TOKYO FANTA FEST CLOSES DOORS

Variety is reporting that the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival (aka Tokyo Fanta) is shutting down. While the festival's director states that this is "temporary" and that the fest is merely "reassessing its purposes and goals" this is the first time this has happened in its 21 year history. Devoted to horror, fantasy and action films the festival offers around 20 features each year as well as shorts.

In today's celebrity and sale driven film festival climate fests like Tokyo Fanta have a limited place. Audiences may love them, directors and production companies may like them a lot, but sponsors stay away. They want red carpets and Naomi Watts with their big logo in the background, not a packed house screening FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT. It's a tough world out there, and I've got sympathy for anyone running a festival like this and having to make some hard decisions.