Fantastic Fest#2024
{{Short description|Annual film festival held in Austin, Texas, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox convention
| name = Fantastic Fest
| image = File:Official Logo of Fantastic Fest.png
| caption = Official logo
| status = Active
| genre = Film festival
| venue =
| location = Austin, Texas
| country = United States
| first = {{start date and age|2005}}
| last = September 19–26, 2024
| organizer = Alamo Drafthouse
| filing =
| attendance =
| website = {{URL|fantasticfest.com}}
}}
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas, focused on fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action and cult films, the largest genre festival in the United States. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse.
Lisa Dreyer is festival director.[https://www.screendaily.com/news/lisa-dreyer-named-festival-director-at-fantastic-fest/5168054.article "Lisa Dreyer named festival director at Fantastic Fest"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519222303/https://www.screendaily.com/news/lisa-dreyer-named-festival-director-at-fantastic-fest/5168054.article |date=May 19, 2022 }}; in: Screen Daily, 24 February 2022 Annick Mahnert is head of programming.
It is often cited as the largest and most prestigious genre festival in the United States, and as one of the top 3 in the world alongside Sitges and Fantasia.{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Max |date=2022-03-23 |title=The Best Horror Festivals in the World 2022 |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/424491/the-best-horror-festivals-in-the-world-2022/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Dread Central |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Max |date=2020-12-23 |title=The Best Horror Festivals in the World 2021 |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/364442/the-best-horror-festivals-in-the-world-2021/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Dread Central |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2020-10-27 |title=World's 50 Best Genre Film Festivals 2021 — MovieMaker |url=https://www.moviemaker.com/best-genre-festivals-2021/3/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=www.moviemaker.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2015-01-28 |title=Top 100 Fantastic & Horror Film Festivals in 2025 + Submission Tips |url=https://adriantofei.com/top-100-international-horror-film-festivals/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Adrian Țofei • Official Site |language=en}}
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History
File:Wachowskis, Fantastic Fest, Cloud Atlas.jpg, Fantastic Fest 2012]]
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 acclaim at the fest can lead to big box office returns.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-10 |title=How Fantastic Fest Has Become a Kingmaker for 'Smile' and Other Genre Films |url=https://www.thewrap.com/fantastic-fest-box-office-smile/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |language=en-US |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224181108/https://www.thewrap.com/fantastic-fest-box-office-smile/ |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.laweekly.com/film/fantastic-fest-may-be-2017s-most-controversial-film-festival-but-not-for-its-movies-8694952|title=Torches at Fantastic Fest: Sorting Through the Ashes of a Film Festival|last=Wolfe|first=April|date=2017-09-27|website=LA Weekly|access-date=2019-01-27|archive-date=January 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128030938/https://www.laweekly.com/film/fantastic-fest-may-be-2017s-most-controversial-film-festival-but-not-for-its-movies-8694952|url-status=live}} 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".{{cite web |url=http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/variety-publisher-names-fantastic-fest-one-of-top-ten/ |title=Variety Publisher Names Fantastic Fest One of Top Ten |last=Brown |first=Todd |publisher=Twitch |date=2007-12-05 |access-date=2010-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206184838/http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/variety-publisher-names-fantastic-fest-one-of-top-ten/ |archive-date=2007-12-06 |url-status=dead }} In 2008, Moviemaker named Fantastic Fest "one of the 25 film festivals worth the entry fee".MovieMaker, Spring 2008. In 2017, Moviemaker listed Fantastic Fest in "The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World."{{Cite news|url=https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/festivals/the-coolest-film-festivals-in-the-world-2017/|title=The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, 2017 – MovieMaker Magazine|date=2017-07-24|work=MovieMaker Magazine|access-date=2017-08-31|language=en-US}}
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."Burnt Ends @ Fantastic Fest 2022 https://2022.fantasticfest.com/burnt-ends {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005053654/https://2022.fantasticfest.com/burnt-ends |date=October 5, 2022 }}
Festivals by year
{{main|List of Fantastic Fest editions}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|33em}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.fantasticfest.com}}
- [https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001695/ Fantastic Fest on IMDb]
Category:Fantasy and horror film festivals in the United States
Category:Film festivals in Austin, Texas
Category:Multigenre conventions
Category:Film festivals established in 2005