Fantastic Fest
| Fantastic Fest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Film festival |
| Location | Austin, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 2005 |
Most recent | September 18–25, 2025 |
| Organized by | Alamo Drafthouse |
| Website | fantasticfest |
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival held in Austin, Texas, specializing in fantasy, horror, science fiction, action and cult films. Founded in 2005 by Tim League, founder of Alamo Drafthouse, the festival is regarded as one of the leading genre film festivals in the United States and internationally.[1][2][3][4]
Lisa Dreyer is the festival director,[5] while Annick Mahnert serves as head of programming.[6]
History
[edit]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 emerging. 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.[7]
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.[8] 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".[9] In 2008, MovieMaker named it one of "The 25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee".[10] In 2017, MovieMaker included the festival on its list of "The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World."[11]
In 2022, an online-exclusive section of programming was created called "Burnt Ends", which was said to showcase "the weirdest, wildest, most fringe films out there."[12]
Festivals by year
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Weinstein, Max (March 23, 2022). "The Best Horror Festivals in the World 2022". Dread Central. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ↑ Weinstein, Max (December 23, 2020). "The Best Horror Festivals in the World 2021". Dread Central. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ↑ "World's 50 Best Genre Film Festivals 2021". MovieMaker. October 27, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ↑ "Top 100 Fantastic & Horror Film Festivals in 2025". Adrian Țofei • Official Site. January 28, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ↑ Kay, Jeremy (February 24, 2022). "Lisa Dreyer named festival director at Fantastic Fest". Screen. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Staff". Fantastic Fest. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ "How Fantastic Fest Has Become a Kingmaker for 'Smile' and Other Genre Films". October 10, 2022. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ↑ Wolfe, April (September 27, 2017). "Torches at Fantastic Fest: Sorting Through the Ashes of a Film Festival". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ↑ Brown, Todd (December 5, 2007). "Variety Publisher Names Fantastic Fest One of Top Ten". Twitch. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
- ↑ MovieMaker, Spring 2008.
- ↑ "The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, 2017 – MovieMaker Magazine". MovieMaker Magazine. July 24, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ↑ Burnt Ends @ Fantastic Fest 2022 https://2022.fantasticfest.com/burnt-ends Archived October 5, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
