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''.

Lisa Dreyer is festival director. Annick Mahnert is head of programming.

History

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 eight screens for eight days and hosting many writers, directors, and actors, either well-established or unknown. The festival has become known as a launch-pad for genre films, where critical aclaim at the fest can lead to big box office returns. A notable feature of this festival is the inclusion of "secret screenings". 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, film-themed "feasts", and other events that are hallmarks of the original Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. In 2007, ''Variety'' publisher Charles Koones included Fantastic Fest as one of "ten festivals we love". In 2008, ''Moviemaker'' named Fantastic Fest "one of the 25 film festivals worth the entry fee". In 2017, ''Moviemaker'' listed Fantastic Fest in "The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World."

In 2022, an online-exclusive section of programming was created: "Burnt Ends." In this new segment, Fantastic Fest wants to showcase "the weirdest, wildest, most fringe films out there."

Festivals by year (2005 — 2009)

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 LLP, and Independence Brewery.

U.S. premieres
* '' Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick''

Texas premieres
* ''The Big White''
* ''The Birthday''
* '' Creep''
* ''The 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".
* ''The Last Wave''
* ''Miracle Mile''
* '' No Blade of Grass''
* '' 1990: The 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 makeup 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.

World premiere
* ''Roman'' with Q&A by director Angela Bettis and star Lucky McKee

U.S. premieres
* ''Gamerz''
* '' Isolation''
* '' Lie Still'' with Q&A by director Sean Hogan
* '' The Living and the Dead'' with Q&A by director Simon Rumley
* '' The Woods''
* ''Blood Trails''
* '' Broken''
* '' The Host''
* ''Blood Tea and Red String''
* ''Frank and Wendy''
* '' Bug'' with Q&A by star Michael Shannon
* ''The Hamster Cage'' with Q&A by director Larry Kent
* '' Venus Drowning''

Texas premieres
* '' Abominable''
* ''The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell''
* ''The District!''
* ''Firefly''
* ''Frostbite''
* ''The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai''
* ''Hatchet'' with Q&A by director Adam Green
* ''Inside'' with Q&A by director Jeff Mahler
* ''The Last Supper''
* '' Funky Forest (aka Naisu No Mori)''
* ''Nightmare''
* '' Origin: Spirits of the Past''
* '' The 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

* An unfinished version of ''Apocalypto'', followed by a Q&A with Mel Gibson and star Rudy Youngblood
* ''Pan's Labyrinth''; director Guillermo del Toro was unable to attend but sent along a written introduction for the audience
* Advance screening of ''Beowulf & Grendel''
* Advance screening of Terry Gilliam's ''Tideland''
* Advance screening of ''The Fountain'' with Q&A by director Darren Aronofsky
* Advance screening of ''Edmond''
* Advance screening of '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning''

Retrospective screenings

There were three retrospective series. The first paid homage to cult midnight films and included:

* '' Parasite 3-D''
* ''Northville Cemetery Massacre''
* ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' with Q&A by star Edwin Neal (" The Hitchhiker")
* ''A Nightmare on Elm Street''
* ''Fantastic Planet'' presented by Darren Aronofsky
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
* Best Picture – '' Isolation''
* Best Director – Billy O'Brien, for '' Isolation''
* Best Script – Dylan Bank and Morgan Pehme for ''Nightmare''
* Best Actor – Kane Hodder for ''Hatchet''
* Best Actress – Nicole Roderick for ''Nightmare''
* Best Supporting Actor – Lance Henriksen for '' Abominable''
* Best Supporting Actress – Kristen Bell for ''Roman''
* Best Art Direction – Alex Boynton for ''Unrest''
* Best Cinematography – Robby Ryan for '' Isolation''
* Best Special Effects – ''Hatchet''
* Best Make-up – ''Broken''

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
* Best of Show – ''The Listening Dead''
* Best Short-Form – ''Cost of Living''
* Best Long-Form – ''Rogairi'' (Villains)
* Best Animated – ''If I Had a Hammer''
* Best Comedy – '' They're Made Out of Meat''

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 Makeup — ''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 Fearnet and Cinematical.com.

Audience Awards
* 1st Place – ''Hatchet''
* 2nd Place – '' Isolation''
* 3rd Place – ''Firefly''

Highlights

* A notable highlight for the audience occurred when Mel Gibson walked into the theater.
* Closing night party was Undead Till Dawn, a vampire-themed dance party
* There was a special screening timed with the release of 42nd STREET FOREVER VOLUME 5: ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE EDITION where every trailer was shown in 35mm

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 and helped to found the North American Fantastic Festival Alliance, along with Fantasia International Film Festival 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.

World premieres
* ''There Will Be Blood'', with a Q&A by director Paul Thomas Anderson
* '' Los Cronocrímenes'' (''Timecrimes''), with director Nacho Vigalondo in attendance (''Timecrimes'' was purchased out of the festival by Magnolia Films for theatrical distribution, and remake rights were purchased by United Artists.)

U.S. premieres
* '' Alone''
* ''The Backwoods''
* '' The Devil's Chair''
* ''Diary of the Dead'' with Q&A by director George A. Romero
* ''Flash Point''
* '' Hell's Fever''
* ''La Hora Fria'' (''The Cold Hour'')
* ''Inside''
* ''Invisible Target''
* ''Maiko Haaaan!!!''
* '' Mirageman'' with Q&A by director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza and action star Marko Zaror
* '' Rug Cop''
* '' Summer Scars''
* '' Wolfhound''
* '' Wrong Turn 2: Dead End'' with Q&A by director Joe Lynch

Texas premieres
* ''Aachi & Ssipak''
* ''The Beautiful Beast''
* '' Blood, Boobs, and Beast''
* ''Death Note''
* '' Death Note 2: 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 Díaz Espinoza 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''
* '' Retribution''
* ''Sex and Death 101''
* ''Son of Rambow''
* ''Spiral