Fantastic Fest ’15 First Wave: Bone Tomahawk, Turkish Madness, Fox Fairies

There’s nothing like Fantastic Fest. If there’s anything I’ve hoped to accomplish in film writing, it’s getting readers out to film festivals. The atmosphere, the discovery, the shared love is incredible. Perhaps no more so than at Fantastic Fest, the Austin and Alamo Drafthouse-based genre festival full of the thrilling and the bizarre. Taking place this September at the Drafthouse South Lamar, the 2015 Fantastic Fest has announced its First Wave, replete with anticipated premieres (Kurt Russell cannibal western Bone Tomahawk), amazing repertory titles (Turkish horror and Farewell Uncle Tom) and hopeful new favorites like Sweden’s Sensoria, Twilight Zone-esque Mexican film The Similars and Hungarian film, Liza the Fox Fairy.

Fantastic Fest 2015 gets underway September 24-October 1^st. The release announces Bone Tomahawk as Closing Night, the existential horror western bringing Russell and star Matthew Fox along with it. “Bringing Kurt Russell back to the Alamo is something we’ve been trying to do for a long time” said Fantastic Fest founder Tim League, “And to do it with Bone Tomahawk, a quintessential Fantastic Fest film, means we’re in for one hell of a closer.  Huge thanks to Caliber Media for making it all happen.”

Maybe most exciting is the repertory programming: A string of Turkish genre films playing alongside the documentary Remake, Remix, Rip-Off, a close look at the mad 70s Turkish filmmaking world. ‘‘We are delighted to be digging deep into Turkish cinema for a journey of discovery,” said Fantastic Fest Head Programmer, Evrim Ersoy. “With its ‘filmmaking-at-any-cost’ mentality, the sheer insanity of Turkish cinema is a perfect match for Fantastic Fest. Due to the high cost of exhibiting American movies, Turkish filmmakers created their own versions of these classics, and with it a new universe of madcap cinema was born. I’m proud to say we’ve selected some of their wildest rides.”

Continuing the amazing rep lineup is incredible filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, whose new book, Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing, details his collection of American exploitation posters. In accompaniment, Refn will be screening gems like Farewell Uncle Tom, The X-Rated Supermarket and My Body Hungers.

As far as new, international films go, there’s the world premiere of Mickey Keating’s Darling, his second horror film this year. The young, urgent filmmaker is zipping through subgenres with style and verve. Here, he takes on a mental breakdown tale in black-and-white, with Lauren Ashley Carter. There’s anticipated anthology German Angst, Korean satirical slasher Office, the “punk noir opera” Ruined Heart, experimental Stand By for the Tape Back-Up, single shot action film Victoria and more.

Find the full First Wave in the gallery below. For more on Fantastic Fest, head right here.