launching a call for applications which runs through Aug. 21.

That matters. Running Oct. 4, The Pitchbox, which, will see directors and producers talk up seven projects, each for seven minutes, offers as prizes invitations to Ventana Sur’s Blood Window, Latin America’s biggest genre film market, South Korea’s Bucheon Intl. Film Festival, and possible selection for Macao’s The Crouching Tigers Project Lab. Elamedia Estudios offers a distribution contract for Spain.

In a bigger picture, Barcelona, the Sitges Festival, and Spain and Latin America, which supplies part of the Pitchbox, are a greenhouse for global genre talent.

It was at Sitges, a Mecca for horror fanboys, that “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom...

Barcelona — “The Occupant,” “9 Steps” and “They Vanished” are among seven projects to be pitched at the 4th Sitges Pitchbox on Oct 5.

The in-development forum for horror, science fiction or fantastic genre feature films is hosted by the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Catalonia and Filmarket Hub, the online platform for films and series in development.

Following on Guillermo del Toro, “Hellboy” and “Alien: Resurrection” star Ron Perlman will be this year’s special guest. Before the pitching sessions, the actor will deliver a speech encouraging the debutants’ careers, and sharing tips on how to navigate the rough waters of genre cinema.

A fantasy thriller, “They Vanished” focuses on Alicia, a reserved agent retired from the Chilean Police, struggling with a ruthless depression after losing her only son. Her retirement will take a turn when she is forced back into service to investigate an impossible case: the mass disappearance of...

Fantastic Fest 2015 will include the second edition of the international co-production market Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico, and this year 15 projects have been selected. Read on for the full list!

The Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico runs September 18-20 in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest lead programmer Rodney Perkins and festival director Kristen Bell are heading up the effort. For more info on all of the below projects, visit FantasticFest.com/Projects.

Canana - the Mexican production outlet helmed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz - is co-producing the market alongside filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network. Cristina Garza, Vice President of Mundial, Canana's sales joint venture with Im Global, is sourcing projects from the region.

"The public response to this year's call for submissions was astounding," says market director Perkins. "The 15 selected projects represent a diverse mix of talent from the United States and abroad. We are extremely...

Fantastic Fest has announced the 15 projects in the second edition of its international co-production market: Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico.

Fantastic Fest lead programmer Rodney Perkins and festival director Kristen Bell run the market, set to take place from September 18-20 in Austin, Texas.

Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz’s Mexican company Canana co-produces the event with Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey network.

Mundial vp Cristina Garza (pictured) is sourcing projects from the region.

“The public response to this year’s call for submissions was astounding,” said market director Perkins. “The 15 selected projects represent a diverse mix of talent from the United States and abroad. We are extremely pleased to present these filmmakers to the world.”

The projects are:

Invunche (Chile), Rodrigo Susarte;

The Gray Beyond (Chile-Japan), Alejandro Fernandez Almendreas;

Offspring (Colombia), Federico Durán;

Havana: Vampire Territory (Cuba), Carlos;

Lunik 3 (Mexico), Antonio Zavala Kugler;

The Shore (Mexico), Juan Felipe Orozco;

Rogue (Reo) (Brazil-Argentina), Emiliano Romero;

Eat...