G-FEST XIII Schedule

Registration on Friday opened at 11:00 AM, with sessions following. In the evening, opening ceremonies took place followed by Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah at the nearby Pickwick Theater. On Saturday and Sunday, sessions got underway by 10:00 AM. On Saturday evening, Negadon screened at the hotel Main Hall and Gamera – Little Braves screened at the Pickwick. Here are some of the sessions that took place:

FRIDAY

SPECIAL EFFECTS HISTORY OF KING GHIDORAH
Kevin Horn

M11: THEN AND NOW
Robert Scott Field
G-FEST’s own M11 talked about everything from his Godzilla days to what he’s doing now in Japan.

COSTUME BUILDING
Paul Gavins, Dawn McKechnie

SATURDAY

KAZUKI OMORI SESSION
Brett Homenick (leader) and Robert Scott Field
Kazuki Omori shared his stories of making Godzilla come to life.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT TOHO
Yoshikazu Ishii, Robert Scott Field
Special effects director Yoshikazu Ishii described what it’s like to work for the kaiju capital of the world.

ULTRAMAN TRIBUTE
Damon Foster
Oriental Cinema editor Damon Foster paid tribute to Ultraman’s 40th birthday with rare footage and props from the series.

AKIRA IFUKUBE AND THE ART OF FILM SCORING
John Schuermann
Film composer John Schuermann discussed the work of the late maestro Ifukube and gave live demonstrations of his music.

TG2WAC PRO
Lewis Austin
What’s new from this indie movie company.

KAIJU FIGHTING STYLES
Kevin Horn
The various fighting techniques kaiju use were detailed here.

WOMEN OF GODZILLA FANDOM
Barbara Weiler, Dawn McKechnie (leader), Carol McCants
The women of Godzilla fandom sounded off!

GODZILLA COLLECTIBLES
Greg Cordaro, John DeSentis, etc.
A discussion of everything there is to know about kaiju collectibles.

GODZILLA: ZERO HOUR
Franz Vorenkamp
The highly-anticipated fan film with secrets revealed from the director himself.

CHILD UNFRIENDLY
Lewis Austin
Movie maker Lewis Austin defended the use of children in kaiju films.

SUNDAY

GROWING UP DAIKAIJU
Damon Foster (leader), Dan Torkarz, Omar Sayyah and Kevin Frederick
Several kaiju fans demonstrated how kaiju films influenced their life with film clips.

NEGADON: KAIJU OF THE FUTURE?
J.D. Lees, Stan Hyde, Martin Arlt, Jeff Horne, Lewis Austin
The new film Negadon has been making waves. Is it the kaiju to carry on the tradition in Godzilla’s absence?

RODAN’S 50th ANNIVERSARY
Kevin Horn
Think Godzilla is the only kaiju with a 50th anniversary? Think again! One of Rodan’s most dedicated fans paid tribute to this influential kaiju.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Armand Vaquer (moderator), John DeSentis, Kevin Horn, Lewis Austin
A discussion of the current state of the kaiju genre and where it may and should go.

WHAT IS A KAIJU?
Bill Mann, Jr., J.D. Lees, Robert Dwyer, Jeff Horne
Just what makes a kaiju a kaiju? Does it need to be Japanese? Do Gorgo and Reptilicus count?

WHAT AKIRA IFUKUBE MEANT TO ME
Armand Vaquer (moderator), John DeSentis, John Schuermann, Robert Dwyer
Participants shared their thoughts on Godzilla’s greatest composer.

TRIPS TO JAPAN
Larry Wauchop, Armand Vaquer, Randy Giesey
A session detailing what it’s like to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.

COMIC IMAGES CARDS AND OTHER G-PROJECTS
Robert Conte
Godzilla licensee Robert Conte discussed the Comic Images Godzilla cards and his other G-related projects.

MAKING JAPAN SINK
Yoshikazu Ishii, Robert Scott Field
Yoshikazu Ishii revealed the secrets of how he helped Shinji Higuchi make Submersion of Japan.

G-FAN/G-FEST
J.D. Lees
G-FAN editor and G-FEST organizer J.D. Lees took suggestions and questions about what fans want to see in G-FAN and G-FEST in the future.

KAIJU KONFESSIONS
Stan Hyde

G-FEST SWAP MEET
Randy Giesey