Fantastic Fest Unveils Eight Film Next Wave Slate

The Next Wave competition has firmly established itself as the marquee program at Austin's Fantastic Fest and why not? Last year's winner - Michael Roskam's Bullhead - went on to garner an Oscar nomination and the list of filmmakers that have participated in the program is long and impressive.

So, what's coming this year? The feature debut by Oscar nominated short film director Patrik Eklund, for one. Bleak Korean animation. Norwegian crime comedy. Canadian conspiracy theorists. It's a wildly diverse, eight film competition this year. Check the complete list below:

FANTASTIC FEST ANNOUNCES

THE 2012 AMD NEXT WAVE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT

 

Austin, TX--Wednesday, August 29, 2012 --- Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in the U.S., is pleased to announce the 2012 AMD Next Wave competition, which recognizes outstanding new talent in genre film directing.  Eight films from seven different countries have been selected to compete in the latest installment of this annual international competition.

 

These up-and-coming filmmakers are at the beginning of their movie careers and may well become the next generation of talent to shape the film industry for decades to come.  The AMD Next Wave competition films will debut at Fantastic Fest, many in world and U.S. premiere screenings and compete for the highest honor of the festival.

 

The winning filmmaker will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and AMD based computer hardware featuring their latest Accelerated Processing Unit (APU).  The AMD Next Wave awards will be the final presentation at the annual Fantastic Fest Awards presentation on Monday, September 26th at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

 

The winner of last year's AMD Next Wave competition, BULLHEAD, was acquired by Drafthouse Films and went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.  Director Michaël R. Roskam was heralded for his incredibly artful and original vision and has been compared to a young Martin Scorsese.  Roskam's next project is Focus Features' THE TIGER

produced by Darren Aronofsky and Brad Pitt.

 

"Michaël Roskam exemplifies the powerful potential of emerging genre directors," said festival Founder and Creative Director Tim League.  "In addition to being nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar, Michael is now working with Michael Mann on a high-profile American television pilot.  The AMD Next Wave helps foster and support today's most exciting debut directors who may become tomorrow's industry leaders."

 

"AMD technology continues to be utilized by top movie makers worldwide including the director Robert Rodriguez.  We created the AMD Next Wave award along with our great partners at Alamo Drafthouse to recognize up and coming directorial talent across the globe.   Fantastic Fest has become the premier genre festival in the world." said Charlie Boswell AMD Director of Digital Media and Entertainment, "The Oscar nominated film Bullhead from Belgium director Michael Roskham is the latest product coming through the festival."

 

All eyes look to the AMD Next Wave for the hottest new international directorial talent.  Below you will find a brief description for each of the 2012 AMD Next Wave competition films:

 

 

 

 

COMBAT GIRLS (2011)
North American Premiere
Director - David Wnendt, 103min
The debut feature from director-writer David Wnendt--is a bleak tale of two girls who, for very different reasons, get swept up in the resurgent Neo-Nazi movement in Germany.

 

CONSPIRACY, THE

World Premiere

Director - Christopher MacBride, 85min

Two young documentary filmmakers are drawn into a shadowy world of secret societies when the subject of their film simply disappears. Have his investigations led to his demise?

 

CRAVE (2012)

U.S. Premiere

Director - Charles de Lauzirika, 113min

CRAVE follows a mentally unstable crime scene photographer on his descent into violence and madness. CRAVE won the New Flesh Award for Best First Feature at the 2012 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival.

 

ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY (2012)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Eron Sheean, 101min
Plagued by the memory of the infant son he could not save, geneticist Geoff Burton plunges into a web of intrigue, jealousy and lies in this icily precise thriller.

 

FLIMMER (2012)

North American Premiere

Director - Patrik Eklund, 99min

Oscar-nominated short film director Patrik Eklund's feature debut showcases the wry wit that made his shorts so hugely popular in this tale of a small town telecom company plagued by anti-radiowave anarchists.

 

FUCK UP (2012)

North American Premiere

Director - Øystein Karlsen, 135min

Clearly it's all the moose's fault. Jack had everything under control until his best friend crashed into a moose on the Swedish border. With a trunk full of cocaine. Now it's all gone to shit.

 

KING OF PIGS, THE (2011)

Texas Premiere

Director - Yeung Sang-ho, 97min

THE KING OF PIGS is an emotionally punishing animated indie film about a group of friends whose brutal childhoods continue to haunt them as adults.

 

PLAN C (2012)

World Premiere

Director - Max Porcelijn, 95min

Detective Ronald Plasmeyer has a problem in need of a solution: A ten thousand Euro debt to the Chinese mafia. Plan A didn't work. Plan B made things much, much worse. Now it's time for Plan C.