We bid you welcome. Enter freely, and of your own will. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!
We bid you welcome. Enter freely, and of your own will. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!
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Amazing Fantasy Fest, Buffalo, New York's Festival of Imaginative Cinema, showcases the best independent Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Animation, and Experimental films on the planet. AFF runs for seven days every September. Programming includes new films and filmmaker Q&As.
Amazing Fantasy Fest, Buffalo, New York's Festival of Imaginative Cinema, showcases the best independent Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Animation, and Experimental films on the planet. AFF runs for seven days every September. Programming includes new films and filmmaker Q&As.
Amazing Fantasy Fest is the brainchild of filmmaker Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Johnny Gruesome), co-founder of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which ran for three years, and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which ran for ten.
Amazing Fantasy Fest is the brainchild of filmmaker Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Johnny Gruesome), co-founder of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which ran for three years, and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which ran for ten.
What We Crave
What We Crave
We want scary, exciting, thought-provoking, fun, bold films that challenge genre conventions and dare to be different. We don’t require your World Premiere – we just want the best films. We do require the Buffalo/WNY Premiere for any films we select (except for university screenings of student films and museum/gallery screenings of experimental/'arthousse" films).
We want scary, exciting, thought-provoking, fun, bold films that challenge genre conventions and dare to be different. We don’t require your World Premiere – we just want the best films. We do require the Buffalo/WNY Premiere for any films we select (except for university screenings of student films and museum/gallery screenings of experimental/'arthousse" films).
What We Don't Want
We won't knowingly screen films or select unproduced screenplays created with generative A.I. We celebrate imagination - art created by human beings. If you wrote your film with A.I. or used it for special visual effects or "enhanced" cinematography or music or anything else that could be deemed creative rather than technical, we don't want it. We won't hold it against you if your poster is A.I. slop but we won't use that in any of our promotions.
We don't want anthologies anymore. We've shown many over the years, but we' prefer to show a block of short films by different filmmakers than short films packaged in an anthology.
We don't want vertical films.
Local Films
Local Films
Greg is an advocate for film production in Western New York and has made a mission of supporting local artists. He's lived in New York State his entire life and is one of the founding members of Buffalo's film community. We will consider films of any kind produced by local creators – comedies, dramas and student films. We won't consider documentaries unless they focus on one of the main genres we celebrate. Although there is no requirement for any filmmaker to attend AFF, we fully expect local filmmakers whose work we select to attend their screening at minimum, and to promote it. If you don't wish to participate, then save yourself some money and don't submit.
Greg is an advocate for film production in Western New York and has made a mission of supporting local artists. He's lived in New York State his entire life and is one of the founding members of Buffalo's film community. We will consider films of any kind produced by local creators – comedies, dramas and student films. We won't consider documentaries unless they focus on one of the main genres we celebrate. Although there is no requirement for any filmmaker to attend AFF, we fully expect local filmmakers whose work we select to attend their screening at minimum, and to promote it. If you don't wish to participate, then save yourself some money and don't submit.
Theatrical Experience
Theatrical Experience
We believe in providing independent filmmakers with a true theatrical experience, on a large screen with dynamic sound. We don't screen films online. We believe it's best for filmmakers and patrons alike to limit our screenings to one venue for convenience - no counterprogramming, so movie lovers don’t have to choose between films. Beginning in 2027, we are screening all film selections off DCP to take full avantage of the Amherst Theatre's large screen. If you're unable to provide a DCP file, the theater will convert your MP4 file for you.
We believe in providing independent filmmakers with a true theatrical experience, on a large screen with dynamic sound. We don't screen films online. We believe it's best for filmmakers and patrons alike to limit our screenings to one venue for convenience - no counterprogramming, so movie lovers don’t have to choose between films. Beginning in 2027, we are screening all film selections off DCP to take full avantage of the Amherst Theatre's large screen. If you're unable to provide a DCP file, the theater will convert your MP4 file for you.
Filmmaker Q&As
Filmmaker Q&As
Every attending Selected filmmaker will receive a Q&A as long as we know in advance that they're coming.
Every attending Selected filmmaker will receive a Q&A as long as we know in advance that they're coming.
Venue
Venue
Our venue is the Dipson Amherst Theatre, located in Buffalo, New York. The auditorium has 132 reclining seats, a large screen, and awesome sound. Dipson is also known for having the best popcorn in Buffalo, with real butter. The theatre is located in a plaza with several places to eat, 10 minutes from hotels and Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, and 15 minutes from two different Amtrak stations.
Our venue is the Dipson Amherst Theatre, located in Buffalo, New York. The auditorium has 132 reclining seats, a large screen, and awesome sound. Dipson is also known for having the best popcorn in Buffalo, with real butter. The theatre is located in a plaza with several places to eat, 10 minutes from hotels and Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, and 15 minutes from two different Amtrak stations.
Genres
Genres
We want edgy, cool, provocative or funny films, no matter how outrageous:
Horror is our lifeblood . Show us some blood, show us some guts, show us some terror! Just don't show us anythiing we've already seen hundreds of times before.
Horror is our lifeblood . Show us some blood, show us some guts, show us some terror! Just don't show us anythiing we've already seen hundreds of times before.
Science Fiction - Make it smart, visual, and engaging.
Science Fiction - Make it smart, visual, and engaging.
Fantasy includes a wide variety of film types, including musicals.
Fantasy includes a wide variety of film types, including musicals.
Action - For our purposes, “action” includes traditional action cinema as well as crime dramas, westerns, and war films.
Action - For our purposes, “action” includes traditional action cinema as well as crime dramas, westerns, and war films.
Comedy - We've shown many comedies over the years. There must be something unusual or offbeat about them.
Comedy - We've shown many comedies over the years. There must be something unusual or offbeat about them.
Animation - We will continue to screen animated films but recommend filmmakers submit to our new spinoff, Amazing Animation Festival, which runs Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd at The Screening Room Cinema & Arts Cafe.
Animation - We will continue to screen animated films but recommend filmmakers submit to our new spinoff, Amazing Animation Festival, which runs Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd at The Screening Room Cinema & Arts Cafe.
Experimental – Some of the most disturbing and mind-blowing films are impossible to categorize, and we love them.
Experimental – Some of the most disturbing and mind-blowing films are impossible to categorize, and we love them.
New York State - We recommend comedies and dramas produced in New York State submit to Empire State Film Festival, which we run at Cinemapolis in Ithaca.
WNY Student Films – Our only student category is only for films created by students in Western New York: those villages, towns and cities located in the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming. All other students should submit work in one of the regular categories. All other students should submit their work in one of the regular categories.
WNY Student Films – Our only student category is only for films created by students in Western New York: those villages, towns and cities located in the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming. All other students should submit work in one of the regular categories. All other students should submit their work in one of the regular categories.
WTF - We love wild, undescribable, transgressive, subversive films that staddle the lines of genre classification and take big swings, but they must be well made.
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