It’s a well-known fact that Austin’s well-established music scene — with nightly acts as well as highly acclaimed festivals and conferences such as ACL, SXSW and more — draws new residents and visitors alike to our beautiful city. But it’s not the only cultural scene in Austin that has grown over the years. Fantastic Fest, taking place from September 22 – 29 at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., and the 2016 edition promises to again be a magnet for fans of sci-fi, horror, fantasy and action films.
Founded in 2005, Fantastic Fest has evolved into a favored destination on the film fest circuit. In addition to an annual slate of new indie films, the festival has hosted world premieres of such major titles as Oscar winner There Will Be Blood, Apocalypto, Frankenweenie and Zombieland. Big name guests at past Fantastic Fests have included Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Tim Burton, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Jess Franco, Darren Aronofsky, Mike Judge, Roger Corman, Jemaine Clement, Elijah Wood and Dolph Lundgren. In addition to the many film screenings, there are also parties and special events.
How can you get in on the fun? The best way to see as many films as possible is to buy a badge. Badges for Fantastic Fest range in price from $145 to $470 and offer varying levels of entry and access.
If you don’t want to dive in with both feet and buy a badge but still want to check out some Fantastic Fest films, a limited number of individual tickets will be available for some films. If you’re interested in checking out a particular film that’s selling single tickets, simply go to the theatre one hour prior to the screening time.
For a complete schedule of this year’s films well as ticket information, visit the Fantastic Fest website.Â
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