It is with great pleasure that we can announce that the 20th Festival of Fantastic Films WILL be held during the weekend of 16th - 18th October 2009.

Further details will be announced when available.

In Memoriam Forrest J Ackerman It is with much regret that we announce the death at age 92 of our 2001 Guest of Honour, and science fiction legend, Forrest J Ackerman. Forry receiving his SOFIA at the 2001 Festival of Fantastic Films Forry was introduced to us by our friend and colleague Tony Meadows, who knew Forry well. It had always been a dream of Festival co-founder Harry Nadler to bring one of his lifelong heroes to Manchester, and in 2001 Forry shared the spotlight with fellow-legend Ray Harryhausen. Forry's life in science fiction began at the age of 12, when he wrote letters to the fledging SF magazines of the time. He lived in California for most of his life, where he founded and edited the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland; a man of many parts, he was also an actor ("Queen of Blood", "The Howling", "Dracula vs Frankenstein" and the "Thriller" Video) and appeared in cameo roles in many SF and horror movies over the years. Forry built a world-famous collection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror material—books, magazines, original art, movie props, memorabilia, and much more—and was always happy to give tours of the Ackermansion, his museum of a home, for visitors to Los Angeles. He knew personally most of the greats of the fantastic film field, including Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff, and was a friend and agent to many SF writers. Despite numerous illnesses in recent years, Forry still attended as many conventions and festivals as his health would permit. He was a constant presence and influence in the field, and was one of the last survivors of those who were involved in the fantastic fiction field, both written and film, almost from its beginning. He will be sorely missed. Alan White, an American science fiction and film fan, has prepared a 40-page tribute to Forry Ackerman, which says much more than we have space for here and includes many stories and photos of the man some call Mr Monster.

Far too many  genre stars departed this life in 2008 and are sadly missed, including:-   Ben Chapman   Actor Cyd Charisse    Actress / Singer / Dancer Michael Crichton  Director / Writer Alexander Courage  Composer Hazel Court   Actress Don S Davis   Actor    Ivan Dixon  Actor Julie Ege  Actress / Model William Gibson   Author / Playwright Isaac Hayes  Musician / Actor Neil Hefti  Musician / Composer Evelyn Keyes  Actress John Philip Law  Actor Heath Ledger   Actor Paul Newman   Actor Maila Nurmi (Vampira)   Actress / TV Host Michael Pate   Actor Suzanne Pleshette  Actress Roy Scheider  Actor Richard Widmark  Actor Stan Winston   Special Effects Master & Charlton Heston   Actor

Featured Events

Big retrospective Science Fiction and Fantasy
movie programme. Films to be announced.

3-D!

CinemaScope!

Discussions, Panels

Film Fair, Auctions

Low-price Convention Bar!

Guest of Honour Signing Sessions

Amateur and Independent Short Film Contests

The Auction

RAMSEY CAMPBELL puts a multitude of movie-related
items under his infamous gavel... and we'll guarantee
he'll keep you amused and penniless!

2008 Independent Film Competition Results Winner, independent feature: The Devil's Music (dir. Pat Higgins, UK) Winner, independent short: Alicja Wonderland (dir. Martin Gavreau, Poland)

Amateur Film Competition Results 2008 Winner: Small Things (dir. Matt Bloom, UK) Highly commended: Oberschure (dir. Amanda Beggs, USA) Commended: Under the Bed (Stephen Hammond, USA) Schrodinger's Biro (dir. Caroline Eccles, UK)

Independent & Amateur Films

Call for Entries

The Independent Film Competition entry form is available here

The Amateur Film Competition entry form is available here

In addition to the retrospective film programme that is the backbone of the event, the Festival of Fantastic Films has, within the past few years, become the premiere UK venue for new genre movies. We are pleased to showcase an amazing selection of Independently produced feature length and short films from all over the world. Films that you are unlikely to see anywhere else are screened alongside the new movies from major studios right through the weekend. Each year sees an increase in the number of young and highly creative film-makers, submitting their work into our International Competition and giving members of the Festival a unique opportunity to see a great range of movies. The Festival programme also screens new films outside the competition itself and although it is difficult to announce specific titles in advance, we expect to surprise members of the event with major premieres!

The Festival is also the place to meet with many of the creative people from behind and in front of the cameras. In 1998 we had director Jake West and actress Eileen Daly along with their new film RAZORBLADE SMILE. American director Tyler Tharpe came over from the USA to screen and discuss his horror film THE LAST ROADSTOP and from the UK, Jon Sorensen premiered his science fiction feature ALIEN BLOOD. In 1999 delightful American director Joei Gharrity came from Los Angeles to screen her short film THE GRAIL and was sucked into the fannish activities and friendliness of the eventMost of the Independent movies screened at the Festival have a substantial budget behind them, whereas other equally creative genre movies are made each year by talented amateurs working on a shoestring. These films are enormously entertaining and often just as thought provoking as their Indie relatives. The Amateur Contest entries are pre-judged by The Festival Committee with the top rated films going forward to the Festival for the final round. 1998 saw the Award going out of the UK for the first time ever, being won by Florida USA film-maker Shane Hannafey with his science fiction story THE GIFT.

The International Movie Competitions have become a very important section of the Festival of Fantastic Films.

Society Notices

The Society of Fantastic Films, organizer of the Festival, also has regular meetings in Manchester city centre. Held at the Unicorn Hotel, High Street, on the last Friday of each month, the meetings feature movie showings and lively discussions in a convivial atmosphere.
For more information, email Gil@manchesterfantasticfilms.co.uk.

Membership Information

Full Attending Membership is £70 (UK pounds), or $140 (US dollars) which entitles you to Progress Reports, Programme Booklet, Badge, and Attendance to all of the events over the three days of the convention. A single day membership is available for £30 (UK pounds).

Children: Attending Membership £20 up to 12 years of age and £30 up to 16 years of age.

Supporting Membership £30, entitles you to three Progress Reports, Programme Booklet, Badge, and Attendance to any of the events on any SINGLE day of the convention. (Supporting membership can be upgraded to FULL by paying the balance at any time up to the week before the Festival).

Register now by printing the form (click below) and mailing to the Festival address!

Click here for a membership form you can print and mail

Festival e-mail may be sent to Gil Lane-Young: Gil@manchesterfantasticfilms.co.uk

The Society of Fantastic Films is a member of the British Federation of Film Societies

Comments or suggestions?
Please post to the Festival Guestbook

Add comment to the Festival Guestbook

View the Festival Guestbook

Website Special Features

Archives and Reviews of Past Festivals
from 1997 to 2008

Eurocon Award to Concatenation

2004 Festival Photo Album

2003 Festival Photo Album

Harry Nadler Photo Album
assembled by Tony Edwards

Festival Movies on DVD

Your help is requested

Email contact information We would like to have current and prior Festival attendees' email addresses on file so that we can send you news and announcements about the Festival. Please email Gil (Gil@manchesterfantasticfilms.co.uk) and let us know your preferred email address.

Suggestions for future Guests We are also looking for suggestions for guests for upcoming Festivals. If there is someone you feel would make a good guest, and you are in personal touch with them, please email Gil and give him their contact information.

Festival Guest and Contributor Websites

Harry Nadler Memorial Website

Widescreen Movies Magazine
a web and print magazine by John Hayes

Janina Faye - The Official Website

Ramsey Campbell - The Official Website

Stephen Laws - The Midnight Man

John Harden
(writer/director, "Breakfast With The Colonel")

Harry Hamill's artwork for the 1998 Festival

Gil Lane-Young's Festival Page

Festival Information on the Concatenation Website

Other Sites of Interest

Sci-Fi London:
The London International Festival
of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film
April 30th - May 4th 2008

Monstrous Movie Music
World-Premiere Recordings Of Music From
Classic Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror Films!

Film Fan Addict

3DTV - LCD Glasses, 3D Movies, & More!

Concatenation Convention Reviews

3D Movies in North Carolina

HammerWeb - Hammer Films Official Site

Film & TV Connection:
an entertainment industry school with 5,000 students worldwide
who train on-site at major film studios, video production companies,
radio and TV stations, recording studios and record labels.

Virtual Manchester

everything you need to know
about the Festival's home city

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Last updated: 8 December, 2008
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