About Fantastic Fest

HORROR, FANTASY, SCI-FI, ACTION & JUST PLAIN FANTASTIC MOVIES

FOR THE LOVE OF GENRE

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, championing challenging and thought-provoking cinema while celebrating new voices and new stories from filmmakers around the world. We collaborate with other festivals, archives, cinematheques, and individuals to spotlight lesser-known film regions and luminaries in an ongoing effort to expand the general knowledge and appreciation of cinema. Supporting film in its most provocative, ground-breaking, and underseen forms is our all-consuming passion, giving audiences a chance to find new favorites and future genre classics in the process.

Martin Mcdonagh signing a festival participant's shirt from a prior Fantastic Fest

UNFORGETTABLE EVENTS

Each year we bring together fans, guests, industry, press, and movie lovers of all stripes in an inclusive and fun environment for a weeklong celebration of film in all its forms through carefully curated screenings and events, both in and outside of the theaters. Much more than a film festival, Fantastic Fest features wild parties, live podcast recordings, boxing debates, and even Austrian cocktail robots.

A panel of Festival staff at a prior Fantastic Fest

WORLD PREMIERES

In years past, Fantastic Fest has been home to world premieres of genre-defining films, including SMILE, JOHN WICK, FRANKENWEENIE, MACHETE KILLS, RED DAWN, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCALYPTO, ZOMBIELAND, RED, SPLIT, OVERLORD, APOSTLE, and THE NIGHT COMES FOR US. We’ve also been honored to host innovating artists such as Tim Burton, Nicolas Winding-Refn, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, Robert Rodriguez, Rian Johnson, Bill Murray, Keanu Reeves, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder, Edward Norton, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Karl Urban, Josh Hartnett, The RZA, Dolph Lundgren, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Darren Aronofsky, Mike Judge, M. Night Shyamalan, James McAvoy, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steven Yeun, Danny McBride, Tenacious D, and more.

Festival participants playing a drinking game at a prior Fantastic Fest