In a bold move into production financing, Austin’s Fantastic Fest is celebrating its 20th anniversary by partnering with new genre label Chroma to launch Fantastic Pitches.
Ahbra Perry has been appointed vice president of Chroma, which is dedicated to the global distribution, acquisition and production of bold, visionary genre cinema.
A champion of distinctive genre movies, Perry is the former head of Alamo on Demand, also served as director of Giant Pictures OTT channels and theatrical acquisitions for Drafthouse Films.
Supported by a team of experienced distribution executives, Perry, in her new role, will oversee Chroma’s slate and spearhead production efforts, with a focus on elevating filmmakers working with smaller budgets and creative visions aiming to support the next wave of independent genre cinema.
“We’re at a turning point for the future of independent cinema, and launching Chroma to champion emerging talent feels like the right move at the right moment,” said Perry. “We eat, breathe, and sleep genre—and the filmmakers we work with do too. Every project we take on is, in its own way, fantastic,” she added. “That’s why this partnership with Fantastic Fest couldn’t be more perfect – it’s built to serve the artists we love and the ones we haven’t met yet.”
Films should be independent productions and shot in English, though projects are accepted from any part of the world. Submissions for feature film pitches will be open from June 16 through Aug. 8. Finalists will attend a live pitching event held in Austin, Texas at the festival, judged by a panel of
industry experts who will announce a winner onsite.
Fantastic Pitches invites ideas for micro-budget genre feature ideas. The winning pitch team at this year’s Fantastic Fest will receive $100,000 in funding to complete their film, a guaranteed world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026 and global all-rights distribution through Chroma, which is backed by Narrative Distribution.
“Over the past 20 years, Fantastic Fest has been proud to launch the careers of hundreds of filmmakers. The new partnership with Chroma champions the future of independent genre cinema — closing out Cannes with purpose and vision,” said Fantastic Festival Director Lisa Dreyer.
As genre production ramps up around the world, largely a push phenomenon driven by a new generation of filmmakers, the Fantastic Pitches sees the festival dipping a big toe in project development. To date, Fantastic Fest has not had a project showcase nor a formal market.
The Pitches are “hopefully the first step in building that,” Dreyer told Variety at Cannes. “There’s so much genre getting made and with the success of titles such as ‘The Substance,’ people are seeing its commercial value,” she added.
“The box office just proves that people want to see genre films. We’re seeing amazingly creative genre films coming out. There’s never enough art in the world, and genre film is part of that,” she said.
Yet “it’s still extraordinary for many small films to get any kind of distribution,” Perry noted.
“Every year we see so many amazing films, you know, films that play Sundance, you know, they can’t even get distribution,” said Dreyer.
“Chroma can help with the production, guiding filmmakers to states where they can get tax rebates in order to really stretch that $100,000,” she added. The whole point of the Fantastic Pitches is to just really help these filmmakers and then have the world premiere at Fantastic Fest. But we’e rewriting the playbook on how independent genre films get made – from pitch to premiere.”
