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The Fantastic Fest Awards Have Been Given!

Published at:  Sep 24, 2008 6:33:40 AM CDT

Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

I really can’t quite process the five days of film I just imbibed. I am still dizzy from all of the things I saw. 24 films. Eight of which I watched as part of being on the jury for the Fantastic Features competition. I saw not quite a quarter of the films programmed, which means it’s likely there are people who had a completely different experience at the festival than I did. There was no way to see it all, but that just means I get to enjoy the catching up on all the things people seemed to enjoy.

The awards ceremony was great fun, as was pretty much every event, and I think all of the judges were genuinely pleased to be giving awards to these films. I’m going to run the full press release here, and then I’ll be discussing more about many of these movies in the next few days.

There’s a lot to discuss, too. Trust me.



Bloodshots 48 Hour Filmmaking Contest:

Team: Scottish Rite Productions
Film: Meet the Maydays
Team Capt – Drew Thomas

Fantastic Fest Bumper Contest:

Team: Yer Dead
Film: Report Card
Team Capt – Jason Eisener

Animated Shorts:

First Place: Bernie's Doll
Second Place: Muto
Third Place: Violeta
Special Jury Award for Technical Merit: Facts In The Case Of Mr. Hollow

Fantastic Shorts:

First Place: The Object
Second Place: Spandex Man
Third Place: Stagman
Special Jury Award for Visual Invention: Rojo Red

Horror Shorts:

First Place:. Electric Fence
Second Place:. I Love Sarah Jane
Third Place: El Senor Puppe
Special Jury Award for sheer enjoyability: The Horribly Slow Murderer With The Extremely Inefficient Weapon

Fantastic Features:

First Place: HOW TO GET RID OF THE OTHERS
Second Place: CARGO 200
Third Place: EX DRUMMER
Special Jury Award for originality and vision: SANTOS

Horror Features:

First Place: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (surprise!)
Second Place: ACOLYTES
Third Place: DONKEY PUNCH
Special Jury Award for most politically incorrect gore: FEAST 2
Special Jury Award for best use of latex: JACK BROOKS MONSTER SLAYER

Audience Award:

First Place: The Good, The Bad and the Weird
Second Place: Chocolate
Third Place: JCVD

AMD Fantastic Fest Online:

Best Feature Film: South of Heaven
Best Short Film: Treevenge

AMD Next Wave:

First Place: TOKYO GORE POLICE
Second Place: DEADGIRL
Third Place: LE CRÈME

For more information about Fantastic Fest, please visit our official website.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the United States featuring over 100 films from over 30 countries. The event highlights the best new sci-fi, horror, fantasy and genre films, as well as choice classic and obscure cult titles from all over the world. The festival director and head programmer is Tim League (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema), with additional programming by Harry Knowles (Ain't It Cool News), Todd Brown (Twitchfilm.net), Blake Ethridge (Cinema is Dope), Karrie League (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema), Zack Carlson (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Lars Nilsen (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema). Fantastic Fest is a supporting member of the prestigious Melies European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and a founding member of the North American Fantastic Festival Alliance. Fantastic Fest is sponsored in part by Gamecock Media, AMD, Fosters, Embassy Suites, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, CITY OF EMBER, DVD Empire, Best Buy, Dark Sky Films, Envy Magazine, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Texas Film Commission, Image Entertainment, Viz Pictures, HungrymanTV.com, Book People, Room Service Vintage, Media Blasters, Big Top Candy, Austin Chronicle, The Onion, Fangoria Magazine, Rue Morgue Magazine, Twitchfilm.com, Ain't It Cool News, Smitty's Market and Louie Mueller Barbecue.


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    Readers Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 6:36:18 AM CDT

    Love the award that Feast 2 won.

    by derlanghaarige

    Was it especially created for that movie or did it exist before?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 6:45:32 AM CDT

    2 of the 3 horror flicks...

    by karmicrelief

    ...sound like porn titles.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:01:42 AM CDT

    Aww damn it!

    by marxeffect

    Now im going to have to watch Feast 2!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:02:35 AM CDT

    Marxeffect - Don't expect Feast 1 and you may enjoy it

    by bnl771

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:13:16 AM CDT

    I wish I could unsee Electric Fence

    by bnl771

    Not because it was bad, it was just... I've NEVER felt that way watching anything. I was getting physically ill. And that seriously has never been the case for me, quite the opposite really. I like the sick, fucked up, gross shit but holy fuckbeans - that is one sickening short.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:22:02 AM CDT

    some good picks

    by elgiante

    I love seeing Jason Eisener doing well, can't wait for his next full length. Also glad Ex-Drummer is getting attention, saw it at TIFF last year and dying to see it again, if only it'd get a DVD release...Acolytes, GBW, Deadgirl, JCVD... all awesome.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:29:42 AM CDT

    Thanks bnl771

    by marxeffect

    I'll take that into consideration!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:39:30 AM CDT

    bnl771

    by rebeck2

    What happens in Electric Fence?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:43:12 AM CDT

    Rebeck2

    by jonesey1111

    From the FF2008 website: A nebbish bachelor loses his penis in an incident involving an epileptic hooker and experiences newfound sexual urges with his freshly transplanted member.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:45:11 AM CDT

    Secret Screening from last night?

    by rando calrisian

    Anyone who went to the screening? What was it?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:49:45 AM CDT

    Electric Fence? (spoilers)

    by bingo the clown

    Boy, that was a pointless film. An interesting set up that ends up with a detailed act of self-mutilation. The fact that a film like this won an award is the reason I hate film awards.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 8:55:10 AM CDT

    Uh, Yeah...

    by rebeck2

    I'll pass. Anything about losing or mutilating a penis is not my idea of a good time. Thanks, Jonesey.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 9:23:03 AM CDT

    rando

    by birdy birdman

    it was brothers bloom. great. not as dark as brick but very entertaining.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 9:37:51 AM CDT

    Rebeck2

    by bnl771

    Yeah, it's not so much that that situation upsets me, it's the long, upclose, very realistic shots they use and the tool... **spoiler... i guess** he uses those little tiny nosehair scissors to slowly cut off his dick.

    Reply to Talkback

  • ...and I can't fucking wait!!! It sounds like my kind of movie anyway, but when you add the ecstatic reactions from people who have seen it, well, my excitement level damn near explodes. The Vancouver International Film Fest begins here tomorrow and, despite missing such high-profile pics like Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler, it does have Let the Right One In. So I'm very, very excited, in case you can't tell.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 12:31:10 PM CDT

    Secret Screening #1 was...

    by vwantsrevenge

    THE BROTHERS BLOOM

    I can't believe MUTO didn't win best animated short. Man, the work that had to go into that thing is breathtaking.

    THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD is not only the best movie of the Fest for me so far, but along with THE DARK KNIGHT, it's the best movie I've seen all year. Fantastic!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 12:33:31 PM CDT

    how in the fuck

    by kilik777

    How did South of Heaven win any award? It was the most overrated and shitty of the online movies. Dr. Infierno was the best one of those. More reviews here: http://tinyurl.com/pv8do

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 3:47:47 PM CDT

    Let the Right One In is my favorite film of the year

    by slappy jones

    absolutely fucking amazing. The pool set piece is now in my top ten film scenes of all time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 4:22:47 PM CDT

    Sponsered by City of Ember?

    by series7

    Did it show there?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 4:39:37 PM CDT

    For me, the best film of the fest has been...

    by chaplinatemyshoe

    Just Another Love Story. That movie blew me away. Was not expecting a movie with that bad a title to be as good as it was. If you love film noir, hunt this movie down.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 24, 2008 11:12:42 PM CDT

    Just watched this tonight

    by bnl771

    This and the surprisingly excellent Alien Raiders.

    The Burrowers (or The Burrs as the characters like to call them) is an excellent movie. However, I'd be weary of anyone saying this movie eschews from any standard horror conventions. The loud cues and boo scares (complete with at least 3 "gotchya" false scares) abound. It just does these things very well and with a bit of class that a lot of movies lack. When you have the confidence Petty obviously has (and displayed in Mimic 3 as well - that was a sequel that rocked completely out of nowhere!), you can get away with making a mature, SERIOUS horror film like this. Bravo.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 25, 2008 1:02:48 PM CDT

    closing night film

    by birdy birdman

    If this festival actually ends with City of Ember, FF will have officially sold out. I'm sorry but it's true, and very depressing for someone who was looking forward to this for a year, including y'alls selves.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 26, 2008 12:55:47 AM CDT

    LET THE RIGHT ONE IN will be THE next great horror masterpiece.

    by maxthesilent

    Believe it, fanboys!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 26, 2008 12:59:12 AM CDT

    '48 Hour Film-making Contest'?

    by maxthesilent

    Bunch of pussies. This is a blatant rip-off the Australia's 'Shoot-Out Film Festival' where you have 24 hours to make a film with only in-camera editing and utilising 5 of the list of local landmarks given out on the night. I've done this and it's a killer. 48 hours? Fucking hell, based ont ebrilliance of some of the Shoot-Out films, peeps here in OZ could make WAR AND PEACE in 48 hours.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 26, 2008 3:51:11 AM CDT

    Lame

    by masteryoda007

    Is it just me or do these awards sound really lame. The whole festival reeks of cheap ass-kissers.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 27, 2008 12:08:16 AM CDT

    Not lame at all...

    by samuraiyao

    Don't knock on something unless you actually been there yourself... This is one of Austin's great attraction besides the people itself is this great festival...

    Reply to Talkback

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