It’s 2023, another year for the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, Beyond Fest! We’ve covered the event in the past, and attending mind-melting excellent entries into cinema is worth the time and effort. Held in Los Angeles, CA, Beyond Fest showcases the most interesting, thought-provoking, and wildest movies imaginable. This year is no different, as the people behind the event have a lineup featuring new upcoming filmmakers and even veterans with some well-known films and shorts.
After entertaining over 19,000 guests in 2022, the 11th year of the event will be running from September 26 – October 10 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, the NEON Theatre at Los Feliz, and the Recency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. The festival slate features programming comprising 55 features, including five world premieres, 3 North American Premieres, 7 US premieres, and 18 West Coast Premieres—a plethora of shows that will give any movie fan a wide variety of choices.
Suppose that wasn’t enough to pique your interest – why wouldn’t it – then the event will include some of the film’s most prominent players. Guillermo del Toro will join the Beyond Fest in celebration of the 10th anniversary of his robots-smash-everything epic, Pacific Rim. Filmmaker Brad Bird will be present for a Q&A following the showing of his classic animated film, The Iron Giant. 1986 Manhunter will have a memorable night as auteur filmmaker Michael Mann will be present to discuss the film after the movie.
However, the most significant event night will be James Cameron’s The Abyss: Special Edition screening with no other than the director himself for a Q&A.
Also, this year’s Beyond Fest will have Gareth Edwards’s The Creator for its opening night, the long-awaited remake of Macon Blair’s Toxic Avenger, and the closing night’s event will be Nicolas Cage’s Dream Scenario. These and many more programs are just the tip of the iceberg of what to expect from Beyond Fest. We highly recommend you get your tickets when they go on sale on September 15, as the event tends to sell out. You can find them on the American Cinematheque website.