Over 50 films thrill from Sept. 26-28 at Fargo Theatre

Originally a part of ValleyCon, the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival (FFFF) heads into its 17th year. Featuring screenings of sci-fi, horror, fantasy and related films, the festival will take place at the Fargo Theatre Sept. 26–28.

The festival is complete with a local filmmakers showcase and a children’s mini film festival featuring film for and by children.

Below are the films receiving awards from FFFF this year.

‘Last Tree Standing’

This dystopian tale of a young girl and a strange creature, half man and half tree, in 2071 is the Honorable Mention winner of the festival.

Written and directed by Agnes Peel-McGregor, the film paints a bleak picture of what our future could one day become if we continue to misuse our planet.

According to an article by Chris Olson for the UK Film Review, “Peel-McGregor opts for a drab and grim canvas to tell her story, yet the thematic depth is enough to elevate the tale from being a child-friendly “The Road” and instead something more akin to “A Monster Calls”.

Showtimes: Sept. 27 at 2 p.m., Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

‘2050’

The Fargo Fantastic Film Festival’s Best Sci-fi award goes to this thought-provoking tale of sex-bots.

The film follows two men through their experience with the hyper-realistic sex-bots and the emotional turmoil that ensues.

One of the men, played by Devin Fuller, explains the concept at the beginning of the trailer, “They are programmed to know what you want, exactly what is expected of them; but they don’t complain, they don’t argue, they don’t manipulate, they just love.”

Dean Cain plays the shrewd CEO of the robot company and has been on multiple TV programs promoting the film prior to its Valentine’s Day release.

Showtimes: Sept. 27 at 9 p.m.

‘Atomic Ed’

What is a teen to do when a serial killer starts terrorizing their French suburb? In “Atomic Ed” the answer is to turn your tennis racquets into deadly bladed weapons.

The film, written and directed by Nicolas Hugon, is FFFF’s Best Horror winner. Hugon explained on the film’s Ulule fundraising page, “Atomic ED is an initiatory story, at the crossroads between teen-movie, horror film and action. I want to make a film in the new universe and visually very neat, which tells us the birth of a new iconic hero.”

Showtimes: Sept. 28 at 8:50 p.m.

‘Songbird’

“Songbird” by Helen Baldwin and Howard Kingkade is this year’s Best Fantasy winner. Not much is known about the film, as the only synopsis on the film’s website is the simple sentence: “A troubled street musician finds a magic camera that ends his loneliness while opening a door to his darker side.”

The film has amassed multiple awards during its travels through film festivals, including a nomination for Best Cinematography in a Short Film at the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema in Nice, France.

Showtimes: Sept. 28 at 3 p.m.

‘Chinatown- The Three Shelters’

This year’s award for Best Action goes to “Chinatown– The Three Shelters”. The film, by Greek director Aliki Danezi-Knutsen, takes place in Cyprus and follows Greek-Chinese teen Cleo.

On Cleo’s 18th birthday, she uncovers her father’s real cause of death, that occurred when she was a little girl, was at the hands of the Chinese mafia.

An old friend of her father’s helps her train for her revenge, all while a prophecy looms behind the scenes.

Showtimes: Sept. 26 at 9 p.m.

‘Pizza Time’

Believe it or not, “Pizza Time” is an action-comedy short film. There is no doubt pizza delivery drivers experience some crazy situations when on the job, but how about walking in on a contract killing? Probably not as likely, but that is the plot of this film.

In a Kickstarter video, writer/director Ryan Polly explains the short film’s style akin to, “dropping a delivery driver into the world of John Wick.” Polly also cited 80s action films as a major inspiration.

“Pizza Time” is the Best Comedy award winner for this year’s festival.

Showtimes: Sept. 27 at 2 p.m., Sept. 28 at 8:50 p.m.