Local Events: The 11th Annual FANTASTIC FEST

By Mark Saldana

Last year, I attended Fantastic Fest for the very first time, and had an awesome time.  For film buffs living under a rock, or regular folk unaware of this movie extravaganza, Fantastic Fest is Austin’s yearly genre film festival hosted by the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.  It is world renown as the largest genre festival in the United States and is known for attracting attendees consisting of fans, filmmakers, and other talent from across the globe.  Past festivals have hosted world premieres of major motion pictures and has the same planned for this year.  TVR just received a press release from the festival announcing its first wave of programming.  Below is a copy of that release.  I am definitely thrilled to cover the festival again this year, and can’t wait for all the fun and surprises the Alamo Drafthouse has to offer. 

Source: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema/Fantastic Fest

THE 11TH FANTASTIC FEST SET TO WREAK HAVOC AT THE

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE  WITH CANNIBAL CARNAGE, ARTFUL EXPLOITATION, AND A SMORGASBORD OF TURKISH DELIGHTS

WORLD PREMIERE OF BONE TOMAHAWK SET FOR CLOSING NIGHT WITH

KURT RUSSELL, CAST AND CREW IN ATTENDANCE

Austin, TX – Thursday, July 30, 2015 – Fantastic Fest announces the first wave programming lineup for its 11th annual celebration of exciting genre-bending films, including the World Premiere of BONE TOMAHAWK with Kurt Russell and Matthew Fox in attendance, a retrospective of Turkish Genre Cinema, and a special Mondo Gallery event and programming series curated by filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn to celebrate the release of his new book Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing, which profiles Refn’s collection of vintage exploitation-era American movie posters. “We’re very excited about this year’s mix of premieres, unique events and a retrospective theme unlike any other featuring audacious and otherworldly Turkish remakes of classic Hollywood films,” said Fantastic Fest founder Tim League.

See the full list of first wave films below and stay tuned for news on more films and events in the weeks to come. Fantastic Fest takes place September 24 – October 1 in Austin, TX at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

S. Craig Zahler’s existential horror western BONE TOMAHAWK closes out what guarantees to be another furious week of chaos with the director and film’s ensemble cast descending on Austin. “Bringing Kurt Russell back to the Alamo is something we’ve been trying to do for a long time” said League, “And to do it with BONE TOMAHAWK, a quintessential Fantastic Fest film, means we’re in for one hell of a closer.  Huge thanks to Caliber Media for making it all happen.”

Turkish genre cinema is at the heart of this year’s Fantastic Fest, inspiring both feature programming and the festival theme. This relatively unknown school of ’70s renegade filmmaking is explored in REMIX, REMAKE, RIP-OFF, which will be receiving its U.S. Premiere with director Cem Kaya in attendance. ”We are delighted to be digging deep into Turkish cinema for a journey of discovery,” said Fantastic Fest Head Programmer, Evrim Ersoy. “With its ‘filmmaking-at-any-cost’ mentality, the sheer insanity of Turkish cinema is a perfect match for Fantastic Fest.”

 

As part of the Turkish celebration, Fantastic Fest will be screening three seminal films, DÜNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM (aka THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD, aka TURKISH STAR WARS) , YILMAYAN ŞEYTAN (aka THE DEATHLESS DEVIL) and TARKAN VİKİNG KANI (aka TARKAN VS THE VIKINGS). The screenings will be complemented by the attendance of iconic Turkish filmmaker Çetin İnanç and moviestar Kunt Tulgar. “Due to the high cost of exhibiting American movies, Turkish filmmakers created their own versions of these classics, and with it a new universe of madcap cinema was born. I’m proud to say we’ve selected some of their wildest rides.” said Ersoy. In keeping with the Turkish spirit, this year’s poster is comprised exclusively of elements from classic Turkish movie art, of which there will be over 60 original movie posters on display at the festival.

Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn shares his unique collection of rare American exploitation movie posters in the lush new hardcover book Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing. Three of the films featured in the book – FAREWELL UNCLE TOM, THE X-RATED SUPERMARKET and MY BODY HUNGERS – were selected by Refn to screen during the opening weekend of Fantastic Fest, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
The Mondo Gallery, located at 4115 Guadalupe Street, will be hosting a special exhibit showcasing 15 of the original posters featured in Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing, plus a brand new limited edition poster by artist Jay Shaw inspired by the book and created specifically for the gallery show. Refn will be on hand to sign copies of the book at the gallery during the opening reception on Friday, September 25th. The exhibit will run September 25th – September 27th.
“Being a massive fan of Austin, Texas, I consider it a great privilege to join forces with Fantastic Fest and the Mondo gallery to host the exclusive U.S. debut of

Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing,” said filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn. “I’m excited to show the world this odyssey of rare and exclusive poster art at the festival alongside screenings of some of the films that inspired it.”

 

Fantastic Fest 2015 first wave film lineup below:

 

BONE TOMAHAWK

 

BT_100314_RAW-2818.CR2

United States, 2015

World Premiere, 133 min

Director – S. Craig Zahler

Kurt Russell stars in this character driven and at times horrific Western about a group of men (including Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox and Richard Jenkins) who set out to rescue a local woman and a young deputy who’ve been kidnapped by a tribe of cannibalistic troglodytes.

 

 

DARLING

 

DARLING

United States, 2015

World Premiere, 78 min

Director – Mickey Keating

A young woman slowly goes crazy after taking a job as the caretaker for an ancient New York home in the new film from writer/director Mickey Keating.

 

 

 

THE DEATHLESS DEVIL

 

THE DEATHLESS DEVIL

Turkey, 1972

Repertory Screening, 84 min

Director – Yilmaz Atadeniz

The mysterious Dr. Satan’s nefarious plans threaten the future of everyone on the planet, and the only men who can stop him are the brilliant Copperhead and his assistant Sherlock Holmes!

 

 

 

 

DER BUNKER

Germany, 2015

North American Premiere, 85 min

Director – Nikias Chryssos

A student rents a room from a family in their converted army bunker, and ends up the tutor to the child and a virtual slave to the parents.

 

FAREWELL UNCLE TOM

Italy, 1971

Repertory Screening, 123 min

Directors – Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi

The first movie based on historical facts about the rise and revolt of slavery in America is one of the most brilliant, misunderstood and reviled of all time.

 

GERMAN ANGST

 

GERMAN ANGST

Germany, 2015

US Premiere, 111 min

Directors – Jörg Buttgereit, Michal Kosakowski & Andreas Marschall

German directors Buttgereit, Kosakowski and Marschall unleash this brutal assault on the senses, a surreal three-part horror anthology touching on love and hate and everything in between.

 

 

IN SEARCH OF ULTRA SEX

France, 2015

North American Premiere, 60 min

Directors – Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine

A pandemic infects people everywhere with infinite lust, and the only ones who can save us are a group of astronauts in space, desperately looking for a solution.

 

THE INVITATION

United States, 2015

Special Screening, 97 min

Director – Karyn Kusama

A haunted man attends a dinner party at the house he once called home, and becomes gripped with paranoia that his ex-wife and her new husband are harboring an insidious agenda.

 

LIZA THE FOX FAIRY

 

LIZA THE FOX FAIRY

Hungary, 2015

Regional Premiere, 98 min

Director – Károly Ujj-Mészáros

Somewhere in 1970s Budapest, nurse Liza dreams of romance. But as all her suitors die in violent and extreme ways, she begins to fear the worst: maybe she is really a fox fairy, doomed to remain alone forever!

 

LOVE AND PEACE

 

LOVE AND PEACE

Japan, 2015

US Premiere, 117 min

Director – Sion Sono

Fantastic Fest staple Shion Sono returns once again with a deeply personal (and expectedly odd) film about a lonely businessman with dreams of punk rock stardom and his best friend, a turtle.

 

 

 

LOVEMILLA

 

LOVEMILLA

Finland, 2015

North American Premiere, 97 min

Director – Teemu Nikk

LOVEMILLA is a delightful peek at life and love in Finland, filled with all the usual zombies, black holes, giant pandas and superheros you’d expect from the land that gave us Renny Harlin.

 

 

 

 

THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD

Turkey, 1982

Repertory Screening, 91 min

Director – Çetin İnanç

There has never been and will never be another film like THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD, and your only chance to discover why is at this special Fantastic Fest screening!

 

MY BODY HUNGERS

United States, 1967

Repertory Screening, 80 min

Director – Joseph W. Sarno

A roadhouse hostess goes undercover to investigate the murder of her sister in a little-seen sexploiter from grindhouse rebel and master of erotica Joe Sarno.

 

OFFICE

 

OFFICE

Korea, 2015

US Premiere, 111 min

Director – HONG Won-Chan

OFFICE is the story of Kim, the salaryman who one day brutally murders his entire family with a hammer, and Lee, the put-upon intern at his workplace. It’s dark-as-night corporate satire hiding behind a slasher veneer with scares so well timed, you’ll jump out of your seat non-stop.

 

 

 

REMAKE, REMIX, RIP-OFF

Turkey/Germany, 2014

US Premiere, 96 min

Director – Cam Kaya

Welcome to Turkey. It’s home to Yesilcam, the Turkish Hollywood where, in the late ’70s, dreams were built on nothing more than a dime. Both a loving tribute to the burgeoning cinema of this young country and a trip into history, REMAKE, REMIX, RIP-OFF brings you the most outlandish story you’ve never heard, about filmmaking so dangerous that you need a safety harness just for watching.

 

RUINED HEART

 

RUINED HEART

Phillipines-Germany, 2015

Regional Premiere, 73 min

Director – Khavn de la Cruz

Filipino iconoclast Khavn De La Cruz teams with famed cinematographer Christopher Doyle and Japanese mega star Tadanobu Asano to create a self-described “punk noir opera.”

 

 

 

SENSORIA

Sweden, 2015

World Premiere, 82 min

Director – Christian Hallman

Caroline Menard is a woman in her thirties who has lost everything. As she moves into a new apartment searching for a new start, she’s unaware that something ancient is waiting for her.

 

THE SIMILARS

 

THE SIMILARS

Mexico, 2015

World Premiere, 89 min

Director – Isaac Ezban

On a dark and stormy night, eight strangers are stuck in a small bus station waiting for a bus to Mexico City. When strange things start happening, they find themselves trapped in a struggle for sanity and survival.

 

 

SPEED

 

SPEED

South Korea, 2015

North American Premiere, 104 min

Director – Lee Sang-woo

Four friends navigate sex, love and life in a heart-breaking new film from Korean director Lee Sang-woo.

 

 

 

 

STAND BY FOR TAPE BACK-UP

 

STAND BY FOR TAPE BACKUP

United Kingdom, 2015

US Premiere, 65 min

Director – Ross Sutherland

Hypnotically scanning the contents of a VHS tape, this experimental essay-film eulogizes the former custodian of the analog artifact, transforming its recordings of GHOSTBUSTERS and FRESH PRINCE (among others) through rap-infused anecdotal narration, and inscribing both profound and hilarious associations to the tracking-lined images.  STAND BY FOR TAPE BACK-UP will be presented as both a traditional screening as well as a live performance by creator Ross Sutherland.

 

 

 

TARKAN VS THE VIKINGS

 

TARKAN VS THE VIKINGS

Turkey, 1971

Repertory Screening, 86 min

Director – Mehmet Aslan

Based on one of the most popular comic strips in Turkey. this rip-roaring adventure sees Tarkan and his trusty wolf companion Kurt take on the despicable Viking invaders after they leave him for dead!

 

 

 

 

VICTORIA

 

VICTORIA

Germany, 2015

Regional Premiere, 138 min

Director – Sebastian Schipper

Sebastian Schipper’s fourth directorial work is a single-shot tour-de-force that follows a Spanish barista through a dance club, the streets of Berlin, a coffee shop, a bank robbery and her destiny.

 

 

 

THE X-RATED SUPERMARKET

United States, 1972

Repertory Screening, 62 min

Director – Paul Roberts

Want to save money on your weekly sex toy budget? Look no further than the supermarket shelves in some salacious tips and reactions from suburban horny housewives.

 

Attend Fantastic Fest 2015

DAYTIME ONLY Badges, FAN Badges, and 2ND HALF Badges for Fantastic Fest 2015 are available for purchase here.

Members of the film industry who purchase either a FAN or SUPERFAN badge can apply for a free INDUSTRY upgrade and Fantastic Market access by filling out the formhere. Only approved industry will be considered for access to FANTASTIC MARKET. All Industry requests must submitted by no later than August 15th, 2015.

For the latest developments, visit the Fantastic Fest official sitewww.fantasticfest.comand follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

We are now accepting press credential applications for Fantastic Fest 2015.  To apply, please send your name and outlet as well as a letter of assignment from your editor or a business card to the FONS PR team at press@fantasticfest.com for consideration.  The deadline to apply for press credentials is Wednesday, September 2nd.  Please note all applications are subject to approval.

 

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