Fantastic Fest 2009

One of the greatest long-running traditions of FF is the 100 BEST KILLS PARTY, where we sit in a theater together and turn the spotlight on the Grim Reaper of movieland as he disembowels, detonates and decapitates again and again and again. We’re not watching for character development or thematic resolution or any of that garbage; just the most life-defying acts of human extermination in film history. No man, woman, child or puppy is spared as the equalizing fist of mortality crushes cinema’s best and worst into quivering red chowder. BUT! We need your help to make 2011′s 100 BEST KILLS the most mayhem-congested homicide-fest of all time. Just submit your optimum kills to us (instructions below) and the show’s best murder-slinger will receive 100 DVDs and Blu-Rays (!!!) from Fantastic Fest. Entries must be uploaded by September 13 to be eligible, and clips may be no longer than 90 seconds. Send as many kills as you like, but make them great ones that we haven’t seen before. So what are you waiting for?! Tear yourself open and unleash the KIIILLLLLLLL!!!!!

How to submit your best kills to us:

• Just upload your kills to your Vimeo account. If you don’t have one, don’t worry. It’s super easy. You can set it up here (http://www.vimeo.com/join).
• Be sure to make your video downloadable to others. If you must password protect it, don’t forget to send us the password with your URL.
• Next, email the link, along with your name to kills@fantasticfest.com and make some room on your shelf for those 100 DVDs and Blu-Rays you are going to win!

It’s that time again! Every year Fantastic Fest hosts a bumper creation where we invite YOU to create the most outrageous thirty second video that you can come up with. We use as many entries as we can and put them on screen at the start of each screening during the festival with the goal of making sure that unlike *other* festivals the audiences at Fantastic Fest don’t have to sit through the same 6 or 7 bumpers over and over and over again.

Your bumper can go in almost any direction you can imagine, but we have three ground rules:

1. The theme this year is Altered States. Feel free to interpret that how you wish.
2. The video must be between 15 seconds and 45 seconds.
3. The last line of dialogue or narration in the video must be, “That’s fantastic!”

Check out some of last year’s favorite entries here for inspiration and get cracking!

This year’s entries are due by Monday, September 5th, and you can deliver them to us via the Internet by filling out the form below:

Did the home console kill off the arcade? Is the idea of gathering in a public space to play games together an outmoded concept of the early 80s? This Sunday, August 7th, at 4PM, our fourth edition of JUEGOS RANCHEROS at The Highball will prove those ideas wrong and be the launching point for the TEXATRON initiative to bring independent game arcade machines to Austin.

[ RSVP FOR THIS EVENT AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE! ]

What began in Toronto with the Torontron soon spread across the Great White North to Winnipeg with the Winnitron, an arcade cabinet built from the ground-up to bring independent games both local and global to the rest of the world, with Winnitron machines soon popping up in such far flung locations as the Netherlands, New Zealand, New York and Australia.

In attendance this Sunday — all the way from Winnipeg — will be Alec Holowka of Infinite Ammo, developer of indie hits like AQUARIA, PAPER MOON and the upcoming MARIAN, and co-founder of the Winnitron project, to tell us more about what the Winnitron is, how it works, and how it’s changing the way we experience indie games across the world.

Following that, we’ll be giving Austin its first chance to play the Winnitron’s selection of games, including cult successes like Messhof’s brilliant swordfighter NIDHOGG and special exclusive two-player versions of games like Vlambeer’s SUPER CRATE BOX and our own Adam Saltsman’s CANABALT.

But more importantly, we’ll be talking more about our long-time goals to bring the Winnitron to Austin as the TEXATRON — a series of arcade cabinets set up around our own fair city showcasing the best indie games from around town and around the world.

Everything will be kicking off Sunday, August 7th, promptly at 4PM at The Highball, 1142 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704! Come hang out, enjoy the Highball’s Happy Hour drink specials, and say hello to the people changing the way you think about games (and cartoons)!

[*PS: Hey everyone! As usual, bring your 3DS again! We're doing awesome with these StreetPasses!]