G-FEST XXII Updates Thread

Hey there, guys!

Well, it’s that time of year again… G-FEST is only a few months away!!!!  As always, the show will feature some amazing things for fans to enjoy, including a film festival (on the big screen at the local Pickwick Theater), and a truly incredible lineup of special guests!

This thread will be the place where updates to the con's schedule will be posted, as well as the place where we can all talk about how excited we are!

First up is the movie list!  As is tradition, Thursday will be the pre-show Double Double Bill, featuring FOUR monster movies up on the big screen!  The first double bill will be ALL giant bugs, ALL the time! the films are:

-Them!

-The Deadly Mantis

The next double bill focuses on Gamera's 50 Anniversary, and features:

-Gamera vs Jiger

-Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Friday and Saturday's features are:

-Godzilla vs Biollante (Friday)

-Godzilla Against Mechagdzilla (Saturday)

Also, G-FEST will host an on-site film festival for independent film makers to show off their new work.  While this is still being put together, it is known that Kyle Yount's (host of the Kaijuast) new documentary, Hail to the King: 60 Years of Destruction, will have its premier at the show this year!  More on this as it develops.

Next up, here are the Special Guests so far:

-Masaaki Tezuka (Director of Godzilla vs Megaguirus (2000), Godzilla X Mechagodzilla (2002), and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003))

-Bin Furuya (Suit actor who played Ultraman in 1966, appeared as a member of the Ultra Garrison in Ultra Seven, and recently appeared in the films Ultra Galaxy Legends: The Movie and Monster X Strikes Back)

-Yukijiro Hotaru (Inspector Osako from the Heisei Gamera Trilogy, also appeared in Gamera 4: Truth, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Reigo: The Deep Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato, The Deep Sea Monster Raiga, and the Zeiram films)

-Ko Otani (Musical Composer for the Heisei Gamera Trilogy and GMK (2001))

-Yoshikazu Ishii (assistant Special Effects Director on Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), and effects director on Ultraman Ginga and Daimajin Kanon)

-August Ragone (Japanese film historian extraordinaire and author of “Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters”)

-Robert Scott Field (a fixture of the convention since 1999, and, of course, M11 in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991), and narrator of the upcoming Kaiju Gaiden)

Check out the G-FEST Movie List here, the Guest List here, the main page here, and check this thread often for more updates, as more goodies are likely to be announced!

So… who’s excited?!?! Who is going this year? How pumped are you to hang out with your fellow fans, see these great movies, and meet these super cool guests?! Bring on the discussion!