Fantastic Fest 2013: First Wave of Films Revealed!

“Every year we scour the globe for the freshest and craziest genre films,” says Fantastic Fest founder and creative director Tim League. “This first incredible selection of films gives a small taste of the fun, but I can assure you there are lots of surprises yet to come. 2013 should be remembered a vintage year for Fantastic Fest.”

Head inside for a look at the first wave of films hitting the fest…

BIG BAD WOLVES (Israel, 2013)Texas PremiereDirector- Navot Papushado & Aharon Keshales, 110 minsThe directing team behind the 2010 cult smash RABIES return to Fantastic Fest with one of the best genre films of 2013.
BORGMAN (The Netherlands, 2013)North American PremiereDirector – Alex van Warmerdam, 113 minsSomething wicked this way comes in the form of the ordinary, the polite and the normal as a drifter and his followers invade the home of a bourgeois family.
CHEAP THRILLS (United States, 2013)Regional PremiereDirector – E.L. Katz, 85 minsA recently fired father facing eviction is paid to take on an escalating series of insane challenges from a rich couple with a twisted sense of humor.
COMMANDO – A ONE MAN ARMY (India, 2013)US PremiereDirector- Dilip Ghosh, 120minSinging! Dancing! Extreme violence and goofy one-liners from Bollywood’s answer to Tony Jaa and Marko Zaror! If Cannon Films were to relocate to India, COMMANDO would be the result!
EEGA (India, 2012)Austin PremiereDirector – SriSaila Sri Rajamouli, 107 minsA murdered man reincarnates as a fly to wreak vengeance on the villain who took his life and his lover. EEGA is an inventive, insane take on a revenge story unlike anything you’ve seen before.
HALLEY (Mexico/The Netherlands, 2013)Texas PremiereDirector – Sebastian Hofmann, 83 minsThough Beto’s life may technically be over, he allows himself to experience it one last time before his body completely falls apart in this unique and contemplative horror film.
KID’S POLICE (Japan, 2013)North American PremiereDirector – Yuichi FUKUDA, 100 minsWhen evil criminal organization Red Venus strikes, there’s only one team of highly specialized cops who can help. Unfortunately, they’ve been dosed with anti-aging gas that has turned them all into children.
LFO (Sweden/Denmark, 2013)World PremiereDirector – Antonio Tublen, 94 minsA solitary man discovers audio frequencies that open the human mind wide to hypnotic suggestion and, ultimately, his total control in this slyly deadpan dark comedy from Sweden.
MAN OF TAI CHI (United States, 2013)US PremiereDirector – Keanu Reeves, 105 minsKeanu Reeves stars in and directs this epic tale about a young martial artist who must compete in an underground fight club to protect his way of life. As the fights intensify so does his will to survive.
NARCO CULTURA (United States, 2013)Texas PremiereDirector – Shaul Schwarz, 103 mins NARCO CULTURA is a graphically disturbing documentary that examines the parallels between the Mexican drug war and the increasingly popular musical style of narcocorridos (drug ballads).
NIGHTBREED – THE CABAL CUT (United Kingdom, 2012)Texas PremiereDirectors – Russell Cherrington, 144 mins NIGHTBREED: THE CABAL CUT is a new director’s cut of Clive Barker’s horror classic that places the film in an entirely different light.
NORTHWEST (Denmark, 2013)Regional PremiereDirector – Michael Noer, 91 minsA teen hoodlum in Copenhagen becomes entangled in the criminal underworld
NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN (Germany, 2013)North American PremiereDirector – Katrin Gebbe, 110 minsTore, a member of the counter-culture Christian movement Jesus Freaks, is befriended and taken in by a family who play an increasingly cruel, violent game and push his capacity to love to its limits.
ON THE JOB (Philippines, 2013)US PremiereDirector – Erik Matti, 200 min Corruption abounds in this stylish, Cannes-selected, ripped-from-the-headlines story of prisoners released on a day pass to work as killers. The cops must bring them in, never knowing how far the corruption spreads and who they can trust.
RESURRECTION OF A BASTARD, THE (The Netherlands, 2013)Regional PremiereDirector – Guido van Driel, 89 minsAdapted from his own graphic novel by first time writer-director Guido van Driel, RESURRECTION OF A BASTARD tells the darkly funny, Coen-esque tale of a career thug caught in an existential crisis.
SHE WOLF (Argentina, 2013)North American PremiereDirector – Tamae Garateguy, 92 minsA sexual predator roams the streets and trains of Buenos Aires, a beautiful woman who uses sex to lure in her victims. A potent, punk rock spin on Euro-sleaze influences in this raw, erotic thriller.
VIC + FLO SAW A BEAR (Canada, 2013)US PremiereDirector – Denis Côté, 95 minsAn ex-con named Vic and her lover Flo retreat to a sugar shack in a small Quebec town to start anew. Their attempt to live a normal life slowly and disastrously unravels. Look for more film & event programming announcements for Fantastic Fest in the weeks ahead.