Early Word on Fantastic Fest 2010 Events

Fantastic Arcade
A new independent games festival, Fantastic Arcade, will run concurrent with the first four days of Fantastic Fest, September 23-26, 2010. Designed as a games spin-off event from the main film festival, Fantastic Arcade will feature fresh, cutting-edge games designed by independent game developers. Fantastic Fest badgeholders will be able to access the games and events of Fantastic Arcade, but Arcade-specific passes will also be available. Fantastic Arcade highlights include a games showcase from both major and super-independent game developers, games industry guest speakers, and live game demos on the big screens at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar.

Other game festival features include a machinima film competition judged by Red Vs. Blue creator Burnie Burns, video game art installations featuring work by Cory Arcangel, chiptune music performances, screenings of popular games culture films, a Starcade game-show competition, and a light saber dance party. Fantastic Arcade is highly interested in exploring the crossover between the film and game worlds in terms of both talent and content. Films and games are both visual storytelling mediums that have been sharing plots, dialogue and characters for years. Passes for Fantastic Arcade start at $15 and go on sale on July 1 at noon CST. More info at fantasticfest.com/arcade.

Extreme Cuisine
Every year Fantastic Fest incorporates a number of culinary theatrics. This year Alamo Drafthouse executive chef John Bullington will be kicking off the opening night party by butterfly-butchering an entire adult cow and cooking it in the Argentinian style – smoked on an open fire for 18 hours. Check the Fantastic Fest blog for photos of the industrial cow crucifix that is under construction and a meet and greet with the cow (Fanny) that is being raised for the occasion. Bullington will also be overseeing the annual Fantastic Fest five-course feast for the 2010 food-themed feature selection. Expect more signature food and drink pairings as the 2010 Fantastic Fest schedule is announced.

Jeffrey Combs and Stuart Gordon: From Beyond, Re-Animator, and Nevermore
Jeffrey Combs and Stuart Gordon will be live in person with repertory screenings of FROM BEYOND and RE-ANIMATOR, and Jeffrey Combs will be performing his one-man show NEVERMORE… AN EVENING WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE. Stuart Gordon wrote the play, using a compilation of historical accounts, actual monologues, articles, letters, and Poe’s own words to construct the definitive portrait of American’s most famous macabre poet. The play ran for months in Los Angeles and received unanimously glowing reviews. Although not a film, NEVERMORE was the very first show booked for this year’s festival. There will be two shows open to Fantastic Fest badge holders with additional performances available to the general public.

Spotlight: Norway
Though Norway has a long established and well respected film history, the nation had long avoided genre film, preferring to make their name at home with broadly commercial comedies and dramas and abroad with high-end arthouse film. That changed for good with the arrival of Roar Uthaug and Cold Prey. The first modern slasher movie produced anywhere in the Nordic countries, Cold Prey was initially considered a risky proposition but went on to become a total game-changer for the local industry. A massive smash hit – not only in Norway but throughout the entire region – Cold Prey proved to the young generation of producers and directors that they could be successful making the sorts of films they loved, the sorts of films they had previously thought were the sole purview of Hollywood. And since then it’s been game on with a string of young talents producing a diverse wave of high quality genre hits.

Thrillers, horror, action flicks, science fiction … you name it, and somebody is making it, and making it well. And though Cold Prey’s impact has been felt well outside of Norway’s borders, triggering a surge of genre production in neighboring Sweden, Denmark, and Finland as well, Norway remains the clear leader in Nordic genre film with recent hits like Nazi-zombie comedy Dead Snow winning over audiences around the globe. Fantastic Fest is proud to embrace the sullying of Norway’s cinematic history with explosions of gore and violence as we present to you the very finest examples of current Norwegian genre film in our Norwegian Spotlight at Fantastic Fest 2010.