“Bring Them Down,” a dark Irish drama in the vein of “The Banshees of Inisherin” (which played the festival in 2021), has won Best Picture in the main competition at Fantastic Fest 2024, TheWrap can exclusively reveal. The film, which stars Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan, is described in the official program as “beautifully crafted and assured character piece.” Best Director and Best Actor in the same category went to “The Rule of Jenny Pen’s” James Ashcroft and Geoffrey Rush. The film is described in the program as “a truly demented, shifty thriller that pits venerable character actors Rush and John Lithgow against one another with the gloves off.”

Other awards at arguably the country’s greatest genre film festival, held at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar in Austin, Texas, went to Karan Kandhari’s debut feature “Sister Midnight” (in the “Next Wave” category) and “Chainsaws Were Singing” (in the Horror Features category) which has the most Fantastic Fest-y title of the year and is described in the program as “a madcap quest full of blood, guts and toe-tapping showtunes.” (Of course.)

“Today, we celebrate the incredible diversity of talent showcased in this year’s films,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest. “Our jurors faced the formidable challenge of selecting winners from a remarkable array of stories, each representing different cultures and perspectives. Their task was not easy, but it truly reflects what Fantastic Fest is all about: embracing the richness of global cinema and the shared human experiences that unite us all.”

Fantastic Fest 2024: Award Winners

See all of the winners, including those in the various shorts programs, below.

Main Competition

• Best Picture: BRING THEM DOWN, directed by Christopher Andrews
• Best Director: James Ashcroft – THE RULE OF JENNY PEN
• Best Actor: Geoffrey Rush – THE RULE OF JENNY PEN

Next Wave

• Best Picture: SISTER MIDNIGHT, directed by Karan Kandhari
• Best Director: Emma Benestan – ANIMALE
• Honorable Mention: TOUCHED BY ETERNITY, directed by Mārcis Lācis

Horror Features

• Best Picture: CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING, directed by Sander Maran
• Best Director: John Hsu – DEAD TALENT SOCIETY
• Honorable Mention: The Ensemble Cast of TRIZOMBIE, directed by Bob Colaers

Shorts With Legs

• Best Picture: “She Stays,” directed by Marinthia Gutiérrez
• Honorable Mention: “Duck,” directed by Rachel Maclean

Short Fuse

• Best Picture: “Be Right Back,” directed by Lucas Paulino & Gabe Ibañez
• Honorable Mention: “The Night Practice,” directed by Bogdan Alecsandru

Fantastic Shorts

• Best Picture: “The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste,” directed by Pernell Marsden
• Honorable Mention: “Atom & Void,” directed by Gonçalo Almeida

Drawn and Quartered

• Best Picture: “Mira,” directed by Eva Louise Hall
• Honorable Mention: “The Night Boots,” directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon

Audience Award

• DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY, directed by John Hsu

Bring Them Down: A Closer Look

Directed by Christopher Andrews and produced by Tailored Films, Bring Them Down sees “An Irish shepherding family thrust into battle on several fronts: internal strife, hostility within the family, and rivalry with another farmer.”. The film stars Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan and US actor Christopher Abbott - known for roles in Girls and Poor Things. The cast also includes Colm Meaney and Nora-Jane Noone.

Bring Them Down is being released in Ireland and the UK by MUBI with a release date TBC.