Beyond Fest Announces Its Full Slate for the Return of LA's Biggest Genre Film Festival

Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, is excited to announce its complete slate of 2021 programming comprising 39 features, including 8 world premieres, 4 US premieres, and 17 West Coast Premieres. Following a sold-out residency at the Mission Tiki Drive-In in 2020, Beyond Fest returns to theaters for 10 days of cinematic excess from Wednesday, September 29th - Monday, October 11th. Built in partnership with the American Cinematheque, Beyond Fest will screen at the Legion Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3 with all ticket sales going to the 501c3 non-profit film institution. Attendance to all screenings require physical proof of vaccination and guests must follow mandatory mask mandates.

With a diverse slate celebrating the most transgressive cinema, Beyond Fest is proud to open with the West Coast Premiere of Julia Ducornau’s Palme d’Or Winner TITANE at the historic Hollywood Legion Theater with the director in attendance. This screening also represents two world-firsts with TITANE playing in-theater for the first time on a never-before-seen 35mm print, while a drive-in screening simultaneously takes place outside.

Horror heroes Blumhouse return to Beyond Fest with two of the year’s most-anticipated features: HALLOWEEN KILLS and THE BLACK PHONE. Director David Gordon Green and producer Jason Blum will join in-person for the US Premiere of HALLOWEEN KILLS and participate in a post-screening Q&A that will be livestreamed globally as the culmination of the super-producers’ annual Blumfest. The latest shocker from power duo Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, THE BLACK PHONE, delivers the scares in their adaptation of Joe Hill’s beloved ghost story. Director Scott Derrikson will be attending the films’ West Coast Premiere.

Following it's electrifying Cannes debut, jaw-drop cinema LAMB, will receive its West Coast Premiere with director Valdimar Jóhannsson and star Noomi Rapace joining in person, and agent provocateur Gaspar Noé is once-again championed with the West Coast bow of his devastating VORTEX featuring an astonishing performance from the maestro, Dario Argento. Lucile Hadžihalilović promises to shake the audience to its core with the US Premiere of her hallucinatory and mesmerising EARWIG, and acclaimed director Bernard Rose will be in attendance with his cast and crew for the world premiere of his latest film, TRAVELLING LIGHT. We descend into the frighteningly brilliant world of V/H/S with the West Coast Premiere of the brand new V/H/S 94 with talent in attendance, and an incredibly rare 35mm screening of the franchise’s original shockfest, V/H/S.

“Despite all of the adversity of the last 18 months, we’re incredibly thankful to have built a program that is as diverse and progrogressive as anything we’ve accomplished in our past nine years,” said Beyond Fest Head of Programming, Evrim Ersoy. “Recognizing this adversity, the generous support of filmmakers, studios, distributors, and our partners has also given us the opportunity to make over half of the program free to the film community of Los Angeles. It’s so good to be back in theaters where we belong.”

Icons of Cinema will be honored via a series of screenings over the course of the festival with the first being a celebration of four-time Academy Award® nominee Michael Mann with screenings of COLLATERAL and the 40th anniversary of THIEF with the director in attendance. VFX master Phil Tippett is joining us for a career-spanning Q&A between the West Coast debut of his highly-anticipated, magnum opus MAD GOD and his sci-fi-chef’s-kiss, STARSHIP TROOPERS. Also screening is the West Coast Premiere of the 4K restoration of Stanley Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and the legendary Udo Kier will discuss one of his most audacious roles with the theatrical World Premiere of the newly restored BLOOD FOR DRACULA. For the duration of the festival the Aero Theatre will be rebranded as the ‘MUBI Theatre’ in-keeping with the streamers’ mission to help cinema-lovers discover and watch beautiful, interesting, incredible films

Celebrating repertory classics from the beloved to the newly-discovered with a series of screenings, Beyond Fest will be home to the West Coast Premiere of the new 4K Restoration of Andrzej Żuławski seminal work, POSSESSION, the World Premiere of the newly-discovered, never-finished until now(!) 80’s Kung-fu-ploitation NEW YORK NINJA from the brilliant minds at Vinegar Syndrome with cast members Leon Isaac, Cynthia Rothrock, and original cast member Adrienne Meltzer in attendance, and the World Premiere of the new 4K Restoration of ‘ALISON’S BIRTHDAY’ as part of a folk horror double-bill, and a very special screening of 2020’s cult sensation THE EMPTY MAN with the director David Prior on-stage for an extended Q&A.

As a give-back to the film community of Los Angeles, all Beyond Fest programming at the Los Feliz 3 Theatre will be 100% free to all guests courtesy of our friends at ‘Shudder’,the premium streaming service for horror, thriller and supernatural films and series. Rebranded as the ‘Shudder Theatre,’ we will be screening a series of hotly anticipated titles spanning the World Premieres of Aharon Keshales tough-as-nails neo-noir SOUTH OF HEAVEN starring Jason Sudekis and Evangeline Lilly and Sam Walker’s eye-popping midnight sci-fi chiller THE SEED, to the highly anticipated West Coast Premieres of SXSW sensation THE FEAST, Ruth Paxton’s bone-chilling THE BANQUET, Dasha Nekrasova’s hallucinatory Berlin winnerTHE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST (on brand-new 35mm with the director in attendance), extreme horror THE SADNESS, Kier-La Janisse’s definitive folk-horror doc WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED, the Midnight Madness breakout SALOUM, in addition to three shorts blocks celebrating up-and-coming filmmakers. The Los Feliz 3 will also be home to a very special secret screening of XXXXXXXXX from the legendary director XXXX XXXXXXXXX.

Celebrating a commitment to the most transgressive cinema we have curated the ultimate late night sidebar with IFC Midnight to commemorate their 10-year anniversary. Reflecting their endlessly provocative slate, six free screenings, courtesy of IFC Midnight, will begin at the stroke of midnight: the brand-new restoration of Lars von Trier’s ANTICHRIST, THE BABADOOK, KILL LIST, MANIAC, THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, and BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO.

Another significant 20-year anniversary is that of the world’s leading genre website, BLOODY DISGUSTING, who have joined us to program a day dedicated to three of the most important films in their celebrated history hosted by Bloody Disgusting’s The Boo Crew Podcast. Opening the day is the battle between the king of the monsters, FREDDY VS. JASON with writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift in-person, genre superheroes Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett will be on hand to discuss YOU’RE NEXT after a rare 35mm screening, and closing out the event will be Fede Álvarez with world's first theatrical screening of his uncut EVIL DEAD in all its glory.

“As an institution that values and champions the communal theatrical experience above all, it’s a joy to bring Beyond Fest back to our theaters,” said American Cinematheque Creative Director, Grant Moninger. “With the Aero Theatre, the Los Feliz 3, and our partnership with the Hollywood Legion Theater, film lovers across LA can experience Beyond Fest‘s incredible immersion of cinema together and on the big screen.”

In the digital space, Beyond Fest is presenting with Amazon Studios and Blumhouse Television the virtual panel ‘Women In Horror: The Female Perspective.’ Featuring an all-female roster of filmmakers including Gigi Saul Guerrero (Writer/Director, BINGO HELL), Axelle Carolyn (Writer/Director, THE MANOR), Maritte Lee Go (Director, BLACK AS NIGHT), Marcella Ochoa (Writer, MADRES), and Lisa Bruce (Blumhouse Television), ‘Women In Horror’ delves deep into the process, challenges, and cause for celebration experienced by female genre filmmakers. The panel will be available to watch for free online from 1st October on beyondfest.com and americancinematheque.com

Beyond Fest will continue to support the filmmaking community with the help of Final Draft who will be presenting three dedicated short blocks and supplying the selected films with a copy of Final Draft 12 as well as giving free entry for each of the selected budding screenwriters into Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Contest.

See below for the full lineup of newly announced feature film titles for Beyond Fest 2021. Tickets will be on sale via americancinematheque.com on September 17th at 10AM PST. Visit beyondfest.com and the American Cinematheque for details.

Attendees will need to present both proof of vaccination and a valid ID at the theatre to be admitted into the event. (Last vaccination must be recorded as 2 weeks prior to the event). Reasonable accommodations will be provided to those needing it for religious or medical reasons with proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the screening. For more information regarding requirements, visit americancinematheque.com.

BEYOND FEST 2021 PROGRAM

LEGION THEATRE

TITANE

West Coast Premiere

Director: Julia Ducournau

Country: France, Belgium

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Julia Ducournau in person

HALLOWEEN KILLS

US Premiere

Director: David Gordon Green

Country: USA

Runtime: 106 Minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director David Gordon Green and producer Jason Blum in person

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MUBI THEATRE at the Aero Theatre

LAMB

West Coast Premiere

Director: Valdimar Jóhannsson

Country: Iceland, Sweden, Poland

Runtime: 106 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Valdimar Jóhannsson and actor Noomi Rapace in person

NEW YORK NINJA

World Premiere

Director: John Liu

Country: USA

Runtime:

Year: 1984

GUESTS: Actors Cynthia Rothrock, Leon Isaac and Adrienne Meltzer, Producer Kurtis Spieler and Brad Henderson in person

FREDDY VS. JASON

Repertory Screening

Director: Ronny Yu

Country: USA

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 2003

GUESTS: Writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon in person

YOU’RE NEXT

Repertory Screening

Director: Adam Wingard

Country: USA

Runtime: 94 minutes

Year: 2011

GUESTS: Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett in person

EVIL DEAD

Repertory Screening

Director: Fede Álvarez

Country: USA

Runtime: 96 minutes

Year: 2013

GUESTS: Director/Co-Writer Fede Álvarez in person

V/H/S/94

West Coast Premiere

Director: Jennifer Reeder, Simon Barrett, Timo Tjahjanto, Chloe Okuno, Ryan Prows

Country: USA

Runtime: 101 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Simon Barrett, Chloe Okuno, Ryan Prows, Producers Brad Miska, Josh Goldbloom and composer Greg Anderson in person

V/H/S

Repertory Screening

Director: Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence

Country: USA

Runtime: 116 minutes

Year: 2012

GUESTS: Director Simon Barrett in person

MAD GOD

West Coast Premiere

Director: Phil Tippett

Country: USA

Runtime: 83 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Phil Tippett in person

STARSHIP TROOPERS

Repertory Screening

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Country: USA

Runtime: 129 minutes

Year: 1997

GUESTS: Phil Tippett in person

COLLATERAL

Repertory Screening

Director: Michael Mann

Country: USA

Runtime: 120 minutes

Year: 2004

GUESTS: Director Michael Mann in person

THIEF

Repertory Screening

Director: Michael Mann

Country: USA

Runtime: 122 minutes

Year: 1981

GUESTS: Director Michael Mann in person

VORTEX

West Coast Premiere

Director: Gaspar Noé

Country: France

Runtime: 144 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Gaspar Noé in virtual Q&A

POSSESSION

West Coast Premiere - 4K Restoration

Director: Andrzej Żuławski

Country: France, Germany

Runtime: 124 minutes

Year: 1981

THE EMPTY MAN

Repertory Screening

Director: David Prior

Country: USA

Runtime: 137 minutes

Year: 2020

GUESTS: Director David Prior in person

THE BLACK PHONE

West Coast Premiere

Director: Scott Derrickson

Country: USA

Runtime: 102 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Scott Derrickson in person

BLOOD FOR DRACULA

Repertory Screening

Director: Paul Morrisey

Country: Italy, France

Runtime: 106 minutes

Year: 1974

GUESTS: Actor Udo Kier in person

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SHUDDER THEATRE athe Los Feliz 3

WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED: A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR

West Coast Premiere

Director: Kier-La Janisse

Country: USA

Runtime: 194 minutes

Year: 2021

ALLISON’S BIRTHDAY

World Premiere - 4K Restoration

Director: Ian Coughlan

Country: Australia

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 1981

SOUTH OF HEAVEN

World Premiere

Director: Aharon Keshales

Country: USA

Runtime: 120 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Aharon Keshales in person

THE SPINE OF NIGHT

West Coast Premiere

Director: Morgan Galen King, Philip Gelatt

Country: USA

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 2021

CODE NAME: NAGASAKI

West Coast Premiere

Director: Fredrik Hana

Country: Norway

Runtime: 70 minutes

Year: 2021

DR. CALIGARI

US Premiere - 4K Restoration

Director: Stephen Sayadian

Country: USA

Runtime: 80 minutes

Year: 1989

GUESTS: Director Stephen Sayadian, Writer Jerry Stahl, Director of Photography Ladi von Jansky

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD

West Coast Premiere - Uncut Restoration

Director: Amando de Ossorio

Country: France, Portugal

Runtime: 101 minutes

Year: 1972

THE FEAST

West Coast Premiere

Director: Lee Haven Jones

Country: UK

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 2021

SALOUM

West Coast Premiere

Director: Jean Luc Herbulot

Country: Senegal, Congo

Runtime: 84 minutes

Year: 2021

THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST

US Premiere

Director: Dasha Nekrasova

Country: USA

Runtime: 81 minutes

Year: 2021

THE SEED

World Premiere

Director: Sam Walker

Country: UK

Runtime:

Year: 2021

THE BETA TEST

West Coast Premiere

Director: Jim Cummings

Country: USA

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 2021

THE MEDIUM

US Premiere

Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun

Country: Thailand, South Korea

Runtime: 131 minutes

Year: 2021

EARWIG

US Premiere

Director: Lucile Hadžihalilović

Country: France, Belgium, UK

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2021

HOMEBOUND

West Coast Premiere

Director: Sebastian Goodwin

Country: UK

Runtime: 75 minutes

Year: 2021

SECRET SCREENING

xxxxxxxx Premiere

Director: xxxx xxxxxxxxx

Country: xx

Runtime: xxxxx minutes

Year: 2021

THE SADNESS

West Coast Premiere

Director: Rob Jabbaz

Country: Taiwan

Runtime: 99 minutes

Year: 2021

A BANQUET

West Coast Premiere

Director: Ruth Paxton

Country: UK

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 2021

AFTER BLUE (DIRTY PARADISE)

West Coast Premiere

Director: Bertrand Mandico

Country: France

Runtime: 127 minutes

Year: 2021

TRAVELLING LIGHT

World Premiere

Director: Bernard Rose

Country: USA

Runtime: 90 minutes

Year: 2021

GUESTS: Director Bernard Rose, Actor Danny Houston, Tony Todd, Olivia D’Abo, Stephen Dorf and Matthew Jacob in person

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IFC MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

ANTICHRIST

Director: Lars Von Trier

Country: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2009

THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE

Director: André Øvredal

Country: USA, UK

Runtime: 86 minutes

Year: 2016

KILL LIST

Director: Ben Wheatley

Country: UK

Runtime: 95 minutes

Year: 2011

BABADOOK

Director: Jennifer Kent

Country: Australia

Runtime: 91 minutes

Year: 2014

BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO

Director: Peter Strickland

Country: UK

Runtime: 94 minutes

Year: 2014

MANIAC

Director: Franck Khalfoun

Country: USA

Runtime: 89 minutes

Year: 2012