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Below are the confirmed titles for the 2005 FANTASTIC FEST. 2006 Titles will be announced in batches over the summer, please check back here for more details.
FEAST :: SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING
D. John Gulager, 2005 USA
Executive Producers. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Wes Craven
Director John Gulager and producer Chris Moore will be live in person at both screenings.
We are proud to present a special sneak preview screening of the "work in progress" of FEAST, the film created as part of Bravo's Project Greenlight Season 3. The storyline of roadkill-clad monsters vs. wastrel barflies in a locked-down roadhouse, pulls no punches, and from early accounts, delivers some serious fanboy fun. The fate of Project Greenlight hangs in the balance with this film, and Fantastic Fest will be the first public opportunity to cast a vote that could keep the cult TV show alive. >> read more...
HOSTEL :: SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING
Eli Roth :: USA 2005 :: 35mm :: 95 min :: Screen Gems
Derek Richardson, Jay Hernandez
THE PRINT YOU WILL BE SEEING IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, WITH TEMPORARY SCORE, SOUND AND VISUAL EFFECTS.
Fantastic Fest will feature a preview screening of Eli Roth's new film, Hostel. "Are American audiences ready for a movie like "Hostel"? Not likely. With mediocre crap like "The Devil's Rejects" being proclaimed balls-out horror, I don't think American audiences are going to know what hit them when they see "Hostel." I spied at least four people who walked out of the theater during some of the rougher sequences, and I assume there were a few more whom I didn't catch. And to them, all I can say is, Too bad. You pussys missed out on one kick-ass flick." - Ain't It Cool News >> read more...
SIN CITY: RECUT & EXTENDED :: SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING
D. Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez :: USA 2005 :: Dimension Films
Fantastic Fest will also featuring a sneak peak at the extended cut of Sin City. Organized into a trilogy of films, each loaded with loads of new footage and lengthened scenes, the extended edition of Sin City will be released on DVD over the holidays. Fantastic Fest is the first, and possibly the only, opportunity to see this epic version in the cinema. One segment from the trilogy will play each night, Friday through Sunday at 9:45pm. >> read more...
THE WILD BLUE YONDER :: SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING
Winner: FIPRESCI prize, 2005 Venice Film Festival
D. Werner Herzog :: UK/FRANCE 2005 :: 81 min :: 35mm
Described in its credits as "science fiction fantasy," German maverick Werner Herzog's latest, "The Wild Blue Yonder," should stand with the likes of "Fata Morgana" and "Lessons of Darkness" as one of helmer's best efforts at smudging the lines between documentary and fiction. Entrancing and often funny pic spins tall tale about deep-space voyages to and from earth, via a mixture of original material, archive clips and footage shot in space by astronauts themselves. Achingly beautiful music by Ernst Reijseger completes ace package. - Variety >> read more...
ZATHURA :: OPENING NIGHT GALA FILM
Jon Favreau :: USA 2005 :: 35mm :: 113 min :: Columbia Pictures
Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart and Tim Robbins
Following the screening, VIP ticket holders are invited to the Austin Elks Lodge for an after party with live music by the Flametrick Subs and Satan's Cheerleaders. Beer is being provided by the Independence Brewery, appetizers catered by South Lamar executive chef John Bullington, and the event will feature a Zathura-inspired room, where you can play vintage board games!
THE BIG WHITE
D. Mark Mylod :: USA 2005 :: 35mm :: Ascendant Pictures
Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Woody Harrelson, Giovanni Ribisi, Alison Lohman, Tim Blake Nelson, and James Woods
The Big White is about a destitute Alaskan travel agent (Robin Williams) with a deranged wife (Holly Hunter) who finds the answer to his financial problems in the form of a get-rich-quick scam involving a frozen body in the dumpster, which he tries to pass off as his long-lost brother for a life insurance claim. Just a few things stand in his way ˆ a determined insurance investigator, an irate sibling and two would be gangsters. >> read more...
THE BIRTHDAY
D. Eugenio Mira:: USA 2005 :: 35mm :: Arcadia Pictures
Corey Feldman, Erica Prior, Jack Taylor
WINNER, Best Art Direction, NOMINATED, best film at Sitges Film Festival 2004
DIRECTOR, Eugene Mira will appear at this screening
A very unusual, real-time black comedy that only reveals its true horror-film colors after lulling the audience into a false state of comfort. An odd bird indeed, Mira's film opens with the tone of an '80s comedy, introduces its horror aspects with a deliberately campy approach at the half-way mark then tears through the roof with a last act of nightmarish, Lovecraftian ferocity. >> read more...
CREEP
D. Christopher Smith :: UK/Germany 2005 :: 85min :: 35mm :: Lions Gate Films
Featuring Franka Potente (Run Lola Run)
A frightening descent into the shadowy subterranean world of London, Creep is a modern tale of nightmare terror exposing the extremes of raw survival. German star Franka Potente leads an exciting cast, including Sean Harris, Jeremy Sheffield, Vas Blackwood and Ken Campbell on a shocking journey through the unknown horrors lurking in the rat-infested depths of the bustling capital city's underground train network. >> read more...
THE DARK HOURS
D. Paul Fox :: Canada 2005 :: 80min :: 35mm :: Calder Road Films/Capri Releasing
Kate Greenhouse, Aidan Devine, Gordon Currie, Iris Graham and Dov Tiefenbach
WINNER -- Best film, best actress -PUCHON FANTASY FILM FESTIVAL
Dr. Samantha Goodman is a psychiatrist in her late thirties, dealing with what could politely be described as a life-altering situation. Hoping to get her mind together, she decides to spend the weekend at a winter cottage with her husband and sister. All chances of healing are shattered when a brutal sex offender and former patient of Dr. Goodman's arrives to take the group hostage in the center of oblivion. He is a hypodermic needle dripping with controlled hate, and together with his protégé, he will force the family to partake in a cruel series of "games." >> read more...
DOMOI-THE VOYAGE HOME
Toni Pykalaniemi :: Finland 2005 :: 23 min :: 35mm
Ville Haapasalo, Outi Condit and Tuomo Silvasvuori
A wounded warrior is the lone survivor of a battle where his entire army was defeated, and must make a long journey home after years of absence. On his way, he takes refuge in a ruined castle and is confronted by a restless ghost only he can help find peace.
The FUCCON FAMILY (aka OH! MIKEY)
D. Yoshimasa Ishibashi :: Japan :: 2002-2005 :: ADV Films
A relentlessly psychotic spoof of '50s sitcoms, The Fuccon Family chronicles the suburban adventures of a giddily white-bread American family living in Japan. The catch is that the entire series is exclusively and inexplicably cast with mannequins, resulting in a disturbingly surreal TV show that can readily drive unprepared viewers insane, and has become a pop culture phenomenon in Japan. We are pleased to present select episodes of the series never before screened in the U.S., courtesy of ADV Films.
G.O.R.A.
D.Ömer Faruk Sorak :: Turkey 2004 :: 127 min :: 35mm :: BKM FILM
Generally satisfied to get by on a quick buck and a wisecrack on the side, Arif, an Anatolian huckster of rugs and fake UFO snapshots, is hardly the type one would peg as a galactic revolutionary. Even when he's kidnapped by aliens, Arif's initial interest is simply to escape. But when Arif takes a shine to the lovely Princess Ceku, who's a lot more sympathetic to our species than her fellow Gorans, Arif's agenda gets a bit more complicated. With a dour, tubby Turkish rasta and a flamboyant android, Arif sets out to find a mysterious figure who holds the key to the freedom to the Goran planet, ours and all between.
>> read more...
HERMAN, THE LEGAL LABRADOR
David Blumenstein :: Australia 2004 :: 22 min :: Animation
Shaun Micallef and Adam Wajnberg
A criminal defense attorney - who just happens to be an adorable labrador - takes on a corrupt prosecutor to save a friend framed for murder.
THE LAST WAVE :: POST-APOCALYPTIC CINEMA
D. Peter Weir :: Italy 1982 :: 89min :: 35mm :: Exhumed Films
In THE LAST WAVE, the keys to an enigmatic murder, as well as baffling disturbances in the weather, are gradually revealed to an Australian lawyer (Richard Chamberlain) within the shadowy, nomadic culture of aborigines living in and around Sydney. Weir brings us toward an apocalyptic climax that is foreshadowed with a haunting series of events that cohere around water imagery, from an improbable drowning on dry land to downpours from cloudless skies, and ghostly invasions of frogs. >> read more...
THE MAKING OF NARNIA
A special presentation and display by Howard Berger (KNB EFX group)
We are proud to welcome to Fantastic Fest Howard Berger, legendary make-up and effects supervisor, whose work you have seen, or shielded your eyes from, in movies such as KILL BILL, FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, ARMY OF DARKNESS, EVIL DEAD 2, DAY OF THE DEAD, and now CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.
Disney is flying down a showcase of creatures, costumes and props, and Howard Berger will walk the audience through the props and answer any questions you may have on the making of anything from NARNIA to NIGHT OF THE CREEPS. >> read more...
MALEFIQUE
D. Eric Valette :: France 2002 :: 90min :: 35mm (French with English Subtitles)
GŽrald Laroche, Philippe Laudenbach, Clovis Cornillac, Dimitri Rataud
WINNER - Prix Vision, Avignon Film Festival 2003
In Eric Valette's taut tale of cramped terror, blood-soaked suspense, claustrophobic anguish and full-blown fright, four prisoners find a diary of black magic spells offering them freedom. Carrere (Gerald Laroche) has been accused of company fraud and is waiting for his two-timing wife to post nonexistent bail. When a stone slab loosens next to Carrere's bunk, they unearth a book of weird symbols written by a 1920's convict who used the esoteric incantations to walk through the cell walls. >> read more...
MAREBITO
D. Takashi Shimizu :: JAPAN 2004:: 35mm :: Tartan USA
Shinya Tsukamoto, Tomomi Miyashita, Kazuhiro Nakahara, Miho Ninagawa, Shun Sugata
WINNER - Golden Raven - Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film 2005
After filming a man committing suicide in the metro, a cameraman returns to the scene to understand the dead man's motives. Following his final gaze leads Masuoka to a door into a cavernous underworld. He finds a beautiful woman chained to a rock. Masuoka frees her and takes her home. But by observing her through his web cam, he suspects there is something truly inhuman about this girl with sharp teeth who walks on all fours.>> read more...
MIRACLE MILE:: POST-APOCALYPTIC CINEMA
D. Steve De Jarnatt :: USA 1988 :: 87 min :: 35mm ::
MGM/Sony
"What do you do when you're given the deadline for the end of the world? Steve De Jarnatt's insidiously clever and utterly gripping nuclear thriller begins as a romantic lark--amiable swing trombonist Anthony Edwards meets girl of his dreams Mare Winningham--and turns into a nightmarish vision of society out of control. It all turns on the chance pick-up of a ringing pay phone at 4 a.m. and a panicked voice breathlessly warning Edwards that World War III has been launched. >> read more...
MOON GIRL
Henry Selick :: USA 2005 :: 9 min :: Animation :: Laika Entertainment
A charming fable which re-imagines lunar mythology through the ingenious mind of stop-motion animation master Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach) – who uses 3D computer animation for the first time. >> view the trailer...
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DORKS
D. Matthias Dinter :: GERMANY 2004 :: 35mm :: 89 min
Tino Mewes, Thomas Schmieder, Manuel CortŽz, Collien Fernandes, Nadine Germann, Hendrik Borgmann
WINNER - Audience Award, Fantasia Film Festival 2005
Philip, Konrad, and Weener are terminally unpopular at Fredrich Nietzsche High School. One night after an ineptly executed voodoo ritual, they're involved in a horrible car accident. They awaken in the morgue as the living dead and soon learn that death has its advantages.... >> read more...
NO BLADE OF GRASS :: POST-APOCALYPTIC CINEMA
D. Cornel Wilde :: UK 1970 :: 35mm :: 96 min ::
Print Source: BFI
Based on a best-selling novel by John Christopher, this combination horror-movie, cautionary tale warns against the dangers of pollution. The tale is set in a futuristic Britain that has been decimated by the sudden onset of a terrible plague caused by environmental damage. One family flees to the sanctuary of a friend's farm. The journey is treacherous and the clan must fight insane biker gangs and deal with their own personal problems. >> read more...
P
D. Paul Spurrier :: Thailand 2005 :: 105 min :: 35mm :: Creative Films Siam
Whilst growing up in rural Thailand, young orphan girl Dau is taught the ways of magic by her grandmother. When grandmother falls sick, Dau doesn't have the money to pay for medicines. Luckily the local shopkeeper can get her a job as a waitress in Bangkok. Upon arrival, it turns out that Dau has to work in a go-go bar. Tricked into prostitution, she soon looses her innocence. Dau uses her magical skills to her advantage, but in doing so makes enemies within the bar. As her magic gets darker and the consequences increasingly horrific, she gradually loses control and something evil takes over. >> read more...
PULSE
D. Kiyoshi Kurosawa :: JAPAN 2001 :: 118 min :: 35mm :: Magnolia Pictures
Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Aso
WINNER - Critics Award, NOMINATED - best film Sitges Film Festival 2001
WINNER - Best Actress - Japanese Professional Movie Awards 2002
After one of their friends commits suicide, strange things begin happening to a group of young Tokyo residents. One of them sees visions of his dead friend in the shadows on the wall, while another's computer keeps showing strange, ghostly images. Is their friend trying to contact them from beyond the grave, or is there something much more sinister going on? >> read more...
A SCANNER DARKLY--special presentation
P. Tommy Pallotta :: D. Richard Linklater USA (2006) :: Warner Independent Pictures
Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Jr., Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, Rory Cochrane
Producer Tommy Pallotta presents an exclusive sneak peek and behind-the-scenes look at the making of A SCANNER DARKLY, director Richard Linklater's highly anticipated adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, due in theaters next year from Warner Independent Pictures. >> read more...
SREDNI VASHTAR
D. David Bradley :: US 1941-1943 :: 12 min. :: 16mm :: Larson-Casselton Collection / Unseen Cinema
A young orphan named Conradian confronts his oppressive aunt with the aid of Sredni Vashtar, a malevolent god who appears to him in the form of a ferret in this gleefully twisted Gothic fairy tale, faithfully adapted from the short story by Saki. Shot from 1941-1943, the film was completed four decades later, when filmmaker David Bradley finished synching his own narration, personally dubbing each character's lines to disturbing effect. Presented by Unseen Cinema.
STRINGS
D. Anders Rønnow Klarlund :: SWEDEN 2004 :: 88 min :: 35mm :: Wellspring Media
VOICES :: James McAvoy, Catherine McCormack, Julian Glover, Derek Jacobi, Ian Hart
WINNNER - Best Directorial Revelation GRAND PRIZE of European Fantasy Film, 2004 Sitges Film Festival
STRINGS is a dramatic tale of adventure, bondage and liberation; of love and war, destiny and vitality, identity and common humanity. For not everything is what it seems in this land of adventure, where the threads of destiny are woven together by unseen hands, and where there appears to be a hidden connection between Earth and Heaven. >> read more...
WARD 13
D. Peter Cornwell :: AUSTRALIA 2003 :: 14.5 min :: 35mm
After a car accident, Ben wakes up in hospital. Not knowing where he is or what is going on, he starts exploring the corridors...only to find that the staff don't have his health in mind! The hapless patient must pull himself together and do everything he can to escape. It's an action/horror/comedy - ending with the wheelchair chase from hell! >> read more...
WOLF CREEK
D. Greg McLean :: Australia 2005 :: 99min :: 35mm :: Dimension Films
John Jarrat, Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Andy McPhee
NOMINATED - Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2005
Backpackers have been going missing along outback highways for decades, and Greg McLean's well-crafted debut is loosely based on true events - most notably the disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, and the exploits of infamous Australian serial killer Ivan Milat. Wolf Creek is slated for a Miramax release later this year. >> read more...
1990: BRONX WARRIORS:: POST-APOCALYPTIC CINEMA
D. Enzo G. Castellari :: Italy 1982 :: 89min :: 35mm :: Exhumed Films
The year is 1990 and the Bronx region of New York City has become a wasteland ruled by street gangs and violent criminals. Normal citizens have fled across the river to the Manhattan area and police dare not tread in the crime-infested cesspool. But apparently not all is well within the privileged sector, because the heiress to a fortune, has chosen to flee her rich lifestyle and risk the dangers of the Bronx instead. >> read more...
