2002logo.jpg (16203 bytes)
(Graphic designed by Steve Kirkham)

The Festival of Fantastic Films 2003
The 14th Annual Convention of the Society of Fantastic Films

The UK's Celebration of a Century of Amazing Cinema

was held August 29th - 31st, 2003

at the Renaissance Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester, England

New: 2003 Festival Photo Album

Sneak Preview - Film Competition -
last updated August 10th

LATE NEWS


David Hess will be a Guest of Honour at The Festival.

David was the star actor and composer of the music for Wes Craven's 1972 Horror Classic 'Last House on the Left'
David has had a fantastic career, from writing songs for Elvis Presley, to starring in films, to now producing his own movies.
David will be with us over the week-end, and interviewed on stage on the Saturday.

Progress Report 2 - July 2003

Progress Report 1 - May 2003

Photos of the 2002 Festival

Letters from 2002 Members & Guests

Sleepwalker Feature

 

Click here for Membership Information for 2003

Comments or suggestions?
Please post to the Festival Guestbook

Add comment to the Festival Guestbook

View the Festival Guestbook

 

Introduction to the Festival

If you are a new visitor to The Festival of Fantastic Films web pages we invite you to climb aboard the greatest weekend a science fiction, fantasy or horror movie fan could ever find on the planet.

Based in MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (just two-and-a-half hours from LONDON by rail-link) we have THREE programme streams containing a terrific range of movie-related events that include Guest Interviews, Discussions, Panels, Special Events, Presentations, Auctions, Artshow and Poster Exhibition, Dealer Room, Themed Dinner, Parties and of course an AMAZING number of movies..... the old and the new run alongside each other throughout the festival.

Please scroll down our pages to get a taste of  this 3-Day UK Movie Convention (now in its fourteenth year) - and hop off on the various links should you want even more in-depth info! But DO COME BACK... we'll be updating frequently throughout the upcoming year!

 

Guests of Honour
(all guests are confirmed, but subject to work commitments)

Michael Armstrong
Director/Screenwriter (Mark of the Devil)

Alex Cox
The Festival Committee regrets that due to
prior committments, Alex Cox will not be able to attend

Christopher Eccleston
Actor (28 Days Later, The Others)

Harry Greene
Actor/DIY Presenter (Horrors of the Black Museum)

David Hess
Actor, composer, producer

Marjie Lawrence
Actress (Hands of the Ripper)

Valerie Leon
The Festival Committee regrets that due to
prior committments, Valerie Leon will not be able to attend

 

Independent Films

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 event

Most 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.

Movie Competition Winners for 2002

INDEPENDENT FILM COMPETITION RESULTS
Feature Films Title and Director
Winner (tie) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - The RockNRoll Musical.
(Director Andre Champagne)
Winner (tie) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
(Director Mark Redfield)
Third Place (tie) Dark Heaven.
(Director Douglas Schulze)
Third Place (tie) Saul's Pupils.
(Director Andrew Harrison)
Highly Commended Breakfast With The Colonel.
(Director John Harden)
Highly Commended One Blood Planet.
(Director Jerry Decker)
Commended Hells Highway.
(Director Steven Lee Taylor)
Commended Incredibly Strange People.
(Director Jason Del'orme)
Short Films Title and Director
Winner Timmys Wish.
(Director Patrick Cannon)
Second Time 2 Save the World.
(Director Adam Trotman)
Third (tie) Reconcilers.
(Director Pil Pilegaard)
Third (tie) Mindfield.
(Director Gary Andrews)
Third (tie) Dr. Crosier.
(Director Owen Matthews)
Highly Commended Fusion 21.
(Director Andy Bittner)
Commended Daredevil (The teaser)
(Director David Sarrio)
Commended First Light.
(Director Alexander Galant)
Commended Nebulous Dawn.
(Director Omar Hassan)
Special Judges Award Jack Pierce - The Man Behind the Monsters.
(Director Scott Essman)
AMATEUR FILM COMPETITION
Delta Award Winner I Am Peter Cushing.
(Director Al Lougher)

Photo: Mark Renshaw
receiving The Delta Award for I Am Peter Cushing from Steve Gallagher.

Photo credit: A.F. Edwards

Click here for the Independent Film Competition
rules and entry form

Click here for the Amateur Film Competition entry form

 

Featured Events

Big retrospective Science Fiction and Fantasy
movie programme on 16mm and 35mm.  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


Film Programme

To be announced

Special Events

FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONY
A humorous introduction to the Festival with Horror novelist
STEPHEN LAWS and writer, director STEPHEN GALLAGHER,
both of whom will be conducting Guest interviews throughout the weekend.


plus many other Q&A sessions with directors and producers of a number of
the films we shall be screening throughout the weekend.

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!

 

Membership Information

Full Attending Membership is £70 (UK pounds), or $110 (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: [email protected]

or to Tony Edwards
[email protected]

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

 

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 ([email protected]) or Tony ([email protected]) and let them know your preferred email address.

Suggestions for future Guests

We are also looking for suggestions for guests for the upcoming Festival. 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.

Archives and Reviews

Festival of Fantastic Films 2002 Archive Website

Festival of Fantastic Films 2001 Archive Website

Festival of Fantastic Films 2000 Archive Website

Festival of Fantastic Films 1999 Archive Website

Highlights of Past Festivals

Jonathan Cowie's 2000 Festival Report

Adele Hartley's 2000 Festival Report

Darrell Buxton's 1999 Festival Report

 

Festival Guest and Contributor Websites

Harry Nadler Memorial Website

Widescreen Movies Magazine
a new 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")

Festival Artist Harry Hamill's Another World Productions Site
(and click here to see Harry's artwork for the 1998 Festival)

Steve Ellison's Movie Store

Gil Lane-Young's Festival Page

 

Other Sites of Interest

Matinee Today - Lots of 3D Posters!

"The Tingler" - the Horror Films of William Castle

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

Concatenation Convention Reviews

Stuart Mitchell's Ghoul Britannia Site

3D Movies in North Carolina

The Hammer Films Society

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
Virtual Manchester

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

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Site created 4 June 1997 by Bill Burns [FTL Design : Long Island : NY : USA].  Last updated 26 August 2003
All pages copyright © 2003 by the Society of Fantastic Films.