Fantasia Festival Faces Staff Uproar Over 'Barbed Work Conditions'

EXCLUSIVE: Amidst the clamor of ongoing Hollywood strikes, North America's largest genre festival, Fantasia, is facing its own turmoil. Staff at the Montreal-based event have openly voiced their grievances about the barbed work conditions in exclusive interviews conducted over the course of this week. A petition for union certification was subsequently filed to advocate for the rights and interests of approximately 50 workers involved in the buzzing festival.

The three-week festival, famed for its congenial atmosphere and reverence for genre movies and filmmakers, has historically attracted A-list stars like Guillermo del Toro, Mark Hamill, and Robert Pattinson, amongst a constellation of other illustrious figures. Equally, it has been recognized for its Frontières program, which has successfully forged a seven-year alliance with the Cannes market.

However, beneath this dazzling facade lies a disgruntled workforce. Speak to any staff about the clockwork behind the spectacle, and you are likely to get an earful of their copious concerns. One staffer, who chose to remain anonymous due to concerns of backlash, painted a grim picture. The person stated, "The pay issue on its own was enough for most people to seek change. We’re paid as independent contractors rather than employees, which means we're heaped with more taxes on our already meager earnings, and we get no overtime.”

Another source echoed similar sentiments, stating, "Fantasia is one of the longest film festivals in the world, spanning three weeks with no breaks. Passion and drink tickets do not pay the bills...”

Pierre Corbeil, President and General Manager of the event, in response to the allegations, said, “The Fantasia International Film Festival is a non-profit organization...Despite these circumstances, we hear the concerns of our colleagues...Our team members are always our priority and the festival intends to begin discussions with their representatives shortly after the end of the festival.”

The petition for unionization was filed on July 23 by the Travailleuses et travailleurs regroupés des arts, de la culture et de l’événementiel (TRACE), which is affiliated with CSN, the second-largest trade union federation in Quebec. Should Fantasia decide to contest the terms of the unionization, a tribunal is expected to proceed in September or October.

Now, permit me to put on my Hollywood Dynamics hat for a moment.

"Passion and drink tickets do not pay the bills" - truer words have never been spoken. Film festivals like Fantasia are a blast, but they're also work - really hard work - made even harder by this unbelievable trifecta we're seeing strike the industry lately: strikes, COVID, and inflation.

Fantasia bills itself as a “mecca for genre movies and filmmakers”. But every mecca needs its enablers, its unsung heroes on the ground, churning the cogs, keeping the wheels turning.

Now, we all know that the film industry isn't exactly a walk in the park, but this tale of Fantasia's 'horror conditions' is a stark reminder that there's a workforce who help create the magic that takes us on those roller-coaster rides that have us raving weeks after we have experienced them.

The industry is powered by countless pairs of hands that pour soul and sweat into every event, every movie, every spectacle, so that we can bask in two hours of escapism and maybe, hopefully, get a taste of the sublime.

Perhaps it is time every facet of the industry, including film festivals, begin taking better care of those hands? Since they already claim to recognize our passion, it might be high time they recognized our worth too.

So, here's to hoping that Fantasia listens to the rhythm of its own name - Fancy meeting you here, Unionization!