The co-founder of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival is launching a new event dedicated to imaginative cinema.
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 13th 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
