Fantastic Fest 2014 Wrap: Over 70 Movies Reviewed + Our Top Picks!

What was your top film of Fantastic Fest 2014? Optionally, feel free to mention your 2-3 runners up.

Peter Martin: The Tribe, which keeps flooding back into my consciousness like a bad dream. But I was also mighty impressed by Redeemer, Spring, and Future Shock.

Rachel Fox: I am afraid I'd be remiss if I didn't say that The Tribe was my top film of this year's Fantastic Fest. Apart from that swoony feeling one gets from being repeatedly punched in the emotional gut, it's a marvelous cinematic achievement featuring some exceptional performances and a tremendous payoff. I applaud Drafthouse Films for having the bravado to pick it up and am really curious to see where it goes. Force Majeure and In Order of Disappearance are right up there, too.

Pierce Conran: This is definitely a toss-up between two films. I always expected to be blown away by The Tale of Princess Kaguya and it didn't fail to disappoint. Takahata once again turned me into an emotional wreck. A sublimely realized animation with an abundance of heart, this is one for the ages. Just as impressive, but less expected was the Ukrainian, no-dialogue, long-take The Tribe. For me it was a game changing tour-de-force. Hypnotic, raw, fresh and unique, I loved it.

James Marsh: My favourite films of this year's festival were an eclectic bunch. Two of my most hotly-anticipated titles proved more than worth the wait. The Tribe and Nightcrawler, although incredibly different in almost every single way, continue to vie for the top spot. The silent, fluid long takes, photographic dexterity and emotional rawness of Miroslav Slaboshpitsky's brutal drama - told entirely using unsubtitled sign language - will likely feature very highly in my year-end less. I was vocally sceptical of the lack of subtitles ahead of seeing the film, but was proved dead wrong, and for that I love it all the more. In sharp contrast, Jake Gyllenhaal's unhinged news man in Dan Gilroy's explosive directorial debut was about the most fun you could possibly have with such a deranged, sociopathic protagonist. Both deserve to be showered with accolades in the upcoming awards series, I just hope the relevant bodies have the balls to applaud something so darkly honest and amoral.

Ryland Aldrich: This is a pretty easy one for me to call as the one film I saw that will almost surely be on my top 10 at year's end was the Swedish black comedy Force Majeure. With pitch perfect timing this is one of the funniest movies I've seen in years. Runners up include a similar film (but with more killing) In Order of Disappearance and the totally badass Tokyo Tribe.

Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg: Force Majeure It's not exactly a genre film, but it blew me away with amazing storytelling, great acting, beautiful cinematography and its dark, comic look at masculinity and family. Runner-up: Felt Part autobiography, part fiction, this is a strange and beautiful film that made me cry more than I have a film in a long time. Its sophisticated and raw look at reaction to trauma is astonishing.

Dave Canfield: Always a difficult choice. Based purely on the quality of the film itself I would say Housebound. It was my second viewing having first seen it at the Chicago Critics Film Festival earlier in the year. Impeccable comic timing, tight writing, and star turns from female leads Morgana O'Reilly, and Rima Te Wiata. In a nutshell-entertaining from start to finish and utterly a prime example of what it sets out to be. Other standouts When Animals Dream, Spring, I Am Here, In Order of Disappearance. I haven't mentioned The Babadook or It Follows because well....everyone else is likely too. They're outstanding and deserve it. It Follows actually raised the hair up on the back of my stiff old critics neck. No mean feat that.

Joshua Chaplinsky: I'd have to say nothing topped the first film I saw, Eskil Vogt's spellbinding debut, Blind. Vogt is a big part of why I loved Reprise and Oslo, August 31st (he wrote both films), and here he proves he is just as adept behind the camera as he is with a pen. Simply put, the man's storytelling is so naturalistic, he makes the unreal real. Another film that does the same, Benson and Moorhead's Spring, was a close second. It just shouldn't work as well as it does, which is a testament to the skill of the filmmakers. Finally, the funny and sexy Duke of Burgundy bringing up the rear (mustavoidbadpunsmustavoidbadpuns) in the number three spot. But it hurts to only list three. There was so much greatness.

Ben Umstead: Eskil Vogt's feature debut Blind stands out for me. There's a sensitivity to character in his chronicle of a blind authoress and her imagination that probably rings truer than any other film this year. In turn, his narrative structure is bold and byzantine, offering visual tricks and styling that are humorous and inventive, but never bog down or distract from the emotion. That perfect marriage of style and substance can also be found in Force Majeure. Ruben Östlund's latest is perhaps the funniest film of the year, and is not once crass, rude or crude. It's a fascinating, uncomfortable deconstruction of the male ego while being a great family drama.. err.. comedy? By no means are either of these films what can be touted as typical FF genre fare. Benson & Moorhead's Spring is then closer to that fold, but again, it's what it does in deconstructing genre that really makes it sing. Call it "Before Sunrise with tooth and claw", the film encompasses science, myth and romance into a meaningful, moving package.

Michele Galgana: I adored the The Babadook, which Jennifer Kent directed the shit out of. I also really enjoyed the thoroughly fucked upGoodnight Mommy, the hilarious Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead, and the absolute gift of getting to see Charles Bronson blow punks away on 35mm in Death Wish 3. What a dream come true. "I like chicken."

Todd Brown: This is an exceptionally difficult question for me to answer given the fact that I started viewing films for the festival about nine months ago so am pretty divorced from my initial emotional responses to many of them and, also, that I'm directly involved with many that were there. But if I had to pick one that would have to be the only one that I went to see twice at the festival: Danger 5. Just a fantastically good time.

J Hurtado: My favorite film of this year's Fantastic Fest was Sono Sion's relentlessly kinetic Tokyo Tribe. I was aware going in that it was a hip hop musical, but I wasn't prepared for the level of commitment showed by everyone in the cast to making the film just an absolute beating of killer action and music. I was pounded into submission in the best possible way. Since Himizu, Sono has really fought not only turn around his image as a violent misanthrope, but to give his films truly positive messages, albeit in a way that will probably not come through for most people. All positivity and kneecapping of false bravado. Also, I've not seen Riki Takeuchi in a role with this much blatant and spectacular scenery chewing in ages, just a marvel to watch. A close second is definitely Astron-6's follow-up to their brilliant sleaze send-up, Father's Day, the giallo-centric The Editor. These boys know their cinema, and every single hit of this film lands squarely in the gut of giallo fans. Far from lampooning the films we love so dearly, they effortlessly craft a narrative into which jokes fit seamlessly. Playing "count the references" would get tiring, but it would be pretty fun to see how many you can find!

What was the biggest surprise or discovery of the fest?

James Marsh: A really weird one this - but John Wick came out of nowhere to be another of my absolute favourites from this year's fest. Keanu continues to explore the nostalgic recesses of 80s/90s action cinema, this time gifting Matrix stunt team David Leitch and Chad Stahelski the chance to direct him as a retired hit man out to avenge the murder of his adorable puppy. It's great.

Michele Galgana: I loved Keanu Reeves shooting everyone in the face in John Wick. Revenge films are a guilty pleasure for me, and this was a cold, tasty dish. Jesus Christ, they killed his puppy. Hopefully, the theatrical US cut will leave that in, because that's an unwritten Hollywood no-no.

Ryland Aldrich: My biggest surprise was how great the seemingly down-the-middle shoot 'em up John Wick was. With a deep mythology of which that film just scratched the surface, I would not be surprised if we are paying witness to a new franchise being born.

J Hurtado: My second day at Fantastic Fest opened with French satire Jacky in the Kingdom of Women. Honestly, the film was a slot filler, I had nothing else of interest in that place, and this one looked funny. What I didn't expect was the laugh so hard that I nearly coughed up a lung. Absolutely brilliant satire of the wretched state of the world's patriarchal legacy. Throw in a couple of amazing performances from Vincent Lacoste as Jacky, and Charlotte Gainsbourg as La Colonelle, and you've got a guaranteed winner. I took a chance on this one and talked about it all weekend.

Dave Canfield: A. Tusk and Norway tie here. Both are insane films that shouldn't exist, little films that could and did. Tusk gave Michael Parks a plum role and he acted the hell out of it. The film also gave Kevin Smith a chance to do something completely different and I hope he continues on this weird new path. Norway was impossibly wonderful weird in a way that only the best relatives are- you know, the ones your parents try not to invite over. I'm glad it made it to the party. B. That one of the most pleasant things on the Alamo Drafthouse menu is that plunger pot of tea. I felt so erudite sitting there, mixing in my honey and milk and sitting back with china cup in hand.

Joshua Chaplinsky: Housebound. This was another film I went into knowing next to nothing about. It played during the midnight slot, no less. By then, my patience is usually paper thin, old man that I am. But Housebound moved these dead bones with its effervescent humor and predictability-denying horror. Loads of fun from New Zealand.

Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg: Danger 5 I had never heard of this comedy series from Australia, but it incredibly funny and completely bonkers. I went on a last-minute whim and was not disappointed.

Peter Martin: I Am Trash, written and directed by Lee Sang-woo, who also co-stars. I found the subject matter to be repulsive, yet the depth of feeling that the movie evoked means it's deserving of begrudging respect, which is difficult for me to acknowledge, especially since ScreenAnarchy cohort Pierce Conran served as producer. Afterward, my fellow ScreenAnarchy editor James Marsh conducted the best Q&A session I've ever seen. Talk about surprise discoveries!

Pierce Conran: That would have to be the repertory screening of The Astrologer, a film discovered by the American Genre Film Archive. It's an oddball film from the 70s made by a clearly egomaniacal director. Though in many ways it could be considered a bad film, it's also undeniably brilliant. A wonderful surprise that was unlike anything I've ever seen.

Rachel Fox: I really, really loved the unexpected contrast and tension between David Robert Mitchell's hyper-natural, quietly stylistic, almost banal approach and conventional horror tropes on display in It Follows. I've been telling everyone to check out The Myth of the American Sleepover ever since the first screening blew our collective minds, and was surprised how many people hadn't seen it. I was also really surprised at how much I liked The Guest, which was pitch-perfect and more engaging than anything else I've encountered from Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett up to this point. From the outside the casting of Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) doesn't make sense, but he is sensational and he gets my vote for Best Supporting Gosling here. He's officially poised for greatness as The Englishman Who Went Up a Soapy, Bodice Ripping Hill and Came Down the Mountain as a Really Hot American.

Ben Umstead: The biggest surprise for me is how much I loved Peter Strickland's The Duke Of Burgundy. I was pretty close to not even seeing it. That's because I was incredibly bored with his first film Berberian Sound Studio. In that one I was hoping for a great giallo-style deconstruction of the British psyche, and instead was left cold in all the wrong ways. His second feature on the other hand has left me feeling all warm and strange. One part Buneul, two parts Czech New Wave with a dash of 70s art-trash eroticism, The Duke Of Burgundy is a beautifully absurd send-up and study of class and relationships, boundaries, fetishes and biology. It also boasts what is perhaps the year's most beguiling score by orchestral-pop duo Cat's Eyes.

Todd Brown: It's a sophomore film so I don't know how much it really qualifies as a discovery but Felt really confirms Jason Banker as a really unique new talent in my book. There's nobody else like him at all and I'm fascinated to see how he develops from here. This could be considered as a conflict of interest answer from me as XYZ is representing the film for sales in North America but we picked it up after it was submitted to the festival for the exact reasons given above.

Who gave the best performance?

Dave Canfield: It's hard to ignore It's hard to ignore The Babadook's, Essie Davis. Her lead performance as a woman who may or may not be going mad was unpleasantly powerful and makes the already excellent film more than just an entertaining genre effort. Likewise Kim Bassinger in I Am Here. Her beautifully understated approach to obsession is bone chilling.

Michele Galgana: My pick goes to Essie Davis in The Babadook. She was amazing and turned in one of the best performances I've seen---EVER.

J Hurtado: I have to give this one to Essie Davis of The Babadook. She didn't win the best actress award for nothing. The Babadook is an amazing horror film that is carried, completely, by this woman who is forced to go through emotional swings that most of us can only dream of and she does so with aplomb. If she fails, the movie fails, and while the kid is a bit grating, it's completely intentional and I empathized with Davis's Amelia deeply. Just an amazing performance.

Rachel Fox: So many great ones to choose from... Essie Davis in The Babadook and Amy Evrensel in Felt were both fantastic and deserved to be recognized with their awards by this year's Festival. Keanu Reeves absolutely nails it in John Wick, and it's exciting to see him re-assert himself as such a charming action star. I thought Maika Monroe was great in It Follows, her ability to maintain composure and "mine the moment" is critical to that film working as well as it does. She's a great fit with director David Robert Mitchell. Following standout performances in both It Follows and The Guest, we can expect to see her career really blossom. Also: Salma Hayek's hair in Everly.

Todd Brown: This is a definite conflict of interest answer for me as I've been around this project right from script development but I've been in love with Lou Taylor Pucci's performance in Spring from the day I saw the first footage. He's remarkable in it, and the restraint and depth of his performance in the opening sequence in particular lays the emotional bedrock of everything that follows.

Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg: Amy Everson in Felt Rarely have I seen an actor give themselves to a part so entirely. I just wanted to hold her through every minute of the film.

Pierce Conran: Lots of contenders but I have to go with Lou Taylor Pucci. His performance in Spring was fresh and eminently relatable. I can't wait to see what he does next with a good opportunity.

James Marsh: Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler should prove impossible to beat in all arenas this year, and certainly wins the FF gong.

Joshua Chaplinsky: This was a tough one, but no one threw themselves into a role like Lola Dueñas in Fabrice du Welz's Alleluia. She is fearless as Gloria, a woman desperate for love who is willing to do anything to protect it once she has it. She brings great depth and charm to a character that is inherently unlikable, and could easily have veered into cartoonish Natural Born Killers territory. The film opens with her washing a corpses cock, fer Christ's sake! And she makes that shit human.

Ben Umstead:That'd be artist Amy Everson in her first onscreen role in Felt. While director Jason Banker has been making a name for himself as an unique and intriguing voice in the American Independent scene, straddling the line between non-fiction and fiction, it's Everson that commands our attention here. As a woman dealing with past sexual trauma through her unusual art (body suits with genitals, felt-made penises), Everson is witty, abrasive, weird, startling and most of all open. There's no facet of herself that isn't on display during the film. And while that means things can get pretty dark, we never not once see her as an object/victim of abuse. Even when the film indulges in some gruesome horror tropes she still remains a person we can empathize with.

Peter Martin: Moa Gammel in Tommy. She negotiates hairpin turns and heroic maneuvers flawlessly, even though her character is deeply flawed. She also evinces a brave, astonishing self-awareness of the limitations of her role in the criminal underworld, while simultaneously working to overturn and subvert those limitations.

Ryland Aldrich: It's been great to see him advance as both an actor and a martial artist and my vote for best performance goes to Marko Zaror for his most mature role yet in Redeemer. My runner-up vote goes to Stellan Skarsgaard in In Order of Disappearance and Kristofer Hivju in Force Majeure gets my "best supporting" prize.

What was your biggest disappointment of the fest?

Joshua Chaplinsky: It Follows, hands down. It wasn't even on my radar, but word of mouth was so good I got suckered in. It's got a great hook and certain scenes were legitimately scary, but as a whole, it's mediocre at best. My list of complaints spans a country mile: It's got a snoozer of a first act, the acting is soap opera bad, and the script is a logistical nightmare. It doesn't properly setup/explain/follow its own rules, and— hold it right there, smart guy, not even in an acceptably ambiguous way, either. The last low budget horror flick to fail the hype this hard was The Blair Witch Project.

J Hurtado: I got lucky this year. I didn't see a single film that I truly disliked. However, I can say that while I enjoyed It Follows, I really didn't get aboard the Love Boat that set sail after the film's initial midnight screening. It tries too hard in spots and just looks and feels like mumblecore horror, which bothers me deeply. I'll probably give it another shot, but critics attempting to pin it down as "our generation's" horror film seriously need to get their heads checked.

Ben Umstead: That'd be the much buzzed about The Tribe. While there's no denying the technical prowess of this one, nor the fascinating setting at an all-deaf school in Ukraine, the youth crime story that the film ends up being felt rather trite and banal. In addition, there's a lot of misunderstanding and perpetuating of ugly rape culture myths around oppressors and the oppressed that left me feeling frustrated.

Ryland Aldrich: While it was far from the worst film I saw at the fest, the film I was most disappointed by was Takahata Isao's The Tale of Princess Kaguya. I've come to expect more from the storytelling department at Studio Ghibli and this film felt like it was trying to draw out emotions by pushing buttons instead of just telling a good story.

Pierce Conran: I don't think I was disappointed by anything but the only film I didn't enjoy was the long-winded Indian thriller As Seen by the Rest. It was hard to follow and featured an incongruous mess of styles. Given how eye-opening some of the recent Indian thrillers have been, I was holding out for something better, but I just couldn't get into it.

Rachel Fox: Though Goodnight Mommy is fantastic, it's a frustrating few edits away from absolute perfection. The film manages to be both intensely fascinating and extraordinarily creepy from the get-go thanks to a wonderful premise, but it is marred by a few weirdly out-of-place sequences that don't fit in with the film as a whole, and were completely unnecessary. Though the writer-director team of Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz have crafted a wonderfully compelling film, upon leaving the theatre I couldn't help but wish that fellow Austrian Michael Haneke had directed it instead. Also: No picnic tables.

James Marsh: I was really let down by the latest offerings from Sono Sion and Miike Takashi. Tokyo Tribe was very well received by audiences throughout the week, but left me cold with its plotless one-note histrionics. Miike's Over Your Dead Body was mostly a subdued and rather uninvolving experiment from the prolific director, though we can take some solace from the fact he continues to try new things, even when they don't always work.

Michele Galgana: I Am A Knife With Legs got rave reviews from festival programmers and attendees, but I found it to be too silly to even enjoy. I got the Ali G humor, but I think it was meant for a certain demographic that I'm not included in.

Peter Martin: Missing out entirely on the short film programs. The feature films that I liked the least were either debut works or sophomore efforts, so any disappointment I felt about them was tempered by the hope that the filmmakers will continue developing their talents in future films.

Todd Brown: The closing party being moved back to the Drafthouse from the ghost town for fear of weather that never materialized. Boo.

Dave Canfield: A. Falling asleep during too many films. B. Missing my screening of The Tribe. C. Not being able to find Todd Brown in time for the slap fight.

Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg: Not getting a ray-gun tattoo at the closing party.

What was your highlight from the non-film entertainment?

Todd Brown: I've got to roll with the Fantastic Debates here. This was my third time participating and I was pretty tense going in. Not because of the physical stuff – I knew I was going to lose the actual boxing match given that my opponent really boxes and I do not, but am not at all bothered by physical sport – but I was very keenly aware that I was speaking for a LOT of people and really, really, really didn't want to be the guy who botched the argument against BitTorrent. It got into my head a lot in the lead up but I came out the way I wanted to: Clearly winning the verbal debate and keeping my feet in the boxing.

Rachel Fox: I missed out on the Fantastic Debates last year and I've never been to a boxing match before, so getting to see those punches thrown ringside was pretty cool. As was Leonard Maltin's utterly gobsmacked expression during the whole thing.

Ryland Aldrich: As is often the case, the Fantastic Debates were the highlight of the non-film events. This year's edition was particularly exciting with all four of the fights being worthwhile. However I do think it's time to retire the crowd vote and select some impartial judges to determine the final outcome.

James Marsh: I always have a great time at the Fantastic Debates, and this year probably saw the most committed bouts I have witnessed, with all four pairs of combatants (Joe Lynch v Josh Ethier, Jenny Jacobi v Maria Reinup, Todd Brown v Matt Mason, Tim League v Ti West) clearly giving it their all in the ring.

Peter Martin: Watching my boss Todd Brown in the boxing ring during Fantastic Debates. I do not ever want to get Todd mad at me.

Ben Umstead: For once a film festival has an awards ceremony that is not only funny and fun, but feels meaningful. People genuinely wanted to be there, which says a lot about the community Fantastic Fest has built up. Directly following that up with the Fantastic Feud trivia game was an absolute blast.

Dave Canfield: A. Getting beaned (literally) with a taco by the high velocity taco cannon at the closing night party. It was wrapped in a Jamaican flag. Does this make me an honorary citizen? B. Showing up to interview Nacho V. and having him suddenly turn on the karaoke and all of us belting out Orinoco Flow together while Fons PR taped it.

Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg: The karaoke rooms at the Highball. I practically lived in them!

Michele Galgana: The closing night party was insane. I participated in a drunken water balloon war with other Fantastic Festers, a donkey showed up, people got tattooed, and there were free drinks!

Pierce Conran: Where to begin? Opening a bottle of champagne held by Tim League with a bowie knife on his front lawn, the various karaoke parties, the fantastic debates, the feud, it was all a blast. Fantastic Fest really knows how to put on a show.

Joshua Chaplinsky: Dinner with the ScreenAnarchy gang, once it finally happened. I missed Horsehead and a perfect 19 for 19 festival record (2nd half badge) to do so. (I was told by many I made the right choice.) Great hanging out with you guys!

J Hurtado: I am never in Austin long enough to leave the theater for the non-film entertainment. I miss the karaoke, debates, opening and closing night parties, and everything else because I only have 4 days to watch as many films as possible.

Photo Credit: David Hill

Name your single most Fantastic moment of the festival.

Ryland Aldrich: During the Fantastic Feud, a friend sitting next to me (Snoot's Roxanne Benjamin) called out an answer that had the panel stumped. As is customary, she was then allowed to give the point to the USA or International team at her discretion. Owing to the fact the USA team had no female representation and the Internationals had two women, she shouted out "International." As if propelled by some supernatural force, Tim League jumped up and seemingly levitated up four rows to stand and shout down at her "How dare you!" The above photo (credit Daniel Tucker) so perfectly captures the moment. Notice Roxanne cowering in fear, me boooing her, and James Marsh jumping up in glee at the international point. Goood times.

Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg: Participating in Fantastic Feud. It was great fun, friendly yet heated competition, and created such a bond between film geeks. And I discovered that I know more about obscure films than I thought

Peter Martin: Giving director Richard Stanley a ride home. The poor man had to fold himself into the front seat of my filthy old compact car, yet remained upbeat and resolutely cheerful. What a storyteller! Kudos also to my ScreenAnarchy running mate Ben Umstead, who kindly provided directions from the back seat.

Rachel Fox: The opportunity to chat with the team from the utterly brilliant, insanely hilarious, and criminally under-appreciated Australian TV series Danger 5 was "the biscuits," as Colonol Chestbridge (aka, series creator Dario Russo) might say. Russo very graciously recorded my current outgoing voicemail message ("Rachel will get back to you after she's done... killing Hitler!") in the voice of the Eagle-headed Danger 5 commandant, much to the extreme amusement of myself (and, maybe, two other people) and the utter confusion of everyone who's called and left a message for me since. "That's Fantastic!"

Michele Galgana: Too many to name, but here's a few: attending the ScreenAnarchy contributor BBQ dinner with my fellow ruffians, talking film with ScreenAnarchy head honcho Todd Brown, interviewing Keanu Reeves one on one (WHOA), getting twerked on (THREE TIMES) by Tristan Risk, and having a slap fight with Annick Mahnert.

Joshua Chaplinsky: Seeing the "Oh shit, who is this guy?" look get successively shorter every time I said hello to Todd Brown. Cheers, boss!

Todd Brown: The Q&A for the first screening of Danger 5 was very likely the best Q&A I've done in the 9 years I've been programming festivals. I laughed until I cried.

Dave Canfield: Watching the incredible tribe that is our festival welcome one another with open arms. Pat Healy saying, "Can I take you up on that beer?" Making friends with someone simply because we wound up sitting next to each other at a movie. ScreenAnarchy dinner with a record setting number of contributors in attendance. Timely chats with the legendary Richard Stanley who is quite possibly not of this world even though the twinkle in his eye says otherwise. Pure childlike curiosity and impishness. They're all the same moment really. They're all part of that Frankensteins monster we stitch together every year. I'd like to think of us like him. Reaching for the sunlight for the very first time just trusting it's where we belong. Can't wait to be jolted back to life next year.

J Hurtado: There isn't one. Fantastic Fest for me isn't about moments, it's about a sustained community that stretches out over time and across oceans. So much so that every year when I land in Austin (figuratively, I actually drive), it doesn't feel so much like going away as it does coming home. It's like we're all attached to the Alamo by a giant web that lets us wander for 11 months of the year, but then, for that one week, we all get pulled back together where we belong. If I must chose moments, it would be the late nights drinking and talking shit with the ScreenAnarchy boys in the ScreenAnarchy house, it would be introducing a film that I selected for the festival (As Seen by the Rest), or doing an intro for a film that I just love and following up by moderating my first ever Q & A sessions (Dave Boyle, Michael Lerman, and Pepe Serna for Man From Reno), it would be meeting and spending time with my friends from all over the world, and yeah, once in a while getting to share a movie and a beer with them. Fantastic Fest is home, it loves all of us and so it knows that it has to let us be free, but it also knows that because we love it too, we'll always come back.

Pierce Conran: Though not one moment, it has to be the people. FF has great films, but what made it so special were all the friends, old and new, that I had the pleasure of hanging out with at the Drafthouse. The team that puts on this fest are incredible and the fans that attend are as impassioned a bunch of film lovers as I've ever had the privilege to meet. Particularly special was the huge contingent of ScreenAnarchy writers, many of whom all stayed in the same house. It was terrific to start and finish the day with such an incredible bunch, reminding me of how lucky I am to be part of this wonderful family.

Ben Umstead: As much as Fantastic Fest is about the movies, it's just as much about the people. So in that sense there was no one single moment that stands out. Rather it's the whole tapestry of cinephile/film geek enthusiasm that got me going every morning and long into the night. A big part of this was of course getting a chance to spend quality time with some of the ScreenAnarchy family, whether at ScreenAnarchy House, out in the lobby, or at our barbecue dinner. Over the course of the fest a lot of people commented to me about how I was always smiling. Well, wouldn't you smile too if you felt you were home?

James Marsh: I'm probably not the only one to say this, but it's not the films that keep me coming back to Fantastic Fest - awesome though they are - it's the people. From the team behind the event, headed by the wonderful Tim League and Kristen Bell, to the fanatics who flock to Austin from the four corners of the globe, the festival creates an unparalleled environment of nerd culture and friendship that you simply don't find anywhere else. Most of all, however, it's the chance to spend a week in the company of so many of my fellow ScreenAnarchy contributors - whether holding impromptu editorial meetings around the breakfast table or ruining our bodies with late-night soju sessions. We are a varied and passionate collective united by a common desire to create something awesome together - not for personal gain, but because it is important to us. There are many reasons I love writing for ScreenAnarchy - and most of them have nothing to do with my love of cinema. It's my love of the team that is important, and as ScreenAnarchy turns 10 years old, I only get even more excited when I look to the future and the exciting possibilities ahead.