In this episode, Ryan Koo and Jourdan Aldredge explore what makes the 20th edition of Fantastic Fest so crucial for genre and indie filmmakers. They discuss the festival’s unique energy, audience connection, and events, spotlight standout films like Shelby Oaks, Sisu: Road to Revenge, Black Phone 2, Luger, Vicious, Primate, Whistle, Coyotes, and others. The conversation culminates in a new initiative—Fantastic Pitches—marking a shift in the fest’s ecosystem from exhibiting work to helping get new projects made.

In this episode, No Film School’s Ryan Koo and Jordan Aldridge discuss:

How Fantastic Fest blends genre film exhibition with audience experience, making film festivals more fun, accessible, and communal.

The importance of seeing what genre filmmakers are doing with limited resources—especially horror, fantasy, action—and how those constraints often spawn creative solutions.

Highlights of films at Fantastic Fest 2025: Shelby Oaks (Chris Stuckmann’s debut), Sisu: Road to Revenge, Black Phone 2, Vicious, Primate, Whistle, Coyotes, The Piano Accident, and Luger among others, with a look at what makes them stand out visually, tonally, and in terms of audience response.

The exciting new Fantastic Pitches competition: structure, reward (including a $100,000 funding prize, guaranteed premiere, distribution, post‑production support), what it means for early‑stage projects, and how such programs shift festivals from merely showing films toward incubating them.

Practical advice for filmmakers: how to attend Fantastic Fest (buy early, badge types, use online ticket systems), pro tips for navigating ticket demand, the importance of authenticity in genre work, and why festivals like Fantastic that lean into live audience momentum are more important now than ever.

Memorable Quotes:

“It is the 20th year of the Fantastic Fest … Fantastic Fest equals FunTastic Fest.”

“If you come from an authentic place of loving horror movies … I think the audience will always connect with it.”

“It’s really a vital experience now more than ever, especially for genre films, which play so well theatrically.”

“Fantastic Pitches was fantastic. The pitches really were fantastic … for the first time when this event happened for the first time.”

Resources:

Fantastic Fest 2025 — Full Film Guide & Lineup

Sisu: Road to Revenge

Black Phone 2

Vicious

Coyotes

The Piano Accident

Luger

Shelby Oaks

Primate

Whistle

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