STRASBOURG, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Tobe Hooper will preside over the jury for the 7th edition of the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, due to open Friday, Sept. 12.
Founded in 2008 by the association Les Films du Spectre, the festival is held annually in Strasbourg to showcase the richness of "fantastic cinema," with eclectic selections ranging from sci-fi to horror.
Festival organizers invited Hooper to participate in this year's judging as one part of a series of homage to the filmmaker on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his breakout feature, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).
Hooper will hold a master class on Sunday, Sept. 14, followed by a screening of a restored version of his masterpiece. Also planned is a retrospective of his career in cinema, including screenings of Poltergeist (1982) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986).
Born in Austin, Texas in 1943, Hooper began his career with small budgets and unknown actors before receiving critical accolades and going on to work with such cinema luminaries as Steven Spielberg. He is best known for his work in horror, and other notable films include 1977's Eaten Alive and 1986's Invaders from Mars.
The film festival's jury will also include directors Juan Martinez Moreno (Spain) and Xavier Palud (France), and will judge 13 features submitted to the international competition. The contest is open to films made worldwide, and this year's entries include films from Vietnam, Indonesia, Hungary and other countries.
Last year's jury, chaired by U.S. director Lucky McKee, awarded the first prize Golden Octopus award to Kiss of the Damned (2012), directed by Xan Cassavetes (United States).
Other events planned for the festival will include a Fantastic Village, a Zombie Walk through Strasbourg, and a retrospective of films from 1930 to 1980 featuring the most notorious villain, "Sympathy for the Devil." The festival will run until Sept. 21.