55 Feature Films, World Premieres, Iconic Guests, and More Await Cinema Fans
By Dolores Quintana
Beyond Fest, the premier genre film festival in the United States, is thrilled to unveil its robust lineup for its 11th edition in 2023, featuring a captivating array of 55 feature films. This cinematic extravaganza will span 15 days, promising an unparalleled celebration of genre cinema.
Scheduled to run from September 26th to October 10th, Beyond Fest is set to take place in collaboration with the American Cinematheque and is exclusively presented by NEON. The festival will showcase its eclectic selection of films at multiple venues, including the Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3, and Regency Village Theatre. All proceeds from ticket sales will support the 501c3 non-profit film institution.
Kicking off the festival at the Aero Theatre, presented by NEON, is Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi masterpiece “The Creator” from 20th Century. The closing night will be graced by Kristoffer Borgli’s uproarious comedy-satire sensation, “Dream Scenario,” distributed by A24 and featuring a career-defining performance by Nicolas Cage.
Beyond Fest will also feature Paul Mescal in two outstanding films: first, starring alongside Andrew Scott, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy in Andrew Haigh’s acclaimed metaphysical romantic drama “All of Us Strangers,” and then opposite Saoirse Ronan in Garth Davis’ psychological drama “FOE.”
Other highlights include the World Premiere of Jodi Wille’s riveting documentary “Welcome Space Brothers,” offering a glimpse into the fourth dimension of Unarius, and the Palme d’Or-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” by Justine Triet, courtesy of presenting sponsor NEON. Additionally, Kitty Green’s slow-burn outback thriller “The Royal Hotel” will captivate audiences.
The festival will feature an impressive lineup of new genre cinema from around the world, including the World Premiere of the highly-anticipated “It’s A Wonderful Knife,” scripted by Michael Kennedy and produced by Legendary Entertainment. Macon Blair’s “The Toxic Avenger” offers a fresh take on the iconic Troma classic, while “V/H/S/85” reunites Beyond Fest alumni David Bruckner and Scott Derrickson. Joe Lynch presents his salacious sensation “Suitable Flesh,” and Prime Video and Blumhouse Television take audiences back to the 80s with “Totally Killer.”
Furthermore, Demián Rugna brings his bone-chilling thriller “When Evil Lurkcs,” and Nikhil Nagesh Bhat delivers the year’s most unapologetic slice of hyper-violence with “Kill.”
The festival will pay homage to cinema titans through a series of rare events. Box office sensation James Cameron will make a rare personal appearance for a screening of “The Abyss Special Edition,” followed by an extended conversation. The grandmaster of genre cinema, Roger Corman, will receive a special tribute screening with new 35MM prints of classics like “Rock’N’Roll High School,” “Piranha,” “Grand Theft Auto,” and “The Raven.” This panel discussion will feature Corman and longtime collaborators Ron Howard, Jon Davison, Amy Holden Jones, Joe Dante, and Allan Arkush.
Auteur filmmaker Michael Mann will return to discuss the making of his classic “Manhunter,” Guillermo Del Toro will celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Pacific Rim,” and director Brad Bird will bring his beloved animation classic “The Iron Giant” to the festival.
Iconic features will take center stage with restorations, extended cuts, and special screenings, including 4K World Premieres of Michele Soavi’s “Cemetary Man” and “The Church” by Severin Films. The North American premiere of the 4K restoration of “The Raid” will also be showcased. Malcolm McDowell will join Beyond Fest audiences to discuss the film and his role in its evolution, along with the newly-restored “Caligula: The Ultimate Cut.”
The NC-17 cut of David Cronenberg’s “Crash will receive a rare theatrical screening with a virtual intro by ‘You Must Remember This’ podcaster Karina Longsworth.
The festival will celebrate 50 years of folk horror with “The Wicker Man: The Final Cut,” featuring icon Britt Ekland in attendance. Additionally, the extended cut of the Italian madness, “Adam Chaplin,” will receive its theatrical World Premiere. Jeffrey Reddick, the creator of “Final Destination,” will be present for a special screening, and Rucking Fotten will host a 30th-anniversary screening of “True Romance,” including an exclusive commemorative shirt with every ticket.
Head of Programming, Evrim Ersoy, stated, “With over 19,000 attendees in 2022, our goal this year was to go bigger while also exposing audiences to new filmmakers who represent the future. We’ve delivered on that promise with a program that has the world’s most celebrated artists like James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, and Roger Corman, joining us alongside some of Cinema’s boldest new voices, including Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Demián Rugna, and Macon Blair.”
The newly christened ‘NEON Theatre at the Los Feliz 3’ will continue to be the go-to destination for genre enthusiasts, offering 27 FREE Premieres thanks to the generous support of NEON. This includes Franck Khalfoun and Alexandre Aja’s newest nightmare, “Night of the Hunted,” and Bo Mirasseni’s “History of Evil,” both making their World Premieres.
Audiences can also look forward to the North American premiere of Xavier Gens’ bone-crunching instant classic, “Mayhem!,” courtesy of AMC. Additionally, Irish folk horror “All You Need Is Death” and Danish true-crime shocker “Ripple” will share World Premiere status.
The festival will feature North American premieres of Graham Hughes’ multiverse nightmare “Hostile Dimensions” and the blistering neo-noir “The Last Straw,” as well as U.S. Premieres of Baloji’s visionary award-winner “Omen,” the genre-bending “Femme” starring George Mckay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Teresa Sutherland’s chilling “Lovely, Dark, and Deep,” Orçun Behram’s startling take on the undead “The Funeral,” Zack Clark’s body-swapping alien love story “The Becomers” Barnaby Clay’s feral Tribeca hit thriller “The Seeding,” Stéphan Castang’s Cannes standout “Vincent Must Die,” and Sean Hogan’s folk-horror “To Fire You Come At Last.”
Severin Films will present a double feature of “Enter Clones of Bruce Lee” and festival circuit favorite “Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life Of Cliff Twemlow” Kane Hodder and Linda Blair will be present in person for “Spooktacular!,” directed by Quinn Monahan, to celebrate the first Halloween Theme Park in the USA. Amanda Kramer’s sensational new transhumanism documentary “So Unreal,” featuring Debbie Harry, will make its debut. Finally, the festival will feature restoration premieres of the Czech oddity “The Cassandra Cat,” the World Premiere restoration of “Slashers” from Terrorvision, and the new restoration of “Nowhere with director Gregg Araki in attendance.
American Cinematheque Director of Programming and Creative Grant Moninger commented, “55 movies across 15 days adds up to a true celebration of the theatrical experience – the very mission at the heart of the American Cinematheque. It is an honor to give back to the incredible film-loving community that supports us year-round and the city that was literally built by Cinema.”
Tickets for Beyond Fest 2023 will be available for purchase on Friday, September 15th at 10 AM PST via americancinematheque.com. For more information, visit beyondfest.com and americancinematheque.com.
