Fantastic Fest Film Market expands program full of guests, cool screenings

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Fantastic Fest, the genre flm festival that takes place from September 22 – September 29, 2016 at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX, is using this year to expand their Fantastic Market, their industry program that runs from the 22nd to the 25th.
 
Says Market Director Rodney Perkins: "We have transformed the market into a full-fledged industry event with screenings, talks, panels, film pitches and special guests from all over the world. Our goal is to become the premiere industry forum for genre films."
 
These efforts include a keynote talk from Blumhouse's Ryan Turek and Snowfort Pictures' Travis Stevens, a number of other talks and panels featuring special guests, a talk from screenwriter and producer Rodo Sayagues (PANIC ATTACK, EVIL DEAD, DON'T BREATHE), and a new program from SpectreVision founders Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller, and CEO Lisa Whalen.
 
All that is included among the year's expanded slate of film projects. Here's the list so far:

IT WAITS BELOW
USA
Director: Eric Red (THE HITCHER, NEAR DARK)
Producer: Soyoung Jung, Brendan McCarthy (LET US PREY, WAKEWOOD), John McDonnell (LET US PREY, WAKEWOOD)
A three-man submarine crew dive to the deepest part of the ocean to salvage priceless treasure from a sunken shipwreck, unleashing a nightmarish extraterrestrial organism they must survive when the sub gets stranded at the bottom of the sea.
 
DIRT EATERS
Canada
Director: Chris Nash (ABCS OF DEATH 2)
Producer: Peter Kuplowsky (THE VOID, ABCS OF DEATH 2, MANBORG), Shannon Hanmer (ABCS OF DEATH 2), Ant Timpson (ABCS OF DEATH, DEATHGASM)
A down-and-out woman befriends a squirm of intelligent carnivorous worms, and seeks revenge on the small town officials that turned their backs on her, in this poli-sci-fi horror satire that evokes BLACK MIRROR and TREMORS.
 
BIRTHDAY PRESENT (REGALO DE CUMPLEAÑOS) – 2016 BLOOD WINDOW SELECTION
Mexico
Directors: Christian Cueva (JIRON), Ricardo Farías
Producers: Adrián García Bogliano (SCHERZO DIABOLICO, HERE COMES THE DEVIL), Andrea Quiroz Hernández (SCHERZO DIABOLICO, HERE COMES THE DEVIL)
When you accept a gift, you also accept its consequences.
 
JAIRO'S REVENGE (LA VENGANZA DE JAIRO) – 2016 BLOOD WINDOW SELECTION
Colombia/Guatemala
Director: Simón Hernández (PIZARRO)
Producer: Ivette Liang (VENICE)
A documentary about cult terror film director Jairo Pinilla, in his attempt to finance and produce his last dream project he's been working on for 6 years, THE SPIRIT OF DEATH, the first 3D terror film made in Colombia.
 
EL CUCUY
USA/Canada
Director: Gigi Saul Guerrero (EL GIGANTE)
Producer: Raynor Shima (EL GIGANTE)
A group of troubled kids at a residential treatment center are forced to work together despite their differences to defeat an ancient creature that is stalking and feeding on all of the naughty children within the facility.
 
ZERCH
USA
Director: J. Xavier Velasco
Producer: Javier Gonzalez (VALEDICTORIAN)
A police detective investigates a missing person case that leads her to a body-snatcher creature who uses humans as hosts in order to survive.

Fantastic Fest 2016 badges are available for purchase HERE. Members of the film industry who purchase a badge can apply for a free industry upgrade and Fantastic Market access by filling out the form HERE.