Sydney and Melbourne will host a mix of mind-bending narratives and cult classics next month as the Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA) returns.
Held April 24 to May 16, the event will showcase 27 films, of which 10 are classics and 17 are premieres, as well as 19 short films as part of the Melbourne Shorts and Sydney Shorts programs
Opening proceedings is summer camp slasher Hell of a Summer, co-directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, which blends old-school frights with sharp comedic wit.
Other highlights include the Australian premiere of Tallulah H. Schwab’s Mr. K, about a travelling musician in a Kafkaesque hell hotel, and Quentin Dupieux’s The Second Act, which offers a meta take on cinema and industry through the guise of a comedy.
Adam C. Briggs and Sam Dixon’s SXSW Sydney-winning story about the descent from mundanity to madness, A Grand Mockery, leads a local contingent that also includes Gideon Aroni’s Pure Scum, Parish Malfitano’s Salt Along the Tongue and Reese Cleveland’s Sword of Silence. Post-screening Q&A sessions will be held for each film.
For those who crave the provocative, FFFA is hosting a nude screening of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery on May 11, and will also screen Tommy Wirkola’s Spermageddon, a Norwegian animated musical-comedy about the journey of sperm, discussing everything from masturbation to egg fertilisation.
Artistic Director Hudson Sowada said the line-up was a “celebration of vibrant, boundary-pushing cinema, spotlighting unrestrained and wholly original voices from around the globe”.
“It’s an invitation to take a ride on the wild side, discover cult classics in the making, and join our community of like-minded cinematic explorers,” he said.
Tickets and information about the screenings are available on the FFFA website.