Set to kick off on September 24th, we've learned the sad, but expected, news that the Austin, Texas based Fantastic Fest has called off this year's event.
The announcement was made over on the Fantastic Fest website, with the team explaining their reason for the cancelling the event is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It's unfortunate, but understandable.
With last year's Fantastic Fest playing host to a huge slate of hit films including Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, The Platform, Blood Machines and Guns Akimbo, it's pretty obvious that a year without the festival is going to have quite an impact on the independent film industry.
"Today, with a heavy heart, we must announce that this year’s Fantastic Fest has been canceled. We are beginning the process of refunding filmmaker submission fees and offering refunds to badge holders," the official statement begins.
"Up until just a couple of weeks ago, the Fantastic Fest team had been diligently poring over screeners and considering movies from the Cannes Film Market. While we knew it wouldn’t be the same as pre-COVID fests, we were clinging to the hope that the trajectory of the virus would improve and we would be able to execute some manner of safe, socially-distanced, film festival at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.
While the interactions that happen between, before and after films, interactions that make the festival "Fantastic" simply cannot be recreated through Zoom, and we therefore don’t believe a “virtual film festival” would capture the spirit of Fantastic Fest, we do still want to gather the Fantastic Fest community on our regular dates for an online event, a “Celebration of Fantastic Fest,” to reconnect and share an online experience.
We’re currently in the lab working on a program of fun online gatherings and events for that celebration. Our goal will be to have a virtual event every night from September 24th through October 1st – shorts programs, 100 Best Kills, secret screenings, an online Fantastic Feud, other fun surprises, and a look back at some amazing films from Fantastic Fest history – for us all to interact and reunite. We aren’t ready to announce all the details, but we’ll be in touch in the weeks ahead.
We also want to assure our community that we are committed to returning in 2021 with a proper 16th edition of the festival. It is currently scheduled for September 24-30, 2021."
Head on over to Fantastic Fest's site to read the full statement.
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