NEWS
Friday, June 7th, 2024: First Wave Feature Film Official Selections
NICKEL CITY TINSELTOWN (Western New York)
SLASHER DAYS OF SUMMER (WNY)
VOICES CARRY (Canada)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAMBERSON ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF AMAZING FANTASY FEST FILMS
Buffalo, New York – Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Johnny Gruesome) has announced the first wave of feature film selections for Amazing Fantasy Fest, the new genre film festival he founded to replace long running Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which ended last year after a decade. Sponsors for AFF include Uncork’d Entertainment, filmmaker/author Kristen Skeet, and Dean Beltrano.
Amazing Fantasy Fest celebrates independent horror, sci-fi, action, animation, and experimental films. AFF runs seven days this September, Friday the 13th – Thursday the 19th at Dipson’s Amherst Theatre in Buffalo. Official Selections will screen the first six days, with “secret cinema” offerings on the last day reserved for seven-day pass holders. Submissions are still being accepted via FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/AmazingFantasyFest
The Outlaw Cinema Award will be presented in memory of Ace Genovese, a Western New York filmmaker and musician who recently passed away following a long illness. Genovese created The Outlaw: The Living Comic Book series, a popular staple of Buffalo Dreams. An award category has also been added for Best Canadian Film.
“Our first wave includes local features and features directed by out-of-town filmmakers who have become known to our community over the years,” says Lamberson. “There is definitely a feeling of familiarity and family among several of our choices.”
The First Wave Official Selections include three World Premieres and three New York State Premieres. Lamberson anticipates announcing six additional features in addition some retro titles and shorts.
World Premiere: Nickel City Tinseltown: The History of Buffalo, NY Filmmaking, directed by Rochester filmmakers Adrian Esposito and Curt Markham. This documentary examines the wave of indie films created by Buffalo area filmmakers over the last 15 years, particularly in the realm of horror. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/895628932
World Premiere: Slasher Days of Summer, directed by Kristen Skeet, who co-wrote the screenplay with producer Tyler Cheman; an 80’s style slasher film centering around a murderous character known as The Woodsman. The film stars Alyssa Grace Adams, Paul McGinnis, Chad Ridgely and Eugene Bofill. Skeet and Cheman are Western New York filmmakers. Trailer: https://youtu.be/JDP-sU7F_2Q?si=jNiEwxfgUywdVCoa
World Premiere: Florence, directed by Skip Shea (with Luigi Cozzi!): A woman experiences a confusing journey into her own psyche and Dante’s circles of Hell while a masked killer circles closer, pushing her to the brink of insanity. Starring Aurora Grabill. Trailer: https://youtu.be/kvrgqt_icqQ?si=ab8JLhhvR5PCE_PC
World Premiere: First Person Savior, written and directed by Ramzi Abed, shot in Pasadena and starring Rochester native John Karyus, is described as “An American tragi-comedy birthed by video games, guns, poverty, metal illness and nature.” Lamberson likens it to internal 70’s fare such as Taxi Driver and Joe. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/802523437
New York Premiere: Voices Carry: a Canadian thriller written and directed by Derek Lukosius about a man who becomes a prisoner at a BNB. Trailer: https://youtu.be/_x1MYftqdfw?si=ebPQUkK4JSWrHADt
New York Premiere: The Pocket Film of Superstatons: United Kingdom filmmaker Tom Lee Rutter’s surreal tour through the imagination features Caroline Munro and Lynn Lowry. Trailer: https://youtu.be/qZdt07wit4Y?si=fYSBl96w5p6kEwhc
THE POCKET FILM OF SUPERSTITIONS (United Kingdom)
FLORENCE (USA, Italy)
FIRST PERSON SAVIOR (USA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday the 16th of October, 2023
We have opened for submissions on FilmFreeway!
Friday the 13th of October, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GREGORY LAMBERSON LAUNCHES AMAZING FANTASY FEST IN BUFFALO
The co-founder of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival and
Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival is launching a new event
dedicated to imaginative cinema.
Buffalo, New York - Amazing Fantasy Fest, a new film festival created by cult filmmaker and Buffalo resident Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Killer Rack) will debut in the Nickel City in 2024. Lamberson previously co-founded Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which ran for three years, and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which just concluded an acclaimed ten-year run. Amazing Fantasy Fest (AFF) is his first festival as solo director.
Like its predecessors, Amazing Fantasy Fest will be a week-long celebration of independent films from around the world in the genres of Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action, Animation and Experimental. Lamberson will continue to spotlight the work of local artists, including Western New York students. Appropriately, the inaugural 2024 edition will launch on Friday the 13thth of September at Dipson’s Amherst Theatre.
“I love all the genres that embrace the impossible,“ says Lamberson, “and plan to bring the same qualities to this festival that I brought to the events I co-produced: world premieres, professional presentation, in-depth Q&As, and a welcoming atmosphere for filmmakers. I also plan to introduce several programming ideas which will be unique to Amazing Fantasy Fest. And I’ll continue to support filmmakers in the city where I live.”
In 2024, Lamberson will also celebrate his 40th year as an independent filmmaker. In 1984, at the age of 20, he worked as the production manager on I Was a Teenage Zombie. Two years later, he wrote and directed the midnight movie cult classic Slime City in New York City. In Buffalo, he has been a driving force for locally produced films, directing Slime City Massacre, Dry Bones, Killer Rack, Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point and Guns of Eden, and working on other productions in different capacities. His fifteen books include twelve horror novels and the filmmaking guide Cheap Scares: Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. He is an advocate for film production in Western New York and currently teaches Screenwriting at University at Buffalo.
“I give my all to these events for the same reason I make movies: this is what I live for. When filmmakers attend screenings I program, they know they’re going to be treated with respect by someone who understands the sacrifices they’ve made for their art. And I love using film festivals as a platform for our filmmaking community.”
Submissions will open soon on FilmFreeway for Features, Shorts and Unproduced Screenplays. Sponsorship opportunities can be found at the AFF website.
“Sponsorships are incredibly important for a startup venture like this,” Lamberson continues. “Because I’m a small business owner, I don’t receive financial support from municipalities like nonprofits do. I need to rely on the generosity of the community I support.”
AFF is not the only Western New York bearing the Lamberson name: Valkyrie International Film Festival (VIFF), showcasing films directed by women, was created by Lamberson’s wife Tamar and daughter Kaelin, who host their second edition March 21st – 25th at the Screening Room in Amherst.
AFF Website: www.amazingfantasyfest.com
AFF FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/AmazingFantasyFest
AFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amazingfantasyfest
VIFF Website: www.valkyriefilmfest.com
VIFF FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/ValkyrieInternationalFilmFestival
VIFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valkyriefilmfest
The co-founder of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival and
Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival is launching a new event
dedicated to imaginative cinema.
Buffalo, New York - Amazing Fantasy Fest, a new film festival created by cult filmmaker and Buffalo resident Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Killer Rack) will debut in the Nickel City in 2024. Lamberson previously co-founded Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which ran for three years, and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which just concluded an acclaimed ten-year run. Amazing Fantasy Fest (AFF) is his first festival as solo director.
Like its predecessors, Amazing Fantasy Fest will be a week-long celebration of independent films from around the world in the genres of Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action, Animation and Experimental. Lamberson will continue to spotlight the work of local artists, including Western New York students. Appropriately, the inaugural 2024 edition will launch on Friday the 13thth of September at Dipson’s Amherst Theatre.
“I love all the genres that embrace the impossible,“ says Lamberson, “and plan to bring the same qualities to this festival that I brought to the events I co-produced: world premieres, professional presentation, in-depth Q&As, and a welcoming atmosphere for filmmakers. I also plan to introduce several programming ideas which will be unique to Amazing Fantasy Fest. And I’ll continue to support filmmakers in the city where I live.”
In 2024, Lamberson will also celebrate his 40th year as an independent filmmaker. In 1984, at the age of 20, he worked as the production manager on I Was a Teenage Zombie. Two years later, he wrote and directed the midnight movie cult classic Slime City in New York City. In Buffalo, he has been a driving force for locally produced films, directing Slime City Massacre, Dry Bones, Killer Rack, Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point and Guns of Eden, and working on other productions in different capacities. His fifteen books include twelve horror novels and the filmmaking guide Cheap Scares: Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. He is an advocate for film production in Western New York and currently teaches Screenwriting at University at Buffalo.
“I give my all to these events for the same reason I make movies: this is what I live for. When filmmakers attend screenings I program, they know they’re going to be treated with respect by someone who understands the sacrifices they’ve made for their art. And I love using film festivals as a platform for our filmmaking community.”
Submissions will open soon on FilmFreeway for Features, Shorts and Unproduced Screenplays. Sponsorship opportunities can be found at the AFF website.
“Sponsorships are incredibly important for a startup venture like this,” Lamberson continues. “Because I’m a small business owner, I don’t receive financial support from municipalities like nonprofits do. I need to rely on the generosity of the community I support.”
AFF is not the only Western New York bearing the Lamberson name: Valkyrie International Film Festival (VIFF), showcasing films directed by women, was created by Lamberson’s wife Tamar and daughter Kaelin, who host their second edition March 21st – 25th at the Screening Room in Amherst.
AFF Website: www.amazingfantasyfest.com
AFF FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/AmazingFantasyFest
AFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amazingfantasyfest
VIFF Website: www.valkyriefilmfest.com
VIFF FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/ValkyrieInternationalFilmFestival
VIFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valkyriefilmfest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GREGORY LAMBERSON LAUNCHES AMAZING FANTASY FEST IN BUFFALO
CONTACT: Gregory Lamberson, gregory.lamberson.author@gmail.com
The co-founder of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival and
Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival is launching a new event
dedicated to imaginative cinema.
Buffalo, New York - Amazing Fantasy Fest, a new film festival created by cult filmmaker and Buffalo resident Gregory Lamberson (Slime City, Killer Rack) will debut in the Nickel City in 2024. Lamberson previously co-founded Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which ran for three years, and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which just concluded an acclaimed ten-year run. Amazing Fantasy Fest (AFF) is his first festival as solo director.
Like its predecessors, Amazing Fantasy Fest will be a week-long celebration of independent films from around the world in the genres of Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action, Animation and Experimental. Lamberson will continue to spotlight the work of local artists, including Western New York students. Appropriately, the inaugural 2024 edition will launch on Friday the 13thth of September at Dipson’s Amherst Theatre.
“I love all the genres that embrace the impossible,“ says Lamberson, “and plan to bring the same qualities to this festival that I brought to the events I co-produced: world premieres, professional presentation, in-depth Q&As, and a welcoming atmosphere for filmmakers. I also plan to introduce several programming ideas which will be unique to Amazing Fantasy Fest. And I’ll continue to support filmmakers in the city where I live.”
In 2024, Lamberson will also celebrate his 40th year as an independent filmmaker. In 1984, at the age of 20, he worked as the production manager on I Was a Teenage Zombie. Two years later, he wrote and directed the midnight movie cult classic Slime City in New York City. In Buffalo, he has been a driving force for locally produced films, directing Slime City Massacre, Dry Bones, Killer Rack, Johnny Gruesome, Widow’s Point and Guns of Eden, and working on other productions in different capacities. His fifteen books include twelve horror novels and the filmmaking guide Cheap Scares: Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. He is an advocate for film production in Western New York and currently teaches Screenwriting at University at Buffalo.
“I give my all to these events for the same reason I make movies: this is what I live for. When filmmakers attend screenings I program, they know they’re going to be treated with respect by someone who understands the sacrifices they’ve made for their art. And I love using film festivals as a platform for our filmmaking community.”
Submissions will open soon on FilmFreeway for Features, Shorts and Unproduced Screenplays. Sponsorship opportunities can be found at the AFF website.
“Sponsorships are incredibly important for a startup venture like this,” Lamberson continues. “Because I’m a small business owner, I don’t receive financial support from municipalities like nonprofits do. I need to rely on the generosity of the community I support.”
AFF is not the only Western New York bearing the Lamberson name: Valkyrie International Film Festival (VIFF), showcasing films directed by women, was created by Lamberson’s wife Tamar and daughter Kaelin, who host their second edition March 21st – 25th at the Screening Room in Amherst.
AFF Website: www.amazingfantasyfest.com
AFF FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/AmazingFantasyFest
AFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amazingfantasyfest
VIFF Website: www.valkyriefilmfest.com
VIFF FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/ValkyrieInternationalFilmFestival
VIFF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valkyriefilmfest
