There are two kinds of film festivals: Fantastic Fest, and everything else. Now in its 15th year, the Alamo Drafthouse’s annual film festival in Austin is like a rowdy, beer-flavored oasis for cinephiles, and you need look no further than this year’s first wave programming announcement to see why. Leading this initial pack is Taika Waititi’s “anti-hate satire” Jojo Rabbit, in which the filmmaker plays a little German boy’s imaginary friend, who happens to be Adolf Hitler. As evidenced by the plot synopsis and reiterated by the bizarrely charming first trailer, Jojo Rabbit is exactly the kind of movie you expect to see at Fantastic Fest.
But wait, there’s more. The 2019 edition of the film festival will also host screenings of recent fest favorites like Come To Daddy (starring Elijah Wood), Swallow, and You Don’t Nomi (the documentary about Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls). Premieres include In The Tall Grass (Vincenzo Natali’s adaptation of the Stephen King and Joe Hill novella) and Fractured from Session 9 director Brad Anderson. As part of its ongoing partnership with the American Genre Film Archive, this year’s Fantastic Fest boasts numerous repertory titles, like the R-rated “gore cut” of cult classic Tammy And The T-Rex, which recently premiered at Cinepocalypse, the totally bananas-bonkers Canadian kids’ movie The Peanut Butter Solution, and a newly-restored print of The McPherson Tape—the world’s first found footage movie.
Badges are currently on sale for Fantastic Fest 2019, which runs September 19–26 in Austin, Texas. Head over to Birth.Movies.Death to check out the full first wave announcement.