Ithaca Fantastik 2016 Lineup Includes The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Pet, Sadako vs. Kayako, Master Cleanse, and Lots More!

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Sure, all the major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, etc., are home to wall-to-wall horror events and film festivals this time of year, but what about some of the smaller towns? Like, for instance, Ithaca, New York? Well, fests are springing up everywhere, and Ithaca can take pride in the fact that the city’s Ithaca Fantastik is embarking on its fifth iteration in early November, and it truly offers something for everyone, including lots of buzzed-about new horror fare.

Not only are there some incredible retrospectives mixed in with the features and documentaries, but they’ve also added two new programming blocks: “Festival Favorites” and vanguard block “Cinema Pur.” And they just announced that the closing film is Train to Busan. It just gets better and better!

From the Press Release:
Ithaca Fantastik will unleash its fifth annual film festival November 9-13, 2016, in Ithaca, NY. The IF team has carefully crafted a lineup to offer something for every fantastic film lover. 

The festival has horror fans covered with some of the year’s stand-out genre gems. Fantastic Fest award winner The Autopsy of Jane Doe (André Orvedal) will lead the pack, followed closely by the “knock your socks off” Safe Neighborhood (Chris Peckover)—a coming-of-age twist on home invasion that the IF team calls one of the most fun films of 2016. Horror lovers will be delighted by action-packed Headshot (Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto), socially-infused zombie anime Seoul Station (Yeon Sang-ho), disturbing Pet (Carles Torrens), as well as an over-the-top Indian take on a zombie breakout: Miruthan (Shakti Soundar Rajan).

Extreme horror will be well-represented with yakuza tale Kiyamachi Daruma (Hideo Sakaki) and K-Shop (Dan Pringle), a fun horror film with deeply-anchored social commentary on British society, plus the wickedly fun Japanese response to Freddy vs. Jason: Sadako vs. Kayako (Kōji Shiraishi).

Festival offerings will go far beyond pure horror to provide a wide view into the fantastic genre – from enchanting love story Aloys (Tobias Nölle) to mental illness-exploring biopic I, Olga Hepnarová (Tomás Weinreb, Petr Kazda) to mumblecore horror comedy Another Evil (Carson D. Mell) and Argentinean horror commentary Terror 5 (Sebastian Rotstein, Federico Rotstein). Sci-fi fans have not been forgotten; IF will present mind-blowing anime Nova Seed (Nick DiLiberto) and the newest trippy film from Hikaru Tsukuda: Return of MIZUNO—these movies will be an excellent segue into horror for those new to the genre.

For its fifth year, IF will continue to bring the best in documentaries to upstate NY. 24×36: A Movie About Movie Posters (Kevin Burke) will open the festivities. The reality continues with an intimate take on Stanley Kubrick: S Is for Stanley (Alex Infascelli) as well as Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex (Gilles Penso, Alexandre Poncet)—an enlightening look at special effects history with interviews from masters like Phil Tippett, Rick Baker, and Guillermo del Toro. Finally, with a perfect mix between feature film and documentary, Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses (David Stubbs) mind-blowingly blurs the lines between reality and fiction in this account of a New Zealand exorcism.

For the full rundown, including short films, events, ticketing info, and more, visit ithacafilmfestival.com.

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Features and Documentaries:

24×36: A Movie About Movie Posters
Kevin Burke, Canada

Alipato: A Very Brief Life of Ember
Khavn, Philippines/Germany

Aloys
Tobias Nölle, France/Switzerland

Another Evil
Carson D Mell, US

Autohead
Rohit Mittal, India

The Autopsy of Jane Doe
André Orvedal, UK

Belief: The Possession Of Janet Moses
David Stubbs, New Zeland

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
Gilles Penso & Alexandre Poncet, US

Dearest Sister
Mattie Do, Laos

Headshot
Kimo Stamboel & Timo Tjahjanto, Indonesia

Here Alone
Rod Blackhurst, US

I, Olga Hepnarova
Petr Kazda &Thomas Weinreb, Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia/France

Kiyamachi Daruma
Hideo Sakaki, Japan

K-Shop
Dan Pringle, UK

The Love Witch
Anna Biller, US

Master Cleanse
Bobby Miller, US

Miruthan
Shakti Soundar Rajan, India

My Father Die
Sean Brosnam, US

Nova Seed
Nick DiLiberto, Canada

The Open
Marc Lahore, France

Pet
Carles Torrens, USA/Spain

Return of MIZUNO
Hikaru Tsukuda, Japan

S Is for Stanley
Alex Infascelli, Italy

Sadako vs. Kayako
Koji Shiraishi, Japan

Safe Neighbourhood
Chris Peckover, Australia/USA

Seoul Station
Yeon Sang-ho, South Korea

She’s Allergic to Cats
Michael Reich, US

Terror 5
Sebastian Rotstein & Federico Rotstein, Argentina

Train to Busan
Yeon Sang-ho, South Korea

Werewolf 81’

Wolfen
Michael Wadleigh, US- 1981

American Werewolf in London
John Landis, US- 1981

Retrospective: The Known Unknowns

The Naked Prey
Cornel Wilde, US- 1965

Deliverance
John Boorman, US- 1972

Long Weekend
Colin Eggleston, AUS- 1978

Altered States
Ken Russell, US- 1980

Aliens
James Cameron, US- 1981

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