Guerilla News, Issue 724

Two years ago, Tim League and the Alamo Drafthouse launched a short film festival called Fantastic Fest that screened four days worth of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films to an eager Austin audience. The festival featured an opening night film of Zathura (with director Jon Favreau in tow), a closing night with Eli Roth’s Hostel, and two parties.

Now, two years and two festivals later, Fantastic Fest is a force to be reckoned with. FF has exploded to eight days long (Sep 20-27) and promises to rock! This year’s run includes more parties, three special secret screenings (last year, one of the secret screenings featured Apocalypto and included the controversial Mel Gibson in attendance), and numerous attending directors/actors/writers.

Though all VIP passes to the festival have been sold out, there are still festival passes available on the official website: www.fantasticfest.com. If you don’t manage to snag one of these, FF typically sells tickets to individual shows on a space-available basis. Believe me when I say you do not want to miss this festival! The opening night alone will include George Romero’s Diary of the Dead with George himself on location.

That said, I spoke to the festival’s mastermind Tim League about this year’s program:

Rich (AFG): Congratulations on the success of Fantastic Fest and your inclusion into the Melies Federation. What does this mean for FF?

Tim League (TL): The Melies Federation is the world leader in this type of festival. Being a part of the federation adds a significant amount of credibility to our young festival. When we travel to markets and festivals looking for films, we are now looked upon as being a serious player.

AFG: Asian cinema seems to make up a sizeable portion of FF’s programming. Was this part of the initial concept for this festival, or has it just panned out this way?

TL: I serve as the festival director, and my tastes certainly run in that direction. This year, I was looking very hard for crazy, new Asian cinema and I think we have found a lot of true gems. Without a doubt, Asia is a leader in all types of genre cinema. It mainly started in Japan and Hong Kong, but now Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and ESPECIALLY Korea have built up sizeable production infrastructure and are producing amazing films. Beyond Asia, there are other countries in Europe that produce phenomenal films. Spain as a country actively promotes production within the country, and has been cranking out some amazing films over the last few years. We have a big selection of Spanish shorts and features. Although we don’t have many films from Denmark this year, just a couple, I am really impressed with their film output. Offscreen, from Nicholas Bro, for example, is one of my favorite films in the lineup. Expect more Danish presence at Fantastic Fest in years to come.

AFG: One of this festival’s best traits is that it all happens under one roof at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. It does limit the amount of ‘conference’ type activities you can plan, though. Have you expanded upon this side of the festival?

TL: This year, we haven’t done much on the side of the “conference.” We are planning to beef that up in 2008, but for 2007, we decided to instead pack as many films as we could into the lineup.

AFG: I noticed last year that the festival had more opportunities for mixing it up at parties than was in the inaugural year. Should we expect even more for 2007?

TL: Yes. We’ve actually removed a few midnight slots on 3 of the days of the festival to allow for more parties. Fantastic Fest is a somewhat intimate festival; and we’ve found that after a long day of movies, everyone wanted to hang out together, drink a few beers and chat about the movies they have seen. We’re doing quite a bit more of that this year.

AFG: Okay, so everyone knows now that last year you featured a super-secret advance screening of Apocalypto with Mel Gibson in attendance. Are you planning to surprise us again this year?

TL: Yes. We are planning to surprise everyone again this year, but that means I can’t tell you what those surprises are! We’ll have 4 secret screenings this year; all of which should be lots of fun. Two of which will have big guests.

AFG: Briefly explain how Harry Knowles became involved with Fantastic Fest, and how has he influenced the programming.

TL: Harry and I go way back. We celebrated our 10 year anniversaries (Ain’t It Cool and Alamo Drafthouse) within 8 months of each other, and basically we grew up and became businessmen together. Harry and I were at the Sitges Film Festival in 2001, and I remember a conversation where Harry pulled me over and said, “We have to do something like this in Austin.” We were both completely blown away by the experience and thought, yeah, maybe someday. Then in 2005, Paul Alvarado and Tim McCanlies approached each of us and pitched the idea of doing a festival along the lines of a mini-Sitges here in Austin. We both said yes and then it was off to the races. As for our roles, I generally handle the logistics of the festival and do the bulk of the festival programming. Harry, with his inroads to the industry, goes after the big screenings and special events. It’s worked out well so far.

AFG: How are things going over at the Alamo’s new location at the Ritz on 6^th?

TL: Things are progressing well. I got a little behind schedule during the month away doing the Rolling Roadshow Tour, but that’s probably good. Initial projections were to have the space done right in the middle of Fantastic Fest, which very well may have given me a stroke.

I will be writing throughout this year’s festival, so stay tuned for more information about festival sightings, events, and film picks. Cheers!

Posted by Rich Newman

Email Rich at info@austinfilmguerilla.com

Read more in Rich’s film column in Austin Wide Open magazine, www.austinwideopen.com

The Listings:

Crew Call: Innovative Renderworx is currently seeking a creative costume designer to begin preliminary work on our latest project, Templar: Honor Among Thieves. We require someone who can take our conceptual designs and turn them into real costumes. Experience with casting full body suits and armor is a definite plus. If you think you have the talent to help us make this film a reality, we encourage you to visit the "conceptual art" section of our website at www.innovative-renderworx.com/templar. If you are interested, please send us your resume and samples of your work. Only serious inquiries please. renderman@innovative-renderworx.com

Sep 29: At noon on Saturday, September 29th, hundreds of filmmakers will flood the streets of Austin attempting to create an original short film in just 12 hours. Will you be one of them? Take part in the first ever Austin Film Race, part of the Racing Tour that is visiting over 10 cities in 2007. All of the completed films wil premier for the public a few days later and the best films will advance into a nationwide competition for thousands in cash + prizes. Anyone may register, but space is limited. Get your team together and sign up today! To register or learn more, visit http://www.filmracing.com. Registration deadline is Thursday, September 13th.

Crew Call: The producers of the feature film, Deadly Obsession, are looking for someone to do color correction and post special fx on the movie. If interested, please email us your resume/work experience and/or demo reel to Popcorn.Productions@hotmail.com ASAP.

Cast Call: We are doing further casting for Katja Straub's UT Grad student thesis film, shooting in mid-late October. We are shooting on super 16mm film, and it's going to be great! The parts we are looking to cast are: Tom, Male. 9-11 years. White. Uncomplicated, dreamy boy. Big ears are very welcome. Marc, Male. 13 or 14 years. White. Wealthy boy with a little attitude. If interested, please email your headshots/resumes to MarthaFilm@gmail.com

Crew Call: We are looking for a video consultant in the Austin Area... Basically we are looking for someone with experience to help us with our video projects the days we shoot. justin@magneticsponsoring.com

Crew Call: Kayo Productions is in need of two production assistant interns for the short film Bad Blood. No experience necessary - just a willingness to learn. This is a non-paying gig, but will provide food. Film will be shot mid September through October on week-ends. Kayo Production films have screened in 10 international film festivals. Send your info to kayoproductions@netzero.com

Cast Call: Ever wish you could bail in the middle of a bad date? Well, NEXT is the MTV show that lets you do just that. MTV is coming to Austin looking for the hottest Guys and Girls for our #1 dating show. If chosen, get ready for a two-day trip to Los Angeles where you will be set up with the perfect date. All expenses paid! We will be holding an event at the Lucky Lounge on September 13th from 9:00pm to 11:30pm. On September 14th we will be at the Austin City Limits starting at 1:30 and if you can't make those events we will be at the Blind Pig on September 15th from 11:00am to 4:00 pm. We are looking for Guys & Girls between the ages 18-25. Attractive, fun, adventurous, charming, funny, smart, sexy, and...smoking hot. We are looking for the real deal. Please arrive dressed to impress, with a valid form of ID.

Sep 23: The musical lineup for the final benefit concert for Z: a zombie musical is now complete. We have another great lineup. Those who made it last year, in spite of the chilly weather, remember what fantastic music we had. This year will likely be much warmer than the 40s, so that won't be a problem this time. The concert, again, will be at Trophy's, 2008 south congress. Since it's a school/work night, we'll finish about 10 p.m. & will start about 6 or 7 p.m.

Crew Call: Day and Night shifts available for projectionists at Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, September 28-October 6. No experience necessary, will train. Ability to run deck helpful. Email today volunteers@agliff.org

Cast Call: Casting for the Independent Video Production called Fly. Seeking: 2 Males ages 18-25, 1 Male age 18-30, 1 Female age 17-24, 2 Adults (one Male, one Female) age 37-55. Please contact me: cmunoz@acad.stedwards.edu

Cast Call: I'm currently looking for a male english speaking voice for radio advertising as well as On Hold Advertising. Experience preferred. Contact Gregg at TUkidd@aol.com with a brief idea of your interest. This could turn into a partnership if youre interested.

Cast Call: Desdemona: A Love Story begins principle photography the end of
September and we are looking to fill a few key roles. Diversity is a good thing. Email your headshots and resume to: Desdemona.Movie@ Gmail.com

Cast Call: Ignite! Learning, an Austin-based producer of leading educational multimedia products, is holding an open casting call for young actors to participate in ongoing video software! Casting will be held Saturday, September 15th. Please submit a head shot and resume to castings@ignitelearning.com. Actors and Actresses aged 14 to 19 are preferred. All ages, ethnicities, handicaps, and creeds will be considered and are encouraged to apply.

Crew Call: This is a paid position. LGM and Zodiac Productions latest project is
looking for a quick and talented Story board artist for low budget feature the pay is minimal. Doesn’t necessarily need experience in story board art but a strong sense of perspective drawing and quick turn around is important. Please submit Sample of Work and Contact info to William J. Orendorff at lgmlogcabin@gmail.com

Cast Call: Francine Maisler Casting and Vicky Boone Casting are conducting a
statewide casting search for genuine/spirited boys and girls (ages 10 to 14) and angelic/lovely women (ages 25 to 45) to be considered for leading roles in an upcoming major Hollywood family movie to be filmed in Texas. If you would like to make a submission, please send a photo and contact information electronically to austincasting@gmail.com or Vicky Boone Casting, P.O. Box 6089, Austin, TX 78762. Please label all photos with the following information: name, phone number #1, phone number #2, email address. No previous acting experience is necessary. Interested participants may call the information line at (512) 637-9782.

Sep 12-14: The three night Screendoor screening event will take place on Wednesday,
September 12th, Thursday, September 13th, and Friday, September 14th. Each screening begins at 7:30 pm, and tickets are $6 for each. Four Eyed Monsters, Directed by Susan Buice and Arin Crumley is on Wednesday, September 12^th. Pirate Radio USA is Thursday, September 13^th. Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Road.

Cast Call: September 15th. Noon-4 pm. Casting call location and sides available
upon inquiry.Cheesy Nuggets Productions is casting roles for its next feature film.
This casting call is, primarily, to shoot some trailer footage in Mid-October, but the principal photography for the feature will take place in Summer of 2008. Initially actors will not be paid, but hopefully funding will be acquired for a scaled pay for cast and crew. There may be some travel required, and all travel expenses will be paid. Please e-mail Emily Hagins (Writer/Director) for details on audition and sides:
zombiemoviedirector@yahoo.com

Sep 12: The Network Austin Mixer, Mother Egan's Irish Pub - 715 West 6th St. Speaker is actor Katherine Willis (http://imdb. com/name/ nm0932369/). Free and open to all.