One of the events we love to cover annually here on Bloody Disgusting is fall’s Fantastic Fest, but we’ve learned the sad (but not surprising) news that this year’s event has been called off.
The team explained the situation over on the official Fantastic Fest website. Obviously, the reason for the cancellation of Fantastic Fest 2020 is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today, with a heavy heart, we must announce that this year’s Fantastic Fest has been canceled. We are beginning the process of refunding filmmaker submission fees and offering refunds to badge holders,” the team explained in a statement.
“Interactions that make the festival “Fantastic” simply cannot be recreated through Zoom, and we therefore don’t believe a “virtual film festival” would capture the spirit of Fantastic Fest. We do still want to gather the Fantastic Fest community on our regular dates for an online event, a “Celebration of Fantastic Fest,” to reconnect and share an online experience.
“We’re currently in the lab working on a program of fun online gatherings and events for that celebration. Our goal will be to have a virtual event every night from September 24th through October 1st – shorts programs, 100 Best Kills, secret screenings, an online Fantastic Feud, other fun surprises, and a look back at some amazing films from Fantastic Fest history – for us all to interact and reunite. We aren’t ready to announce all the details, but we’ll be in touch in the weeks ahead.
“We also want to assure our community that we are committed to returning in 2021 with a proper 16th edition of the festival. It is currently scheduled for September 24-30, 2021.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STATEMENT.
Fantastic Fest 2020 had been scheduled for September 24-October 1 in Austin, Texas.