Fantastic Fest Announces 2023 Award Winners: ‘Property,’ ‘I’ll Crush Y’all,’ ‘Shackle’ and More
Fantastic Fest has announced the winners of its 2023 awards, including Daniel Bandiere’s Property as Best Picture in the Main Competition section and Kike Narcea’s I’ll Crush Y’all as the Audience Award winner. Fantastic Fest 2023 runs September 21-28.
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world and is held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas. Alamo Drafthouse has been named the best theater in the country by Entertainment Weekly, Wired, and TIME. In March 2023, Fantastic Fest joined the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations) as a Competitive Specialized Feature Film Festival alongside Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
“We were graced with wonderful films from around the world this year,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest. “Curating this diverse showcase of cinema for our esteemed jurors was a real privilege. With so many incredible perspectives represented, their job reviewing these fantastic movies was undeniably challenging. Their thoughtful and professional critiques of each work embody the cinematic excellence we love to champion at Fantastic Fest.”
Here is the full list of winners.
“MAIN COMPETITION” FEATURES
Best Picture: PROPERTY, directed by Daniel Bandeire
Best Director: Robert Morgan – STOPMOTION
Honorable Mention: ANIMALIA, directed by Sofia Alaoui
“NEXT WAVE” FEATURES
Best Picture: SRI ASIH, directed by Upi Avianto
Best Directors: David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić – THE UNCLE
Honorable Mention: UFO SWEDEN, directed by Victor Danell
HORROR FEATURES
Best Picture: INFESTED, directed by Sébastien Vaniček
Best Director: Sébastien Vaniček – INFESTED
SHORTS WITH LEGS
Best Picture: Mop, directed by Joon Goh
Honorable Mention: VHS Tape Replaced, directed by Maha Al-Saati
SHORT FUSE
Best Picture: Reds, directed by Tom Espinoza
Honorable Mention: The Third Ear, directed by Nathan Ginter
FANTASTIC SHORTS
Best Picture: Sweet Juices, directed by Will Suen & Sejon Im
Honorable Mention: Fostering, directed by Andrei Kashpersky
DRAWN AND QUARTERED
Best Picture: Shackle, directed by Ainslie Henderson
Honorable Mention: He Ran Alongside His Comrade, directed by Genís Rigol Alzola
AUDIENCE AWARD
I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL, directed by Kike Narcea
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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