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By National Science and Media Museum on

Farewell, Fantastic Films Weekend

Today we announced that our annual celebration of horror and SFF films will not be continuing. Here’s a message from the festival team, plus some memories from the past 11 years.

Fantastic Films Weekend has welcomed some great guests and amazing fans. Here’s a message from the Fantastic Films Weekend team, plus some memories from the past 11 years.

Farewell Fantastic Films Weekend

We’re proud to have had 11 years of fabulous films, guests and fans at the Fantastic Films Weekend. Over the years our festival directors and guest programmers have brought incredible interviews, frightening features, shocking shorts and anarchy from the archive.

Jeremy Dyson - FFW Patron and guest
Jeremy Dyson, FFW Patron and guest

The festival has celebrated the work of Terence Fisher, Nigel Kneale, Richard Matheson, George A. Romero and Douglas Adams among many others, and has paid tribute to those essential people behind the scenes of horror and fantasy films, such as Hammer make-up maestros Roy Ashton and Phil Leakey.

Fantastic Films Weekend has also welcomed numerous special guests including Jenny Agutter, Mike Hodges, Jonathan Miller and Harley Cokeliss.

Harley Cokeliss - guest at FFW 2012
Harley Cokeliss – guest at FFW in 2012

And of course, the festival could not have enjoyed so many great years without our amazing Fantastic Film Weekend fans. A huge thanks to all of you for your support, for travelling long distances, buying passes, and being so happy and enthusiastic to be terrified and amazed year after year!

Jenny Agutter - FFW guest in 2008
Jenny Agutter – guest at FFW in 2008

Although the weekend event is not continuing, we will continue to support our chums at Fanomenon in Leeds and Celluloid Screams in Sheffield.

Christopher Frayling interviews Jonathan Miller at FFW in 2011
Christopher Frayling interviews Jonathan Miller at FFW in 2011

This week, we’re delving into the festival archives to pull together as many Fantastic Films Weekend photographs, videos and podcasts as we can, which we’ll be sharing on Facebook and Twitter in the coming weeks—we hope you’ll do the same and share your favourite Fantastic Films memories.

Peter Sasdy - guest at FFW in 2011

Piers Haggard - guest at FFW in 2008
Piers Haggard – guest at FFW in 2008
Brian Aldiss - guest at FFW in 2007
Brian Aldiss – guest at FFW in 2007
Peter Duffell - guest at FFW in 2008
Peter Duffell – guest at FFW in 2008
Harry Kumel - guest at FFW in 2008
Harry Kumel – guest at FFW in 2008
Mike Hodges - guest at FFW in 2009
Mike Hodges – guest at FFW in 2009
John Hough - guest at FFW in 2007
John Hough – guest at FFW in 2007

5 comments on “Farewell, Fantastic Films Weekend

  1. Genuinely Gutted. This festival has been the highlight of my cultural year since 2006.
    Thank you FFF organisers/NMM staff for many hours of gory pleasure.

  2. Great, right at the moment that I first hear about it! So who is going to screen the 35mm versions of horror classics now that you’re not going to? I want to see ‘The Thing’ in 35 or 70mm!!

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