With a couple more days left in the madness that is Fantastic Fest this year's award winners were announced by the festival.
Christopher Andrews' drama thriller Bring Them Down, starring Barry Keoghegan and Christopher Abbott was awarded Best Picture by the jury. James Ashcroft was awarded Best Director for their work on The Rule of Jenny Pen and one of their leads, Geoffrey Rush, was awarded Best Actor.
Among the Next Wave program Karan Kandhari's Sister Midnight won Best Picture, Emma Benestan won Best Director for Animale, and Mārcis Lācis received an honorable mention for their film, Touched by Eternity.
In the Horror Features program Estonian horror comedy Chainsaw Were Singing, directed by Sander Maran, won Best Picture. John Hsu won the Best Director award for their ghostly comedy, Dead Talent Society, as well as taking home the Audience Award. That makes sense to me as I really, really enjoyed the latter. It's terrificly fun.
All the winners are noted in the announcement below.
FANTASTIC FEST ANNOUNCESFANTASTIC FEST 2024 AWARDSFantastic Fest is thrilled to announce this year's award winners, showcasing an exceptional selection of fantastic films from around the world. This year has been filled with surprising and wonderful features and shorts, making the task of honoring a select few quite challenging. Nevertheless, our esteemed jurors have achieved the remarkable feat of choosing the festival's finest entries.“Today, we celebrate the incredible diversity of talent showcased in this year's films,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest. “Our jurors faced the formidable challenge of selecting winners from a remarkable array of stories, each representing different cultures and perspectives. Their task was not easy, but it truly reflects what Fantastic Fest is all about: embracing the richness of global cinema and the shared human experiences that unite us all.”"MAIN COMPETITION" FEATURESBest Picture: BRING THEM DOWN, directed by Christopher AndrewsBest Director: James Ashcroft - THE RULE OF JENNY PENBest Actor: Geoffrey Rush - THE RULE OF JENNY PEN"NEXT WAVE" FEATURESBest Picture: SISTER MIDNIGHT, directed by Karan KandhariBest Director: Emma Benestan - ANIMALEHonorable Mention: TOUCHED BY ETERNITY, directed by Mārcis LācisHORROR FEATURESBest Picture: CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING, directed by Sander MaranBest Director: John Hsu - DEAD TALENT SOCIETYHonorable Mention: The Ensemble Cast of TRIZOMBIE, directed by Bob ColaersSHORTS WITH LEGSBest Picture: She Stays, directed by Marinthia GutiérrezHonorable Mention: Duck, directed by Rachel MacleanSHORT FUSEBest Picture: Be Right Back, directed by Lucas Paulino & Gabe IbañezHonorable Mention: The Night Practice, directed by Bogdan AlecsandruFANTASTIC SHORTSBest Picture: The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste, directed by Pernell MarsdenHonorable Mention: Atom & Void, directed by Gonçalo AlmeidaDRAWN AND QUARTEREDBest Picture: Mira, directed by Eva Louise HallHonorable Mention: The Night Boots, directed by Pierre-Luc GranjonAUDIENCE AWARDDEAD TALENTS SOCIETY, directed by John Hsu