Comic-Con is a fun event for film fans hoping to get their first peek at upcoming blockbusters and the stars behind them, but I’ve always been a lot more partial to film festivals. Why? Because film fests are all about actually watching films. (Yes, I know studios have recently started hosting screenings during Comic-Con but they still number in the single digits and they’re always future wide-release movies anyway.) Trailer previews and scenes are fun to watch at the Con, and while I won’t be attending this month I hope to get back again with the FSR crew next year. But a solid film festival trumps everything the Con has to offer by virtue of the number and variety of films available. The best fest, hands down, is Austin’s Fantastic Fest (which I’ll be eating, drinking, and breathing this September), but it’s not the only one worth watching…

San Francisco doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves when it comes to its love for film, but the city is home to multiple film festivals including the SF International Film Fest, the SF International Asian American Film Fest, and a very special one that starts this coming weekend… SF Indiefest’s Another Hole In the Head. I say it’s special because unlike most fests (but like Fantastic Fest) this one is all about the genre films. Horror, exploitation, sci-fi, and more from the US and around the world are the only types of movies that play here. I was lucky (and thrilled) to catch Tokyo Gore Police on the big screen here a couple years ago, and I’m looking forward to seeing something equally bizarre and kick-ass this year… and my money is on A Serbian Film being the one.

Take a look at the official press release and film listing on the next page >>