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This year I didn't get to see nearly as many movies as I would have liked due to travel and work considerations, but it was a good year nonetheless. My favorites were Aachi & Ssipak and Time Crimes. I also liked Exte for the weird factor even though it wasn't a great film. The Cold Hour was dark but interesting, and I was especially curious about the production since I did a little consulting on it - they shot F900 (mostly dark interiors, therefore little video blowout potential), Cineform/Premiere Pro, color correction and post-y stuff in combustion (!?), and VFX done with XSI. I'd say a very successful effort to make it "look like a movie" but shot on video (although high end HD).

Southland Tales was a mess, but an interesting train wreck to watch, Girl Who Leapt Through Time was my second favorite animated piece (but better story/characters than the spastic Aachi & Ssipak), the Big Man Japan was novel fun mockumentary style, and obviously There Will Be Blood was the best "serious" film that I saw. I missed too much to call these best of, but they were my favorites that I saw.

Here's the press release from Tim League on the winners, with a few notes of mine in italics.

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2007 FANTASTIC FEST JURY AND AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Awards were announced last night at the closing ceremony of the 2007 Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas. Taking top honors was Nacho Vigalondo with CRONOSCRIMINES (TIMECRIMES), a world premiere screening. Vigalondo won the "Best Feature" award in the AMD Next Wave Competition and wins a $3500 editing system from AMD/Dell and a $1000 cash prize. The Audience Award went to Ernesto Diaz Espinoza's MIRAGEMAN, a Chilean martial arts film featuring Marko Zaror. The complete listing of awards is below:

HORROR SHORTS COMPETITION
Competition Films
CRITICIZED
DEMONOLOGY OF DESIRE
IN THE WALL
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 2 YOU
MAQUINA
ANESTHESIA
THE RUN
LUMP
FAR OUT
THE FIFTH

Jury Members
Joe Lynch (Director, WRONG TURN 2)
Adam Green (Director, SPIRAL)
Bill Lustig (Founder, Blue Underground)

Bronze Medal: FAR OUT - Phil Mucci
Silver Medal: THE FIFTH - Ryan Levin
Gold Medal: IN THE WALL -Mike Williamson

Special Jury Prize For Best Screenplay: THE FIFTH
Special Jury Prize For Best Actor: Sam Lloyd, THE FIFTH
Special Jury Prize For Best Actress: Bianca Rusu, DEMONOLOGY OF DESIRE
Special Jury Prize For Best Cinematography: HAPPY BIRTHDAY 2 YOU
Special Jury Prize For Best Effects: DEMONOLOGY OF DESIRE

ANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION
Competition Films
APNEE
THE BIRD, THE MOUSE AND THE SAUSAGE
EVERYTHING WILL BE OK
INTRODUCTION TO LUCID DREAM EXPLORATION
IT CAME FROM THE WEST
POSTMAN
SHUTEYE HOTEL
TALE OF HOW
X-PRESSION

Jury Members
Ryan Schifrin (Director, KING IN THE BOX)
Jonathan Brands (Funimation)
Michael Lehrman (indieWIRE)

Bronze Medal: X-PRESSION - Laurie Thinot
Silver Medal: RAYMOND - BIF Filmmaking collective
Gold Medal: EVERYTHING WILL BE OK - Don Hertzfeldt

FANTASTIC SHORTS COMPETITION
Competition Films
ANGE
BATTLE FOR THE SERPENT STONE (mikenote - this is a GI Joe live action film - geek ahoy!)
THE FAERIES OF BLACKHEATH WOODS
KING IN THE BOX
MONSTER JOB HUNTER (mikenote - they did color correction at my place - excellent CG in a cute short)
SNIFFER
LES PETITS HOMMES VIEUX
THE LITTLE GORILLA
MEBANA
UN-GONE
SUITYMAN
WAITING FOR YESTERDAY
DREAMTIME

Jury Members
Todd Brown (Twitchfilm)
Don Hertzfeldt (The Animation Show)
Travis Stevens (Imagination Films)

Bronze Medal: SUITYMAN - Jon Spira
Silver Medal: SNIFFER - Bobbie Peers
Gold Medal: WAITING FOR YESTERDAY - Julien Lecat, Sylvain Pioutaz

FANTASTIC FEATURES COMPETITION
Competition Films
WICKED FLOWERS
MAIKO HAAAAN!
OFFSCREEN
THE SWORD BEARER
AACHI & SSIPAK
A DIRTY CARNIVAL
NEVER BELONGS TO ME
WOLFHOUND

Jury Members
Marc Walkow (New York Asian Film Festival)
Chris Cargill (Ain't It Cool News)
Tom Quinn (Magnolia Pictures)

Bronze Medal: AACHI AND SSIPAK - Jo Beom-jin
Silver Medal: NEVER BELONGS TO ME - Ki-woong Nam
Gold Medal: OFFSCREEN - Christoffer Boe

Special Jury Prize For Most Original Scenario: NEVER BELONGS TO ME

HORROR FEATURES COMPETITION
Competition Films
Alone
Devil's Chair
Ferryman
Summer Scars
Exte: Hair Extensions (mikenote - saw this, enjoyed it, drank their victory beer with gusto)
Hell's Ground
La Hora Fria
Taxidermia

Jury Members
Scott Weinberg (Cinematical)
Harvey Fenton (FAB Press)
Ian Rattray (UK FrightFest)

Bronze Medal: DEVIL'S CHAIR Adam Mason
Silver Medal: ALONE Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
Gold Medal: EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS Sion Sono

Special Jury Prize For Best Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom for ALONE
Special Jury Prize For Best Actor: Kevin Howarth for SUMMER SCARS
Special Jury Prize For Best Actress: Masha Wattanapanitch for ALONE
Special Jury Prize For Best Gore: HELL'S GROUND

AUDIENCE AWARD COMPETITION
Bronze Medal: The Girl Next Door - Gregory Wilson
Silver Medal: Time Crimes Nacho Vigalondo
Gold Medal: Miragemen - Ernesto Díaz Espinoza

AMD NEXT WAVE AWARD
(Fantastic Fest Best Picture)
Competition Films
THE ENTRANCE
SPIRAL
FIVE ACROSS THE EYES
MIRAGEMAN
TIMECRIMES
BEAUTIFUL BEAST
END OF THE LINE
JACK KETCHUM'S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
WRONG TURN 2

Jury Members
Charlie Boswell (AMD)
Eric Vespe (Ain't It Cool News)
Anne Goetzmann Kelly (Austin School of Film)

Bronze Medal: MIRAGEMAN Ernesto Díaz Espinoza
Silver Medal: SPIRAL Adam Green
Gold Medal: TIMECRIMES Nacho Vigalondo (mikenote - saw it, liked it, talked to Nacho a bit - fun guy!)

Special Jury Prize For innovative Vision: End of the Line, Maurice Devareaux

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Fantastic Fest is an eight-day festival of the best new sci-fi, horror, fantasy and genre films, as well as choice classic and obscure cult titles from all over the world. The festival director is Tim League (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema). Programmers include Harry Knowles (Ain't It Cool News), Kier-la Janisse (Big Smash, Cinemuerte), Matt Dentler (SXSW), Todd Brown (Twitchfilm.net) and Paul Alvarado-Dykstra. Festival co-chairs are Paul Alvarado-Dykstra and Tim McCanlies (screenwriter, Iron Giant). The 2006 festival premiered over 60 features and 30 shorts. Fantastic Fest is co-sponsored by Ain't It Cool News and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar in Austin, Texas. Dates for the 2007 Fantastic Fest are September 20-27, 2007. Additional information can be found at www.fantasticfest.com

FANTASTIC FEST TESTIMONIALS
"Considering Fantastic Fest is in its infancy, it has already established a solid reputation on the global festival circuit as a world leader: the ace in the pack of cards. With an awesome list of guests and movies, Fantastic Fest also has the best cinema in the world, period: "The Alamo". Founder Tim League has succeeded a mission impossible with a bruiser of a movie festival with a touch of genuine Texan hospitality. Take my word for it: Fantastic Fest rocks our planet."
- Jay Slater, journalist, HOT DOG MAGAZINE UK

"The best film festival I've ever been to, at the best theater in the world. Everyone at Fantastic Fest really cared about the filmmakers, and worked incredibly hard to make every screening memorable. Thanks to everyone for making this first-time short film director feel like a Hollywood superstar." - Phil Mucci, director, THE LISTENING DEAD

"I attend a solid handful of film festivals every year -- and Fantastic Fest was (far and away) one of the most entertaining trips I've ever taken. >From fest-head Tim League down to the part-timiest festival volunteer, these folks were absolutely sterling. If you have even a passing interest in films best described as horror, sci-fi, fantasy or "plain old weird," I could not recommend Fantastic Fest highly enough. In only its second year of existence, FF looks to be one of North America's premiere genre festivals -- and I can only imagine what the 2007 event will look like." - Scott Weinberg, journalist, CINEMATICAL

Labels: FantasticFest