Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival focuses on genre films such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, Asian, and cult. The festival takes place in September at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, filling three screens for eight days and hosting many writers, directors and actors, both well established and unknown. A notable feature of this festival is the inclusion of "special screenings" by Knowles. For these screenings, the audience often does not know what the film will be until seated, moments before it begins. It also features many themed parties, outings, food/film "feasts", and other events that are signature hallmarks of the original Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. In 2007, Variety publisher Charles Koones included Fantastic Fest as one of "ten festivals we love".[1] In 2008, Moviemaker named Fantastic Fest "one of the 25 film festivals worth the entry fee".[2]
Festivals by year
2005
The 2005 festival was only three days long, October 6–9. Screened films included Feast, Wolf Creek, and Zathura. The official sponsors of the 2005 festival were: Milkshake Media, KOOP Radio, The Austin Chronicle, Jackson Walker L.L.P., and Independence Brewery.
Premieres
US premieres
Texas premieres
- The Big White
- The Birthday
- Creep
- Dark Hours
- G.O.R.A.
- Malefique
- Marebito
- Night of the Living Dorks
- P
- Pulse
- Strings
- The Wild Blue Yonder
- Wolf Creek
Special screenings
- Sneak preview of Feast
- Work in progress sneak preview of Hostel
- Sneak preview of the recut and extended version of Sin City
- Sneak preview of Zathura
- A Scanner Darkly
Retrospective screenings
The theme of the 2005 Retrospective series was "Post Apocalyptic Cinema" which included
- The Last Wave
- Miracle Mile
- No Blade of Grass
- 1990: Bronx Warriors
Special events
The special effects team from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe installed a display of costumes, creatures and props from the Narnia film. Legendary make-up and effects supervisor Howard Berger presided over a special effects Q&A.
2006
The 2006 festival was expanded to 8 days and held September 21–28.
Premieres
World premiere
US premieres
Texas premieres
- Abominable
- Beach Party at the Threshhold of Hell
- The District!
- Firefly
- Frostbite
- The Glamourous Life of Sachiko Hanai
- Hatchet
- Inside
- The Last Supper
- Naisu No Mori
- Nightmare
- Origin, Spirit of the Past
- Piano Tuner of Earthquakes
- Puzzlehead
- A Quiet Love
- Renaissance
- Severance
- Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
- Shiva
- Simon Says" With Q&A with star Crispin Glover
- Starfish Hotel
- Unrest
- Wilderness
- Zhest
Special screenings
Retrospective screenings
There were 3 retrospective series; the first paid homage to cult midnight films and included
The second was presented by cult author Jack Stevenson and included
- A compilation of films depicting drugs in American film
- Scandinavian Sinema, a presentation of postwar Scandinavian erotic cinema
- Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages
And the third was a retrospective of the action/crime films of director Ram Gopal Varma, featuring
- Ab Tak Chhappan
- Company
- Ek Hasina Thi
There was also Meltdown Memoirs, a documentary about the making of Street Trash, which also played.
Award winners
Horror Jury Awards, for excellence in the Horror Genre[3]
Serving on the Horror jury were Jay Slater of FilmThreat.com, Edwin Neal of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Peter Martin of Twitch.com, and Chris Cargill of AintItCoolNews.com.
Short Film Jury Awards
Serving on the Short Film Jury were Brian Satterwhite, Jay Knowles and Chris Cargill, all of AintItcoolNews.com.
Fantastic Fest Jury Awards, for excellence in films outside the Horror Genre
- Best Film - The Living and the Dead
- Best Director - Simon Rumley for The Living and the Dead
- Best Script - Larry Kent and Daniel Williams for The Hamster Cage
- Best Actor - Leo Bill from The Living and the Dead
- Best Actress - Jodie Jameson from Venus Drowning
- Best Supporting Actor - Alan Scarfe from The Hamster Cage
- Best Supporting Actress - Kate Fahy from The Living and The Dead
- Best Art Direction - Starfish Hotel
- Best Cinematography - A Quiet Love
- Best Special Effects - Puzzlehead
- Best Make-up - The Living and the Dead
- Special Jury Mention - Blood Tea and Red String
Serving on the Fantastic Fest Jury Awards were Christian Hallman of the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival, Wiley Wiggins of Dazed and Confused and Waking Life, and Scott Weinberg of eFilmCritic.com and Cinematical.com.
Audience Awards
Highlights
A notable highlight for the audience occurred when Mel Gibson walked into the theater.
2007
The 2007 festival was held September 20–27. In 2007, Fantastic Fest became a supporting member of the Melies European Federation of Fantastic Film Festivals (EFFFF) and helped to found the North American Fantastic Festival Alliance, along with Fantasia in Montreal, and Dead Channels in San Francisco. The official sponsors of the 2007 Fantastic Fest were: AMD, Stella Artois, AT&T, Twitch.com, B-Side, Rue Morgue, Fangoria, and Mondo Macabro.
Premieres
World premieres
US premieres
Texas premieres
- Aachi and Ssipak
- Angel
- The Beautiful Beast
- Blood, Boobs, and Beast
- Death Note
- Death Note: The Last Name
- Devil's Helper: The Folk Art Films of Phil Chambliss
- A Dirty Carnival
- Dog Bite Dog
- End of The Line
- The Entrance
- Exte: Hair Extensions
- The Ferryman
- Finishing the Game
- Five Across The Eyes
- Flight of the Living Dead
- The Girl Next Door
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Hell's Ground
- Kiltro with Q&A by director Ernesto Diaz and star Marco Zaror
- The Last Winter
- Moebius Redux: A Life In Pictures with Q&A by director Hasko Baumann
- Never Belongs To Me
- OffScreen
- Postal with Q&A by director Uwe Boll and actor Zack Ward
- Princess
- Restribution
- Sex and Death 101
- Son of Rambow
- Spiral
- The Swordbearer
- Taxidermia
- Uncle's Paradise (the food/film feature of the year)
- Weirdsville
- Wicked Flowers
Special screenings
Retrospective screenings
The Nikkatsu action series featured films mainly never before shown theatrically in the United States:
Award winners[7]
AMD Next Wave Award, for excellence by an up and coming new filmmaker
Horror Jury Award, for excellence in the Horror genre
Fantastic Fest Jury Award, for excellence outside of the Horror genre
- Gold Medal - Offscreen
- Silver Medal - Never Belongs to Me
- Bronze Medal - Aachi and Ssipak
- Special Jury Prize for Most Original Scenario - Never Belongs to Me
Horror Shorts Award
- Gold Medal - "In the Wall"
- Silver Medal - "The Fifth"
- Bronze Medal - "Far Out"
Animated Shorts Award
Fantastic Shorts Award
- Gold Medal - "Waiting For Yesterday"
- Silver Medal - "Sniffer"
- Bronze Medal - "Suityman"
Audience Award
Highlights
- Shooting shotguns with the "Next Wave" directors
- Impromptu Karaoke party and "Fantastic Feud" game show
- Watching pornography (Japanese pinku Uncle's Paradise) in the suburban front yard of festival director Tim League's house
- Q&A by director Uwe Boll and star Zack Ward after a screening of Postal
2008
Fantastic Fest 2008 was held September 18–25.
Premieres
World premieres
- Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds, with director John Gulager and most of the cast in attendance
- Santos, with director Nicolas Lopez in attendance
- Seventh Moon, with director Eduardo Sanchez and stars Amy Smart and Tim Chiou in attendance
- Zombie Girl: The Movie[8]
US premieres
Texas premieres
- Alien Raiders
- Astropia
- The Burrowers
- Cargo 200
- The Chaser
- Chocolate
- La Creme
- Dark Floors
- Doctor Infierno
- Donkey Punch
- Estomago: A Gastronomic Story (Food/film event)
- Ex Drummer
- Fanboys
- Fears of the Dark
- Fighter
- Gachi Boy: Wrestling With a Memory
- The Good The Bad and the Weird
- How To Get Rid of the Others
- I Think We're Alone Now
- Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
- JCVD
- Just Another Love Story
- Late Bloomer
- Left Bank
- Let The Right One In
- Martyrs
- 'Muay Thai Chaiya
- Pulse 2
- Repo! The Genetic Opera
- Rule of Three
- South of Heaven
- Spine Tingler - The William Castle Story
- The Substitute
- Surveillance with Q&A by director Jennifer Lynch
- Terra
- Tokyo!
- Tokyo Gore Police
- Vinyan
- Wicked Lake
- The Wild Man of the Navidad
- The Wreck
- Your Name Here
Special screenings
- The Brothers Bloom, with director Rian Johnson in attendance
- Appaloosa
- Eagle Eye (With road rally scavenger hunt)
- Role Models, with Paul Rudd and David Wain in attendance
- RocknRolla
- City of Ember (closing night film), with Bill Murray and Gil Kenan in attendance.
Retrospective screenings
There was an Ozploitation retrospective featuring Australian exploitation films from the 70's and 80's:
And the documentary Not Quite Hollywood about Ozploitation in the golden age.
There was also a sampling of Japanese "pinku" titles, including
- Blue Film Woman
- Gushing Prayer
- A Lonely Cow Weeps At Dawn
- S&M Hunter
Award winners[9]
AMD Next Wave Award for excellence by an up-and-coming new filmmaker
AMD Fantastic Fest Online
Horror Features, for excellence in the Horror genre
Fantastic Features, for excellence outside of the Horror genre
- Gold Medal - How to Get Rid of the Others
- Silver Medal - Cargo 200
- Bronze Medal - Ex Drummer
- Special Jury Award for originality and vision - Santos
Horror Shorts
Fantastic Shorts
- Gold Medal - "The Object"
- Silver Medal - "Spandex Man"
- Bronze Medal - "Stagman"
- Special Jury Award for Visual Invention - "Rojo Red"
Animated Shorts
- Gold Medal - "Bernie's Doll"
- Silver Medal - "Muto"
- Bronze Medal - "Violeta"
- Special Jury Award for Technical Merit - "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Hollow"
Highlights
- Director Nacho Vigalondo covering his face with honey and shooting himself with a confetti cannon following the screening of his short films.
- The "shaky-face" badge photos required attendees to submit a picture of themselves taken while violently shaking their heads back and forth. This resulted in some very unusual portraits.
- The Fantastic Debates pitted film lovers against one another in spirited arguments about "Horror Remakes - Reinvented Classics, or Modern Abominations" and the like. Debators unable to resolve their differences with words then stepped into the boxing ring to settle things with fists.
- Closing party, sponsored by the film City of Ember was held at Longhorn Caverns. Bill Murray attended.
2009
The 2009 festival was held September 24–October 1. It was the first year of the Fantastic Fest Lifetime Achievement Award, given to director Jess Franco. The official sponsors of the 2009 Fantastic Fest were: Real D, G4, Dark Sky Films, Best Buy, Stella Artois, Jeremiah Weed, Ain't It Cool News, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
Premieres
World premieres
U.S premieres
Texas premieres
- Breathless
- Bronson
- Brutus and Balzaak Bash
- Buratino, son of Pinocchio with Q&A by director Rasmus Merivoo
- The Children
- Clive Barker's Dread
- Crazy Racer (Food/film event)
- Cropsey
- Dirty Mind
- District 13: Ultimatum
- Eugenie: Story of Her Journey Into Perversion
- Fireball
- Fish Story
- Groper Train
- Hard Revenge Milly
- House (Hausu)
- House of the Dead
- Journey to Saturn
- K20: The Fiend with 20 Faces
- Kaifek Murder
- Kamogawa Horumu - Battle League in Kyoto
- Kenny Begins
- Krabat
- The Legend Is Alive
- Love Exposure
- Morphine
- Ninja Assassin
- Paranormal Activity
- Private Eye
- Rampage with Q&A by director Uwe Boll
- The Revenant
- Salvage
- Soloman Kane
- Stingray Sam with Q&A by director Corey McAbee
- Survival of the Dead
- Terribly Happy
- A Town Called Panic
- Trick R Treat
- Truffe (Food/film event) with Q&A by director Kim Nguyen
- Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl
- Yatterman
- Yesterday
Special screenings
Retrospective screenings
A retrospective of the films of Jess Franco in support of his lifetime achievement award:
Award winners[13]
Next Wave Award, for excellence by an up and coming new filmmaker
- Best Feature: Down Terrace (Ben Wheatley)
- Best Director: Yang Ik-Joon (Breathless)
- Best Screenplay: Robin Hill, Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace)
- Best Actor: Jeong-min Hwang (Private Eye)
- Best Actress: Shera Bechard (Sweet Karma)
Horror Jury Award, for excellence in the Horror genre
- Best Horror Feature: Human Centipede (Tom Six)
- Best Horror Director: Kerry Prior (The Revenant)
- Best Horror Actor: Dieter Laser (Human Centipede)
- Best Horror Actress: Neve McIntosh (Salvage)
Fantastic Fest Jury Award, for excellence outside of the Horror genre
- Best Fantastic Feature: Mandrill (Ernesto Diaz-Espinoza)
- Best Fantastic Director: Kim Nguyen (Truffe)
- Best Fantastic Screenplay: Tamio Hayashi adapted from Kotaro Isaka (Fish Story)
- Best Fantastic Actor: Marko Zaror (Mandrill)
- Best Fantastic Actress: Chiaki Kuriyama (Kamogawa Horumo)
Horror Shorts Award
- Best Horror Short – "Full Employment" (Thomas Oberlies, Matthias Vogel)
- Special Mention – "Excision" (Richard Bates, Jr.)
Fantastic Shorts Award
- Best Fantastic Short – "Terminus" (Trevor Cawood)
- Special Jury Award – "Next Floor" (Denis Villeneuve)
Animated Shorts Award
Audience Award
- Audience Award, Best Feature: A Town Called Panic (Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar)
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: Fish Story
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: Breathless
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: The Revenant
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: Merantau
Highlights
- Watching Uwe Boll fight Alamo Drafthouse owner Tim League at the Fantastic Debates
- Chaos Reigns!
- Shooting machine guns
- 100% medically accurate Q&A by director Tom Six after his film Human Centipede
- Opening of the HighBall, the official Fantastic Fest party-place/bowling alley/bar
2010
The 2010 festival was held September 23–Sept 30. It was the first year of the Fantastic Arcade, a showcase of independent video games.[14] The presenting sponsors of the 2010 Fantastic Fest were: Dell, AMD, RealD, Ambhar Tequila, FearNet.com, PlayStation and Qriocity.[15]
World premieres
- Agnosia, with a Q&A by director Eugenio Mira, veteran of FF 2005.
- 30 Days Of Night, with Q&A by director Ben Ketai, writers Kiele Sanchez and Steve Niles, and stars Doira Baird and Troy Ruptash
- Undocumented, with Q&A by director Chris Peckover
- Zombie Roadkill with Q&A by director David Green and stars David Dorfman and Thomas Haden Church
- Helldriver, with Q&A by director Yoshihiro Nishimura
- Sharktopus, with Q&A by Roger and Julie Corman
- True Legend, with Q&A by director Yuen Wo Ping
- Troll Hunter with Q&A by director Andre Ouvredal
- Red, with Q&A by star Karl Urban
International premieres
- Norwegian Ninja, with Q&A by director Thomas Cappelen Malling
- Ong Bak 3
US premieres
- Bedevilled with Q&A by director Jang Cheol-so
- Bunraku, with Q&A by director Guy Moshe and star Josh Hartnett
- Cold Fish
- Corridor with Q&A by directors Johan Lundborg and Johan Storm and star Emil Johnsen
- The Dead, with Q&A by writer/directors Howard and Jonathan Ford
- Fatso
- Fire of Conscience
- Hatchet 2 with Q&A by director Adam Green
- A Horrible Way to Die, with Q&A by director Adam Wingard
- The Housemaid (2010 version)
- Julia's Eyes
- Kidnapped with Q&A by director Miguel Angel Vivas
- The Last Circus, with Q&A by director Alex de la Iglesia
- Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
- Let Me In with Q&A by director Matt Reeves and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Elias Koteas and Dylan Minnette
- Naan Kadavul
- Outrage
- Rammbock, with Q&A by director Marvin Kren
- Rare Exports
- Red Hill
- Redline
- I Saw the Devil
- A Somewhat Gentle Man
- The Sound of Noise
- I Spit on Your Grave
- Stake Land, with Q&A by director Jim Mickle and stars Nick Damici, Connor Paolo and Danielle Harris
- Stone, with Q&A by director John Curran and star Edward Norton
- Transfer
- We Are What We Are
Texas premieres
- 13 Assassins
- 14 Blades
- Bibliotheque Pascale
- Carancho
- Drones with Q&A by directors Amber Benson and Adam Busch
- Enter The Void
- Five Element Ninjas
- From Beyond
- Gallants
- Golden Slumber
- Heartless
- High Lane
- In The Attic with Q&A by director Jiri Barta
- Ip Man 2
- Life and Death of a Porno Gang
- Man From Nowhere
- Monaco
- Mother's Day with Q&A by director Darren Bousman and star Rebecca De Mornay
- Mutant Girl Squad
- Never Let me Go
- Nightmares
- Playing Columbine
- Primal
- Red White and Blue
- Rubber
- Summer Wars
- The Violent Kind with Q&A by directors Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores
- Woochi
Special screenings
- Buried, with Q&A by star Ryan Reynolds
- Machete Maidens Unleashed
- Nerdcore Rising (to kick off Fantastic Arcade)
- Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission
Retrospective screenings
- Class of 1984 (to celebrate the debut of the new book by Zack Carlson "Destroy All Movies")
- The Housemaid (1960 version)
- X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes (to commemorate the lifetime achievement award for Roger and Julie Corman)
- Snake In Eagles Shadow (to commemorate the lifetime achievement award for Yuen Wo Ping)
- Joysticks
- Twilight People
Live Performances
- The Intergalactic Nemesis, a graphic novel radio play by Jason Neulander
- Nevermore, a stage performance by Jeffrey Combs as Edgar Allan Poe, directed by Stuart Gordon
- Independence Day, with live commentary by Master Pancake with Bill Pullman
- SpaceBalls Quote-along, hosted by Bill Pullman
AWARD WINNERS[19]
The Dell/AMD Next Wave Award, for excellence by an up and coming new filmmaker
Horror Jury Award, for excellence in the Horror genre
- Best Horror Feature: Kidnapped
- Best Horror Director: Miguel Angel Vivas (Kidnapped)
- Best Horror Screenplay: Simon Barrett (A Horrible Way to Die)
- Best Horror Actor: A J Bowen (A Horrible Way to Die)
- Best Horror Actress: Amy Seimetz (A Horrible Way to Die)
Fantastic Fest Jury Award, for excellence outside of the Horror genre
- Best Fantastic Feature: The Sound of Noise
- Best Fantastic Director: Pablo Trapero (Carancho)
- Best Fantastic Screenplay: Sion Sono and Yoshiki Takahashi (Cold Fish)
- Best Fantastic Actor: Stellan Skarsgard (A Somewhat Gentle Man)
- Best Fantastic Actress: Martina Gusman (Carancho)
Horror Shorts Award
- Best Horror Short – "Legend of Beaver Dam" (Jerome Sable)
- Special Mention – "Deus Irae" (Pedro Cristiani)
Fantastic Shorts Award
- Best Fantastic Short – "Sorry... I Love You" (Leticia Dolera)
Animated Shorts Award
- Best Animated Short – "Teclopolis" (Javier Mrad)
Audience Award
- Audience Award, Best Feature: Bedevilled (Jang Cheol-so)
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: Ip Man 2
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: Rubber
- Audience Award, Honorable Mention: Golden Slumber
Highlights
- Boys Choir singing the theme from Let Me In at opening night
- Tim League boxing Michelle Rodruigez (Girl Fight, Avatar)
- Bill Pullman, Elijah Wood and The Rza singing karaoke
- Whole Roasted Cow and 500,000 volts of electricity at the Closing Night Party
References
- ^ Brown, Todd (2007-12-05). "Variety Publisher Names Fantastic Fest One of Top Ten". Twitch. http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/variety-publisher-names-fantastic-fest-one-of-top-ten/. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ MovieMaker, Spring 2008.
- ^ Weinberg, Scott (2006-10-01). "Fantastic Fest Award Winners!". Cinematical. http://www.cinematical.com/2006/10/01/fantastic-fest-award-winners/. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ Mike Jones (2007-09-27). ""There Will Be Blood" screens at Fantastic Fest". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/blog/1390000339/post/960015096.html. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ Kernion, Jette (2007-10-12). "Fantastic Fest Review: Timecrimes". Cinematical. http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/12/fantastic-fest-review-timecrimes/. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter, 19 January 2008.
- ^ Kernion, Jette (2007-09-30). "'Timecrimes' Tops Fantastic Fest Awards". Cinematical. http://www.cinematical.com/2007/09/30/timecrimes-tops-fantastic-fest-awards/. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Odam, Matthew (2008-09-23). "Fantastic Fest award winners". Austin360.com. http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austinmovies/entries/2008/09/23/fantastic_fest_award_winners.html?cxntfid=blogs_austin_movie_blog. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ http://www.fangoria.com/fangoria-entertainment/radio/internal-injuries/4065--fantastic-fest-09-zombieland-a-the-red-carpet.html
- ^ By (2009-09-25). "Gentlemen Broncos Movie Review - Read Variety's Analysis Of The Film Gentlemen Broncos". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941243.html. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ Kelly, Kevin (03/10/09). "Fantastic Fest Day Eight: Silat, Brains, and Dolph Lundgren". Screen Rant. http://screenrant.com/fantastic-fest-day-silat-brains-dolph-lundgren-kkelly-29118/. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ Kelly, Kevin (2009-09-30). "Fantastic Fest Announces 2009 Award Winners". Cinematical. http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/30/fantastic-fest-announces-2009-award-winners/. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ Narcisse, Evan (2010-08-16). "Fantastic Fest Unveils Main Lineup of Fantastic Arcade programming". IFC.com. http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/08/fantastic-fest-unveils-first-w.php. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ "Sponsor Page". Fantastic Fest official website. http://www.fantasticfest.com/sponsors/.
- ^ Raffel, Lawrence (2010-09-08). "Check out The 2010 Fantastic Fest Line-up". FearNet.com. http://www.fearnet.com/news/b20114_check_out_2010_fantastic_fest_lineup.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Banger, Deth (2010-08-27). "More Films Added to Fantastic Fest 2010 Line-up". Horror-Movies.CA. http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_18900.html. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Brooks, Brian (2010-09-08). "Fantastic Fest adds Premieres and Sneaks to Sept Lineup". IFC.com. http://www.indiewire.com/article/fantastic_fest_adds_premieres_sneaks_to_sept._lineup/. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Sojitra, Vinay (2010-09-28). "Fantastic Fest 2010 Award Winners Announced". Today24news.com. http://today24news.com/entertainment/fantastic-fest-2010-award-winners-list-announced-285054. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
External links
Other Genre Film Festivals