Fantafestival was created in 1981 by Alberto Ravaglioli. Since 1983, the festival has been co-organized by Adriano Pintaldi. Ravaglioli and Pintaldi serve as co-directors of the festival. For over three decades, Fantafestival has been one of Italy’s leading film events dedicated to genre films and one of the most important international events of its kind. It is one of the founding members of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation, alongside Fantasporto, the Paris International Fantastic Film Festival, the Sitges Film Festival, and the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
Fantafestival has introduced Italian audiences to many filmmakers who would later earn a reputation in the genre film world. For some filmmakers, the festival became a launchpad that helped them draw attention from the audience and advance their careers.
Every edition of Fantafestival has featured guests of honor – actors, filmmakers and producers whose names are known to genre film enthusiasts around the world. Past guests have included actors Robert Englund, Rutger Hauer, John Carradine, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, and directors and producers such as Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, Alejandro Jodorowsky, George A.Romero, Freddie Francis, Roger Corman. Italian guests have included Lamberto Bava, Dario Argento, Riccardo Freda, and Lucio Fulci.
Fantafestival is held every year in Rome. Originally held every summer, it was moved to November in 2017. Alongside the main festival, the organizers have hosted special events in various cities across Italy, including Ravenna, Parma, Verona, Genoa, Naples, and Milan.
Fantafestival is a competitive film festival. Awards are presented in several categories, including Best Film, Best Short Film, Best Italian Film, and Best Italian Short Film. There’s also the Mario Bava Award. This is a special award named after a famous Italian filmmaker from the “Golden Age” of Italian horror films.
Photo: fanta-festival.it
