On September 18th, at the newly reopened Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar here in Austin, Texas, an explosion of insanity will occur. A veritable feast of a fest will begin, bringing some of the most fantastically bizarre, hilarious, and disturbing cinema the world has to offer. Combined with this onslaught for the eyeballs will be a simultaneous attack on all our livers with the famed “events” portion of the Fest, looking in more impressive shape than any year previously.
Cinapse will have no less than 5 team members bringing you daily coverage and reviews; we are becoming Fantastic Fest Central and will see a number of our regular columns take a break. Instead you will get insights into the films coming out imminently or perhaps within the next year that you should keep an eye on. Check out last year’s coverage here and expect us to top that this time out. Last year I was wowed by marvels such as Coherence, Blue Ruin, and Jodorowsky’s Dune and am convinced I will see some of the best films of the year next week.
First, an amalgamation of the press releases….
Fantastic Fest celebrates its 10th Anniversary with its biggest year yet with 80 exciting films including 22 World Premieres, 43 North American & US Premiere screenings and 38 short films. The final wave includes HORNS, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, THE HIVE, IT FOLLOWS, EVERLY, OPEN WINDOWS and guests Joe Lynch, Liv Corfixen & Nicolas Winding Refn, Edgar Wright, Ti West, Nacho Vigalondo, Alfonso Gomez- Rejon, and David Robert Mitchell. Fantastic Fest 2014 takes place September 18–25th in Austin, Texas at the newly reopened Alamo South Lamar and Highball.
“We promised that our tenth anniversary was going to be the most deranged yet and I’m proud to say we’ve delivered on that promise,” says festival founder Tim League. “Not only have we compiled our biggest slate of exceptional genre films but the chaos we’ve embraced for our events is going to knock people out. Much like I’m going to do to Ti West.”
Special guests of the festival include GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY director James Gunn in attendance to moderate the red carpet World premiere of David Yarovesky’s THE HIVE and Edgar Wright serving on the Next Wave film jury.
Director Liv Corfixen who documents her husband director Nicolas Winding Refn on the making of ONLY GOD FORGIVES will both be in attendance for the world premiere of MY LIFE DIRECTED BY NICOLAS WINDING REFN, Nicolas Winding Refn will also host a special screening of THE ASTROLOGER, a long-lost exploitation masterpiece recently rescued and restored by local non-profit the American Genre Film Archive.
Fantastic Fest is thrilled to open the fest with the US Premiere of Kevin Smith’s dark horror-comedy TUSK. Smith will be in attendance for a red carpet gala screening and Q&A. Immediately following TUSK, the world premiere of ABCs OF DEATH 2 will unveil 26 devilishly diabolical tales at Fantastic Fest with multiple directors from the horror anthology sequel in attendance.
For its 10th anniversary, Fantastic Fest is also going all out with celebratory events and special programming, including two tent pole showstoppers. Legendary film critic and historian Leonard Maltin joins proceedings as head of the comedy jury and to play “MALTIN’S,” a game tournament of movie trivia twenty years in the making. “My brother and I were obsessed with Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide at an early age,” said MALTIN’S creator and festival alum Ant Timpson. “His reviews shaped our own language and view of film. How could we be even closer to our God? How could we become Leonard Maltin? MALTIN’S was the answer.” Complete rules and information on how to enter can be found at fantasticfest.com.
Elevating the comedic quota of Fantastic Fest programming is the addition of Comedy Central’s breakout stand-up show “The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail.” Hitting Austin for its first-ever Fantastic Fest performance, host comedians Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani explained why they want to be a part of the festivities, “We want to watch films, drink, and make people laugh.”
For its 10th anniversary, Fantastic Fest is also going all out with celebratory events and special programming, including the 10-YEAR BIRTHDAY ARMAGEDDON opening night party featuring costumed creatures, human piñatas, a breakdance competition, and a mind-blowing food fight that will shake the foundations of the earth. The 26 WAYS TO PARTY closing night party takes its macabre cues from ABCs OF DEATH 2 by running down the alphabet from A to Z, unleashing a massive meltdown of madcap mayhem in Fantastic Fest history.
FANTASTIC DEBATES, FF’s long-running showcase of intellectual and physical combat, cements it’s vein-bulging status for 2014 with four (count ’em) rounds of verbal disputation followed by two-fisted decimation! Included among this year’s white-knuckle conflicts are Alamo Drafthouse founder TIM LEAGUE duking it out with indie provocateur TI WEST on the controversial subject of found footage horror, filmmakers JOE LYNCH (EVERLY) and JOSH ETHIER (ALMOST HUMAN) with “RESOLVED: Samurais are infinitely more badass than cowboys in cinema,” while producer/film writer/Twitch website editor TODD BROWN accepts the challenge from BitTorrent.com’s MATT MASON, whose stunning topic is: “RESOLVED: Bit-torrent is the saviour — not the enemy — of independent film.” Check out Todd Brown and Matt Mason’s challenge fight videos HERE.
Now…hold on to yer butts, here’s the lineup.
ABCs OF DEATH 2 World Premiere, 125 min In 2013 the craziest anthology ever created was released to an unsuspecting public. It immediately divided audiences. Some claimed it was a much-needed adrenaline shot to the heart of genre film, while others claimed it was reprehensible and the death knell of cinema as we know it.
In 2014 it’s happening again. This time with an all-new line-up of international directors.
ABSENT ONE, THE Denmark, 2014 World Premiere, 119 min
Police investigators dig into the facts of a twenty year old double homicide in a desperate race to find a likely witness before the killers have the chance to silence her forever.
ALLELUIA France/Belgium, 2014 US Premiere, 95 min
A lonely woman and a psychotic gigolo find love through murder in the latest film from the director of CALVAIRE and VINYAN.
AS SEEN BY THE REST (ULIDAVARU KANDANTE) India, 2014 North American Premiere
Mystery abounds in this fractured gangster story from Karnataka, India. Shades of SCARFACE, PULP FICTION and RASHOMON color Rakshit Shetty’s entrancing story of good, evil and something else…
AGFA presents THE ASTROLOGER hosted by Nicolas Winding Refn 96 min., United States
Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn hosts a rare screening of this unseen, long-lost exploitation masterpiece, recently rescued and restored by local non-profit The American Genre Film Archive.
AUTOMATA United States, 2014 US Premiere, 110 min
In the post-nuclear apocalypse there will be robots, and insurance agents played by Antonio Banderas. He’s investigating an insurance claim on a faulty robot that leads to greater discoveries.
BABADOOK, THE Australia, 2014 Texas Premiere, 94 min
In this impressive horror debut, Amelia thought her biggest problems were her son’s violent behavioral problems and her own depression. That was before something came knocking at the door…
BLIND Norway, 2014 Texas Premiere, 96 min
This debut gem from Eskil Vogt follows Ingrid who, having recently lost her sight, exists only in her apartment with her thoughts as a means of escape…
BRO’s BEFORE HO’s Netherlands, 2013 US Premiere, 88 min
A unashamedly offensive bromance from the killer comedy team behind NEW KIDS TURBO and NEW KIDS NITRO.
CLOSER TO GOD United States, 2014 Texas Premiere, 81 min
Dr. Victor Reed finds himself in the middle of an ethical, legal and religious storm after conducting the first successful human cloning in this fiercely intelligent indie thriller.
CLOSING NIGHT: 26 WAYS TO PARTY Thu, Sept 25th • 10pm
Obviously, a decade of insanity requires the grandest of finales. So we’re tearing the pages out of ABCs OF DEATH 2 to annihilate the universe with 26 WAYS TO PARTY! We’re running down the alphabet from A to Z, cracking open a neon canister of radioactive wildness and unleashing a massive meltdown of madcap mayhem in FF history. Gird your loins for the ultimate experience in non-stop amusement/ abusement. LIVE TO PARTY, PARTY TO DIE.
THE CREEPING GARDEN United Kingdom, 2014 US Premiere, 81 min
The slime mould: a form of microbial life with behavior somewhere between plant and animal and capable of primitive intelligence. Unusual? Yes, and just wait until you meet the people who study them …
CUB (WELP) Belgium, 2014 US Premiere, 85 min
A boy scout troop goes on a camping trip that they will never forget in this brutal, uncompromising horror film.
DANGER 5 — SERIES 2 Australia, 2014 World Premiere, 75 min
When Adolf Hitler surfaces posing as a 1980s high school student, there can be only one response! The crack team of Danger 5 are pressed back into service to eliminate the Nazi threat once and for all!
DARKNESS BY DAY Argentina, 2013 North American Premiere, 76 min
Things are a bit off in Virginia’s tiny village. Something dark is coming her way. And now she’s left alone with her sick cousin, unaware of the dangers around her.
DUKE OF BURGUNDY United Kingdom, 2014 US Premiere, 104 min
Peter Strickland’s (BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO) dark melodrama follows the impassioned sexual relationship between two women. If BERBERIAN was Strickland’s aural roller-coaster ride, BURGUNDY is definitely his visual feast.
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD (DØD SNØ 2) Norway-Icelans, 2014 Texas Premiere, 100 min
Lone survivor Martin must enlist help from America to battle Colonel Herzog and his horde in this wild sequel to the original Norwegian Nazi zombie film.
DWARVES KINGDOM United States, 2014 World Premiere, 80 min
Some have called The Kingdom of Little People the most offensive theme park in the world. DWARVES KINGDOM takes us inside to meet its performer residents.
THE EDITOR Canada, 2014 US Premiere, 102 min
A one-handed film editor finds himself the prime suspect after a series of violent murders start happening around him in this knowing tribute to giallo from the crazy minds at Astron-6!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS Australia, 2014 US Premiere, 107 min
Mark Hartley brings his singular documentary style to the story of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, the trailblazers behind exploitation powerhouse studio Cannon Films.
EVERLY United States, 2014 World Premiere, 92 min Salma Hayek stars as a tough yet vulnerable woman who must fight her way through a gauntlet of
assassins in this fist-pumping action thriller.
FANTASTIC FEUD — PRESENTED BY THE STANLEY FILM FESTIVAL Mon, Sept. 22nd • 11:59pm
This annual display of geek warfare, brainchild of FF hero Scott Weinberg, pits the globe’s greatest horror scholars against one another in a galactic display of mental agility, verbal hostility and full-tilt brutality. Bear witness to the most brain- flexingly rampaging display of trivia prowess in the universe.
FELT United States, 2014 World Premiere, 79 min
A young artist loses herself in an unpredictable alter ego while attempting to cope with past trauma in this gripping sophomore effort from the creator of TOAD ROAD.
FORCE MAJEURE (TURIST) Sweden, 2014 US Premiere, 118 min
An upper middle-class family’s fragile existence is torn apart when a near tragedy occurs during a ski vacation and the two parents are forced confront the reality of each other’s reactions.
FREE FALL Hungary, 2014 North American Premiere, 89 min
The director of TAXIDERMIA returns with seven stories of the mundanely bizarre.
FROM THE DARK Ireland, 2015 World Premiere, 90 min
Mark and Sarah are trapped, darkness is falling and the creature outside only attacks by night in this fast-paced Irish horror.
FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000AD United Kingdom, 2014 World Premiere, 90 min
The anarchic and unruly history of 2000AD: the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.
THE GUEST United States, 2014 Special Screening, 99 min
Looks are definitely deceiving when a dashing soldier with a propensity for violence moves in with a grieving family in this fun-as-hell, Carpenter-esque action thriller.
HAEMOO South Korea, 2013 US Premiere, 111 min
A gripping maritime thriller from director Shim Sung-Bo and producer/co-writer Bong Joon-Ho.
HARDKOR DISCO Poland, 2014 US Premiere, 87 min
A misanthropic young man plunges into an intense relationship with the daughter of the couple he means to kill.
HIGH FIVE (RELOCOS Y REPASADOS) URUGUAY — BRASIL, 2013 World Premiere, 98 min
It’s a stoner comedy from Uruguay. What else do you need to know?
THE HIVE United State, 2015 World Premiere, 89 minutes
Director — David YaroveskyA young man suffering from amnesia must dig deep into the far reaches of his mind to remember who he is and save the love of his life before a virus that has infected him takes over.
HORNS United States, 2014 Austin Premiere, 120 min
Daniel Radcliffe stars as Ig, who after being accused of murdering his girlfriend awakens one morning to discover new powers and devil horns growing from his head. Adapted by Alexandre Aja (HIGH TENSION; PIRANHA) from Joe Hill’s novel.
HORSEHEAD (FIEVRE) France, 2014 World Premiere, 89 min
A stunning exploration of a young woman’s nightmares.
HOUSEBOUND New Zealand, 2014 Special Screening, 107 min
Forced to return to her childhood on house arrest, Kylie discovers that there are more sinister forces in the old homestead than just her overbearing mother.
HYENA United Kingdom, 2015 US Premiere, 112 min
Crooked cop Michael must deal with machete-wielding Albanian brothers while handling pressure within his own department in this gritty crime saga from the director of TONY
AM HERE Denmark, 2014 World Premiere, 97 min
A powerful business executive wanders down a dark path in order to have the child she desperately needs in this shocking piece from the director of 2007’s unusual animation PRINCESS.
I AM A KNIFE WITH LEGS United States, 2014 US Premiere, 83 min
First his girlfriend dies in a suicide bombing. Then a fatwa is issued against him. And now international Europop star Bené’s eclair is weird.
I AM TRASH (NANEUN SSEURAEGIDA) South Korea, 2014 World Premiere, 97 min
Three emotionally damaged brothers must deal with the aftermath of their father
IT FOLLOWS United States, 2015 US Premiere, 107 min
After an innocent sexual encounter with her boyfriend, a teenager is stalked by an increasingly evil force in the year’s smartest and scariest horror film.
THE INCIDENT (EL INCIDENTE) Mexico, 2014 North American Premiere, 100 min
A cosmic event disrupts life on Earth in this sci-fi mind-bender.
IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE Norway, 2014 Texas Premiere, 115 min
The director and star of A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN team up once again and the result is a brutal and darkly funny tale of snow, giant machinery and revenge.
JACKY IN THE KINGDOM OF WOMEN (JACKY AU ROYAUME DES FEMMES) France, 2013 Texas Premiere, 87 min
Women hold the power while men cower in this scathing dystopian satire starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.
JOHN WICK United States, 2014 Gala Screening, 96 min
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, JOHN WICK (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the “assassin genre”.
KUNG FU ELLIOT Canada, 2014 Fantastic Fest Premiere, 88 min
A hilarious and disturbing documentary about a man’s quest to become an international action star.
LET US PREY Ireland — United Kingdom, 2014 US Premiere, 89 min On small town constable Rachel Haggie’s first night on the job, she encounters a strange man whose
presence and knowledge threatens to destroy everyone.
LOCAL GOD (DIOS LOCAL) Uruguay, 2014 World Premiere, 88 min
While filming music videos in an abandoned gold mine, a rock group is tormented by an evil spirit in this new film from the director of LA CASA MUDA.
LOST SOUL — THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU United States-United Kingdom, 2014 North American Premiere, 97 min
The amazing true story of one of the most notorious Hollywood productions of the 1990s.
MALTIN’S GAME TOURNAMENT
Created by Fantastic Fest alum and film producer, and self-described Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide convert, Ant Timpson circa the early 90s, MALTIN’S is a movie lover’s version of game night favorite Balderdash. Someone starts as “Maltin” and chooses a title from Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, a film that no one knows. The other players then all write down a fake synopsis based on the title. Players attempt to trick each other into believing that their synopsis is the real one while trying to decipher the true Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide synopsis.
MAN FROM RENO (RINO KARA KITA OTOKO) Japan-United States, 2014 Austin Premiere, 111 min
A Japanese crime novelist in San Francisco tries to unravel a real life murder mystery in this acclaimed neo-noir featuring Takashi Miike regular Kazuki Kitamura.
THE MAN IN THE ORANGE JACKET Latvia/Estonia, 2014 US Premiere, 71 min
A laid-off harbor worker wages a private war on the rich in this surrealistic Latvian horror film.
THE MELTDOWN WITH JONAH & KUMAIL
The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail hails all the way from the back of a comic book store in Los Angeles, where not only has it been crowned one of the best standup shows in LA by LA Weekly, LA Times, and Hollywood Reporter, but it’s now a TV show! Comedy Central filmed eight documentary-style episodes of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail for a brand new type of standup show that airs Wednesday nights starting July 2014. Come see why this is the only existing live standup show to get its own TV show as hosts Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani charm your pants off and welcome some very special guests!
MY LIFE DIRECTED BY NICOLAS WINDING REFN United States, 2014 World Premiere, 58 min
An impossibly personal portrait of unique filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn over the course of the shooting/release of his 2013 film ONLY GOD FORGIVES.
NECROPHOBIA 3D Argentina, 2014 North American Premiere, 75 min
A mentally fragile man must conquer his fear of death in order to stave off a killer’s advances.
NIGHTCRAWLER United States, 2014 US Premiere, 117 min
NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Nightcrawler opens nationwide on October 31st.
NO MAN’S LAND China, 2009 Texas Premiere, 114 min
A city lawyer fights for his life in the cutthroat deserts of contemporary China in Ning Hao’s Coen-esque follow-up to CRAZY RACER, which was banned for four years.
NORWAY Greece, 2014 US Premiere, 74 min A vampire dances his way through ’80s era Athens in this fantastic film from the production team behind DOGTOOTH.
NYMPHOMANIAC- EXTENDED DIRECTORS CUT
Denmark-Germany-Belgium-United Kingdom-France, 2014 North American Premiere, 324 min
Fantastic Fest proudly presents the complete, uncut version of Lars von Trier’s epic and highly controversial film.
OPEN WINDOWS Spain, 2013 Special Screening, 100 min
Nacho Vigalondo’s latest is a completely unique and endlessly creative thriller for the internet age, taking place entirely on a single computer desktop.
OPENING NIGHT: 10-YEAR BIRTHDAY ARMAGEDDON Thu, Sept. 18th • Midnight — 2am
We’re decking out our decadent decennium with a blowout fit for even the most debaucherous 10-year old. We’ll kick-off with costumed creatures, beat human piñatas, and throw in a breakdance competition. We’ll do it all in cardboard hats, balloons, noisemakers, and ridiculous mounds of confetti. And to top it all off, the psychopathic shindig culminates in a food fight that will shake the foundations of the earth.
OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (KUIME) Japan, 2014 US Premiere, 90 min
This adaptation of a classic ghost story is a powerful return to horror for Takashi Miike.
PURGATORY Spain, 2014 World Premiere, 83 min
A woman must survive the night after she welcomes a neighbor’s child into her home.
REALITI New Zealand, 2014 North American Premiere, 95 min
A time-warping drug leaves a young media exec caught up in a criminal case while questioning the very nature of existence and reality.
REDEEMER Chile, 2014 World Premiere, 88 min
In order to atone for his past sins, he’ll not only kick your ass, he’ll impale your face and shred you to bits. Marko Zaror is the Redeemer!
SHREW’S NEST Spain, 2014 US Premiere, 90 min
A young Spanish girl living with her agoraphobic sister in their family’s apartment discovers the real reasons behind her sister’s strange behavior.
SPRING US, 2014 US Premiere, 105 min
After the death of his mother and a bar altercation that could mean jail time, Evan leaves California for Italy, where he falls for a mysterious young woman.
THE STRANGER Chile, 2014 World Premiere, 92 min
A mysterious man returns to his home after sixteen years, which jumpstarts a bizarre and deadly chain of events.
STILL LIFE (NATURALEZA MUERTA) Argentina, 2014 North American Premiere, 97 min
Meat is murder in this brutal Argentinian slasher with an animal rights edge.
THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA Japan, 2014 US Premiere, 137 min
A breathtakingly animated tale of a woman, the men who want to control her, and the moon. The latest from Studio Ghibli.
TOKYO TRIBE Japan, 2014 US Premiere, 116 min
Festival favorite Sion Sono returns with an exercise in brash, colorful chaos pitting street gangs against one another in a bold hip hop musical.
TOMBVILLE Belgium, 2014 North American Premiere, 94 min
Young David awakens battered and disoriented on the edge of town, knowing only one thing: He wants to get away. But no matter what he tries, he’s always led back to the same dark, disturbing place. Welcome to Tombville.
TOMMY (TommyMer) Sweden, 2014 North American Premiere, 95 min
Tommy is coming home, or at least that’s what his wife Estelle desperately needs people to believe when she returns after a year in exile. And if he doesn’t get what’s his, there’s going to be hell to pay.
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN United States, 2014 Special Screening, 85 min
Based on a terrifying true story, The Town That Dreaded Sundown picks up sixty-five years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, when the “moonlight murders” begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching the murderer.
THE TREATMENT Belgium, 2014 US Premiere, 127 min
A police inspector with a dark past leads an increasingly personal manhunt when a nine-year-old child goes missing.
THE TRIBE Ukraine, 2014 US Premiere, 132 min
Winner of the three major awards at this year’s Cannes’ Critics Week, THE TRIBE follows deaf student Sergey’s transfer to a new school, which sends him down a path of ruthless crime and forbidden love.
TUSK United Stats, 2013 US Premiere, 102 min
From the singular mind of writer/director and podcaster Kevin Smith, and conceived from one of Smith’s own Smodcast’s, TUSK is a story unlike anything that has ever been committed to screen before. A tale that is equal parts hilarious and horrifying, TUSK will stay with you long after the credits roll. Starring: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Genesis Rodriguez, and Haley Joel Osment
V/H/S VIRAL US, 2014 US Premiere, 98 min
Fantastic Fest alumni Nacho Vigalondo & Marcel Sarmiento join several other genre filmmaking greats in this 3rd installment of the twisted found footage horror anthology franchise.
WASTE LAND Belgium, 2014 US Premiere, 97 min
Hard edged homicide cop Leo is plunged into a dark and dangerous world when he takes on the murder of a young Congolese man. Will unraveling the truth cost his hold on his own life and happiness?
WASTELANDER PANDA Australia, 2014 60 min.
The Apocalypse has come and gone; its survivors forming small communities for protection. Banished to the vast Wasteland, Isaac — a giant humanoid panda — sets out to find a young girl and reinstate his family into the Tribe of Legion.
WHEN ANIMALS DREAM Denmark, 2015 US Premiere, 81 min
In an isolated Danish fishing town, 16-year-old Marie hides a terrifying secret and deadly consequences for the unwary in this unique coming-of-age story from director Jonas Alexander Arnby.
WHISPERS BEHIND THE WALL Germany, 2013 North American , 90 min
A naive young man falls for his beautiful-and very dangerous-landlord in this depraved voyeuristic thriller.
THE WORLD OF KANAKO Japan, 2014 US Premiere, 118 min
Tetsuya Nakashima injects his signature style into a brutal and shocking thriller about one repulsive father’s quest to find his missing daughter… who just might be worse than he is.
WYRMWOOD Australia, 2014 World Premiere, 92 min
The undead rise again in this raucous feature debut from Australia’s Roache-Turner Brothers, who deliver one of the most balls-out, gonzo and just plain fun entries into the zombie canon in years.
Damn…if that doesn’t get you aroused then I don’t know what will. Cinapse will launch its comprehensive coverage from our team beginning 18th September. We place acceptable losses from this cinematic and party onslaught at 20%. God speed Cinapse team, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Expect a followup post in a few days where we share more on our plans and what specifically each of us attending are looking forward to.
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. In years past the festival has been home to world premieres of FRANKENWEENIE, MACHETE KILLS, RED DAWN, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 & 4, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCALYPTO, ZOMBIELAND and RED while the guest roster has included such talent as Tim Burton, Andy and Lana Wachowski, Robert Rodriguez, Rian Johnson, Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Keanu Reeves, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder, Edward Norton, Ryan Reynolds, Karl Urban, Josh Hartnett, The RZA, Dolph Lundgren, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Darren Aronofsky and Mike Judge. Fantastic Fest also features world, national and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films. Fantastic Fest has seen the acquisition of many titles, including BULLHEAD, KILL LIST, MONSTERS, KLOWN, THE FP, PENUMBRA, HERE COMES THE DEVIL, NO REST FOR THE WICKED, VANISHING WAVES, COMBAT GIRLS and I DECLARE WAR. Fantastic Fest is held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas. Alamo Drafthouse has been named the best theater in the country by
Entertainment Weekly, Wired and TIME. Variety included Fantastic Fest in a list of “10 Film Festivals We Love,” and was also named one of the “25 coolest film festivals” by Moviemaker Magazine.
About The Alamo Drafthouse
Tim and Karrie League founded Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin. 17 years later, the now 18-location chain has been named “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired.com. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Founder & CEO, Tim League, created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of genre cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. The Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art gallery, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is expanding its brand in new and exciting ways, including Drafthouse Films which has garnered two Academy Award nominations in its short three year existence and Badass Digest, an entertainment news blog curated by veteran journalist Devin Faraci.
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