The first trailer for one of Fantasia International Film Festival’s most anticipated titles is here. Dreams on Fire, the feature-length debut of Philippe McKie, will have its North American premiere at the Montreal-based festival.
The film centers around an aspiring dancer named Yume (Bambi Yaka) who moves to Tokyo to follow her dreams, only to be lured into the city’s underground dance scene. If the trailer is any indication, audiences could be in for a neon-soaked and dramatic ride.
McKie is no stranger to the festival. He’s had two shorts, 2016’s Shuen and 2017’s Breaker, premiere at Fantasia as part of their shorts program. Yaka is an acclaimed dancer who’s a former member of the viral dance group AyaBambi, as well as the lead dancer during Madonna’s Rebel Hearts tour. McKie’s film will mark her film debut. Dreams on Fire also stars Akaji Maro and Masahiro Takashima.
The film will premiere during the festival’s Les Fantastiques Week-Ends Du Cinema Quebecois, a block showcasing the works of directors hailing from Quebec.
Dreams on Fire will premiere at Fantasia on August 8th, with an encore screening followed on the 10th. Until then, check out the full trailer and read its official synopsis below.
“Yume has only one dream – to break into the dance world in Japan. She leaves her small town, against her parents' wishes, to move to Tokyo and make her mark in her discipline. She navigates between street dance competitions, hip-hop classes, life in her tiny flat, and the many encounters with colourful characters. All alone in this big city, she also has to take a job as a hostess to help her survive. Far from her initial ambitions, this job may help her to assert herself and gain self-confidence, unless it leads her into a toxic spiral instead.”