Ithaca Fantastik will unleash its fifth annual film festival Nov. 9–13 in Ithaca, NY. The IF team has carefully crafted a lineup to offer something for every fantastic film lover.
The festival has horror fans covered, with some of the year’s stand-out genre gems. Fantastic Fest award winner “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” (André Orvedal) will lead the pack, followed closely by the ‘knock your socks-off’, “Safe Neighborhood” (Chris Peckover)—a coming of age twist on home invasion that the IF team calls one of the most fun films of 2016. Horror lovers will be delighted by action-packed “Headshot” (Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto), socially-infused zombie anime “Seoul Station” (Yeon Sang-ho), disturbing “Pet” (Carles Torrens), as well as an over-the-top Indian take on a zombie breakout: “Miruthan” (Shakti Soundar Rajan).
Extreme horror will be well-represented with yakuza tale “Kiyamachi Daruma” (Hideo Sakaki), and “K-Shop” (Dan Pringle), a fun horror film with deeply-anchored social commentary on British society. Plus, the wickedly fun Japanese response to Freddy vs Jason: “Sadako vs Kayako” (Kōji Shiraishi).
Festival offerings will go far beyond pure horror to provide a wide view into the fantastic genre. From enchanting love story “Aloys” (Tobias Nölle), to mental-illness-exploring biopic “I, Olga Hepnarová” (Tomás Weinreb, Petr Kazda), to mumblecore horror comedy “Another Evil” (Carson D. Mell) and Argentinean horror commentary “Terror 5” (Sebastian Rotstein, Federico Rotstein). Sci-Fi fans have not been forgotten; IF will present mind-blowing anime “Nova Seed” (Nick DiLiberto) and the newest trippy film from Hikaru Tsukuda: Return of MIZUNO—these movies will be an excellent segway into horror for those new to the genre.
For its fifth year, IF will continue to bring the best in documentaries to upstate NY. “24×36: A Movie About Movie Posters” (Kevin Burke) will open the festivities. The reality continues with an intimate take on Stanley Kubrick: “S is for Stanley” (Alex Infascelli), as well as “Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex” (Gilles Penso, Alexandre Poncet)—an enlightening look at special effects history with interviews from masters like Phil Tippett, Rick Baker and Guillermo del Toro. Finally, with a perfect mix between feature film and documentary, “Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses” (David Stubbs) mind-blowingly blurs the lines between reality and fiction in this account of a New Zealand exorcism.
For filmmakers, the Nature’s Revenge bumper contest submission deadline has been extended to Oct. 30.
This year’s bumper contest will draw from the theme of retrospective film “Long Weekend,” which proves nothing is scarier than unpredictable nature. Filmmakers are invited to submit their own original nature revenge short film to IF by Oct. 30.
2. The twist should involve nature taking revenge on humans for their acts against mother nature.
The IF team can’t wait to see what the beautifully twisted minds of seasoned and aspiring filmmakers will come up with. The top three entries will be screened during the festival, and winners will receive an Ithaca Fantastik festival pass.
24×36: A Movie About Movie Poster
Kevin Burke, Canada
Alipato: A Very Brief Life of Ember
Khavn, Philippines/Germany
Aloys
Tobias Nölle, France/Switzerland
Another Evil
Carson D Mell, US
Autohead
Rohit Mittal, India
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
André Orvedal, UK
Belief: The Possession Of Janet Moses
David Stubbs, New Zeland
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
Gilles Penso & Alexandre Poncet, US
Dearest Sister
Mattie Do, Laos
Headshot
Kimo Stamboel & Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia
Here Alone
Rod Blackhurst, US
I, Olga Hepnarova
Petr Kazda &Thomas Weinreb, Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia/France
Kiyamachi Daruma
Hideo Sakaki, Japan
K-Shop
Dan Pringle, UK
The Love Witch
Anna Biller, US
Master Cleanse
Bobby Miller, US
Miruthan
Shakti Soundar Rajan, India
My Father Die
Sean Brosnam, US
Nova Seed
Nick DiLiberto, Canada
The Open
Marc Lahore, France
Pet
Carles Torrens, USA/Spain
Return of MIZUNO
Hikaru Tsukuda, Japan
S is for Stanley
Alex Infascelli, Italy
Sadako vs. Kayako
Koji Shiraishi, Japan
Safe Neighbourhood
Chris Peckover, Australia/USA
Seoul Station
Yeon Sang-ho, South Korea
She’s Allergic to Cats
Michael Reich, US
Terror 5
Sebastian Rotstein & Federico Rotstein, Argentina
Werewolf 81’
Wolfen
Michael Wadleigh, US- 1981
American Werewolf in London
John Landis, US- 1981
Retrospective: The Known Unknowns
The Naked Prey
Cornel Wilde, US- 1965
Deliverance
John Boorman, US- 1972
Long Weekend
Colin Eggleston, AUS- 1978
Altered States
Ken Russell, US- 1980
Aliens
James Cameron, US- 1981
Visit ithacafilmfestival.com for more information and announcements to come about special guests and events.
Ithaca Fantastik will unleash its fifth annual film festival Nov. 9–13 in Ithaca, NY. The IF team has carefully crafted a lineup to offer something for every fantastic film lover.
