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Fantastic Fest announces debut indie games event Fantastic Arcade
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Fantastic Fest announces debut indie games event Fantastic Arcade
National event features new games and major publisher showcase
 
Austin, TX---Thursday, June 10, 2010---America’s largest genre film festival Fantastic Fest today announced Fantastic Arcade, their new independent games festival scheduled for four days, September 23-26, 2010 in Austin, Texas. 
 
Co-founded by Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News, Fantastic Fest attracts major film and TV celebrities every year, making Fantastic Fest a star-studded week of screenings, VIP parties and significant national media coverage.  Stars and filmmakers who have attended include Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Woody Harrelson, Paul Rudd, John C. Reilly, Sam Rockwell, Simon Baker, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jon Favreau, Kevin Smith and Mike Judge, among many others.
 
Designed as a games spin-off event from the main film festival, Fantastic Arcade is a debut games festival featuring fresh, cutting-edge games designed by independent game developers and publishers. 
 
Indie game designers are being invited to show off their new titles to an audience mix of Fantastic Fest attendees and game fans.  More than 4,000 attendees are expected to visit Fantastic Arcade over four days for hands-on gameplay action in a fun, high octane environment at top Austin entertainment venue, the HighBall.
 
Festival highlights include a games showcase from major game publishers, games industry guest speakers in panel sessions and live game demos on the big screens at the world-famous Alamo Drafthouse, voted the best movie theater in America by Entertainment Weekly magazine.
 
 Other game festival features include a machinima film competition judged by Red Vs. Blue creator Burnie Burns, video game art installations featuring work by Cory Arcangel, chiptune music performances and screenings of popular games culture films, along with a Starcade competition and a light saber dance party.
 
Tim League, co-founder of Fantastic Fest and owner of the Alamo Drafthouse, offers, “While Fantastic Fest is already known as a prestigious film event, it has evolved into an ideal venue for independent game developers and game publishers to exhibit their original games to their target demographic.”
 
Along with Tim League, the curating team for Fantastic Arcade includes CineVegas alum Mike Plante and Roger Tinch, and game designer Eddo Stern.  Plante and Tinch helped form the film lineup and overall art design for CineVegas each year from 2002-2009, while Stern makes games that explore fantasy and reality with political over tones.
 
Mike Plante, curator for Fantastic Arcade, adds, “Fantastic Arcade is highly interested in exploring the crossover between the film and game worlds in terms of both talent and content.  Films and games are both visual story-telling mediums that have been sharing plots, dialogue and characters for years.”
 
Fantastic Arcade is scheduled for September 23-26, 2010 at the Highball on South Lamar, running concurrently to Fantastic Fest at near by Alamo venues, September 23-30.   Passes for Fantastic Arcade will go on sale on Thursday, July 1, 2010, starting at $15 per day pass.
 
About Fantastic Fest
Dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by showbiz bible Variety, Fantastic Fest is also known as the “Comic Con of film festivals.” Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the United States, showcasing eight days of offbeat cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. The 2009 edition hosted over 70 world, U.S. and regional premieres of the latest sci-fi, horror, fantasy and cult films from around the world. 
 
For more details regarding Fantastic Arcade, contact Fiona Cherbak, ThemePark Studios, (512) 916-9633 or fiona@themeparkstudios.com, or contact Mike Plante, Fantastic Arcade creative director, at mike.plante@fantasticfest.com. For more information, visit www.fantasticfest.com/arcade.
 
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