THURSDAY 10 SEPT l OPENING NIGHT
OPENING NIGHT FILM
DOORS OPEN 6.00PM
FILM STARTS 7.30PM
& OPENING PARTY
THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER DIRECTED BY CODY JARRETT
Kick off the festival with the untold story of the original queen of cult cinema – Tura Satana.
DETAILS PAGE 10
SUNDAY 13 SEPT l CLOSING NIGHT FILM STARTS 7.00PM
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
& AFTER PARTY
THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER DIRECTED BY KENJI TANIGAKI
When it comes to martial arts cinema, The Furious is an uppercut above the rest. DETAILS PAGE 12
FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER CINEMA 4
THE ROOM THE WIG ASSETS & WTF! LIABILITIES SHORTS RETURNS
PAGE 40
PAGE 39
PAGE 18
BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL
BAD HAIRCUT
LUCID
PAGE 43
PAGE 19
PAGE 29
SPECIES JUMP SCARE
PAGE 33
F = Features
PAGE 28
PAGE 64
PAGE 58
BAGWORM
PAGE 20
D = Documentaries
LSD FACTORY SHORTS
6PM
SESSION
CINEMA 3
1
7.45PM
SESSION
CINEMA 2
2
THE DOLL 9.45PM SQUAD
PAGE 35
S = Short Films
SESSION
CINEMA 1
DOORS OPEN 5.30PM
3
SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER DOORS OPEN 10.30AM
CINEMA 1
CINEMA 2
CINEMA 3
CINEMA 4
11AM MINESHAFT:
SESSION
STRANGER THAN ASSETS & LAST FICTION SHORTS THE CRUISING LIABILITIES MURDERS MOVIES
1
PAGE 47
SESSION
1PM WE ARE
2
THE SHAGGS
BLACK ZOMBIE
PAGE 49
PAGE 42
3PM TAKE48
SESSION
SCREENING
3
PAGE 46
PAGE 60
PAGE 18
MEAT DADDY
CRIME & PARODY
PAGE 30
PAGE 45
STARSTRUCK STARSTRUCK
HOSTED BY MAYNARD
HOSTED BY MAYNARD
FOLLIES
SOLD OUT PAGE 65
F = Features
PAGE 32 34
PAGE 34
D = Documentaries
PAGE 24
S = Short Films
SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
PAGE 31
PAGE 56
MODERN WHORE
HOTSPRING
SHARKATTACK
PAGE 48
PAGE 27
PAGE 28
GODHEAD RUBBER'S LOVER
PAGE 38
F = Features
PAGE 26
PAGE 32
D = Documentaries
JUMP SCARE
6PM
SESSION
PAGE 44
PAGE 25
VELOCIPASTOR 2
CINEMA 4
PANDEMONIUM LOVE/SICK COREY FELDMAN VS SHORTS THE WORLD
PAGE 22
GEISHA WAR
CINEMA 3
4
8PM
SESSION
CHILI FINGER
CINEMA 2
5
EYE SLICER 9.45PM
HORROR SHORTS
PAGE 54
S = Short Films
SESSION
CINEMA 1
6
SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER DOORS OPEN 12 NOON
CINEMA 1
1PM WTF
SESSION
SYDNEY! SHORTS
1
PAGE 62
CINEMA 2
CINEMA 3
CINEMA 4
BARRIO TRISTE
COREY FELDMAN VS THE WORLD
CRIME & PARODY
PAGE 21
PAGE 44
PAGE 45
3PM THE
SESSION
HOMEBAKED WE ARE BAGWORM AUSSIE THE SHAGGS TRAINER SHORTS
2
SESSION
5PM
3
PAGE 37
DAMNED IF YOU DO PAGE 23
PAGE 52
PAGE 49
PAGE 20
MINESHAFT:
THE TALLER THEY COME
LAST MOVIES
PAGE 47
PAGE 36
PAGE 46
THE CRUISING MURDERS
SESSION
7PM CLOSING NIGHT FILM
4
PAGE 12
F = Features
D = Documentaries
S = Short Films
TICKETS & PASSES STANDARD SESSION
FESTIVAL PASSES
ADULTS ...................................... $24 CONCESSION ........................... $22
3 FILM PASS................................ $60 ( Save $12 / $20 per ticket )
OPENING/CLOSING NIGHT
5 FILM PASS ............................... $90 ( Save $30 / $18 per ticket )
OPENING Night + Party ............ $40 CONCESSION ........................... $38 CLOSING Night + Party.............. $30 CONCESSION ........................... $28
GET YOUR TICKETS AT
10 FILM PASS ........................... $160 ( Save $80 / $16 per ticket ) SUNDAY DAY PASS
(Inc. CLOSING NIGHT FILM + PARTY) .. $80
( Save $22 / *Value $102 )
FULL FESTIVAL PASS $240 (Save $142) *$382 value inc. opening, closing & all sessions
SUFF.COM.AU TICKETS AND PASSES AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR, IF NOT SOLD OUT PRIOR. ENQUIRES: HELLO@SUFF.COM.AU
Advertised tickets prices include booking fees and GST. All ticketing terms and conditions are found on the Factory website. Seating is limited, please arrive 30 minutes prior to your session start time. Concessions are available to full-time students, seniors, pensioners and health-care card holders. Cards must be shown. Companion card accepted. All sessions are unclassified 15+, unless noted otherwise.
SCAN HERE TO SEE THE PROGRAM ONLINE
INSTAGRAM.COM/SydneyUndergroundFilmFest FACEBOOK.COM/SydneyUndergroundFilmFest LETTERBOXD.COM/SydUnderground YOUTUBE.COM/SYDNEYUNDERGROUND
VENUE
105 VICTORIA RD, MARRICKVILLE FACTORYTHEATRE.COM.AU
GETTING THERE • 5 min bus ride from Newtown Station • 15 min walk from Sydenham and Marrickville railway stations • 20 min walk from Newtown Station • Bicycle racks and limited street parking is also available nearby • Go to transportnsw.info for transport options.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Main Auditorium and the Fusebox are accessible by lift. There are two accessible toilets at the Factory Theatre on both the Ground Floor and Level 1.
FOOD AND DRINKS
The Factory Theatre has a Licensed Bar. The Bars offer confectionery, snacks, soft drinks and alcohol. Plus Island Boys Food truck - Jamaican food and famous Jerk BBQ!
OUR PARTNERS VENUE
SUPPORTED BY
PRODUCTION
SCREENING PARTNERS
NEW WAVE VIDEO
DCP
PUBLICITY
HOSPITALITY PARTNERS
SUFF 2026 Jurors MICHAEL ADAMS, ALEXANDRA HELLER-NICHOLAS, BOB BYINGTON, BRIAN LONANO, IZZY LEE LILY-HAYES KAUFMAN, STUART SIMPSON.
Thank you to our filmmakers, volunteers, partners, board members and all our wonderful ACF supporters for 2026.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Akiko Uchida, Alexandra Hayden, Amelia Ulrick, Andrew B., Andrew F. Peirce, Anne-Julie Lalande, Ashleigh Grady, Aspasia Leonarder, Aurora Popescu, Belinda Dyer, Bella Louche, Benson Wu, Billy White, Branden Wittchen, Brandon Burrows, Bryn Tilly, Catherine Zealand, Danielle McCarthy, David Michael Brown, Dean Turner, Donnie Hobbie, Dov Kornits, Elena Valeri, Elia Eliades, Elliot Collins, Evan Metzold, Fatima Hayward, Geoffrey Gardner, Giamo Timbol, Glenn Shea, Greg Dolgopolov, Haydn Keenan, Isabelle Legault, Jake Rubin, James Declase, Jaudyn Cavanagh, Jeffrey Winter, Jesse Gouldsbury, Jillian Groening, Joe Caruso, John Matthews, Josh Tagg, Julian Lawitschka, Kathy Susca, Katie Loughran, Keaton Noakes, Ken Korba, Ken Kwapis, Kristin Slaysman, Kyle Greenberg, Laura Bailey, Lisa Rose, Malou Da Silva Nunes, Marc Collister, Marcie Hume, Mark Borkowski, Mark H. Rappaport, Matthew Eeles, Matthew Hoskins, Maynard, Miguel Govea, Munkhkhuslen Bayarbat, Murray Keir, Nadine Whitney, Nat Cheney, Nate Gal, Oliver Bernsen, Pat Barry, Paul Landriau, Peter Young, Phil Spence, Richard Kuipers, Robert "Corpsey" Rhine, Salome Rizk, Sam Nardo, Sandra Kingston, Sarah Campbell, Serge Abiaad, Skye Callow, Stanley Schtinter, Star Rosencrans, Taylor Saito-Patch, The Bergers, The Carters, Tony Gillespie, Tony Kaye, Virat Nehru, Whitney Monaghan, Will Thwaites, Yan Lin, Zach Weintraub.
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8 WELCOME
WELCOME Twenty years ago, traditional cinemas weren't ready to take a chance on a festival dedicated to underground, independent and uncompromising cinema. So we found a home at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville and built one ourselves. What began as a leap into the unknown has grown into one of Australia's longestrunning celebrations of fearless filmmaking. That's only been possible because of the filmmakers, audiences, volunteers, partners and supporters who've backed SUFF, championed strange cinema and kept coming back year after year. From 10–13 September, we're celebrating our 20th edition with four days of world and Australian premieres, cult legends, emerging local voices, unforgettable documentaries, special guests, live events and, of course, the strange, surprising and unforgettable films that have always defined SUFF.
Whether you've been with us since the beginning or you're joining us for the first time, welcome. Take a chance on something you've never heard of. Stay for the Q&As. Meet the filmmakers. Grab a drink between sessions. Talk to strangers about the weirdest thing you've just seen. That's what festivals are for. Independent film festivals like SUFF only exist because people choose curiosity over comfort and community over convenience. Thanks for choosing to spend your time with us. Here's to twenty years of underground cinema, and to whatever wonderfully unhinged future comes next. Enjoy the festival!!!
FESTIVAL TEAM Festival Directors/ Programmers ����������� KATHERINE BERGER & NATHAN SENN Assistant Programme ����������� MITCHELL BOZZETTO Graphic Designer ����������� ELIZABETH BERGER TAKE48 Director ����������� CHRIS DAVID Volunteer Coordinator ����������� STEPHANIE GAL Festival Manager ����������� TONI CLANCY Festival Assistants ����������� LUCY BUBALO, JAMES KUNOVSKI Photographer/videographer ����������� ZAK CAMPBELL Festival MC ����������� JAY KATZ Technical Manager ����������� STEFAN POPESCU Programming Consultants ����������� JACK SARGEANT, GEORGIE ZUZAK SUFF Patrons ����������� DEB & IAN SUFF Key Artist for 2026 ����������� @lewyjones
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WELCOME 9
THURSDAY 6PM JOHN WATERS
DITA VON TESSE
BUY TICKETS
NARRATED BY MARGARET CHO
DIRECTED BY CODY JARRETT > USA | 105 mins | DOCUMENTARY The shocking true story of Tura Satana, the burlesque legend and cult film icon. Narrated by Margaret Cho and featuring a dazzling lineup of admirers including John Waters, Dita Von Teese and Pamela Des Barres, TURA! looks beyond Satana's unforgettable performance as Varla in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! to reveal the remarkable woman behind one of exploitation cinema's most enduring legends.
BEAUTIFUL! VOLUPTUOUS! DEADLY! VICIOUS!
With her fierce screen presence, Satana shattered Hollywood stereotypes and inspired generations of filmmakers, performers and rebels. Away from the camera, her life was every bit as extraordinary. Drawing on rare archival material and heartfelt interviews, the film traces a journey marked by trauma, resilience, reinvention and defiance, revealing how she transformed personal hardship into lasting power. Equal parts exploitation cinema history lesson, feminist reclamation and crowdpleasing character portrait, TURA! is a wildly entertaining documentary about a woman who refused to play by anyone else's rules. Whether you've loved Tura Satana for decades or are discovering her for the first time, this electrifying documentary will leave you inspired - and more than ready to conquer the world. "Tura! is the exact kind of immortalisation Satana deserves." - FILM THREAT
“Through her style on film, she delivered a vision we’ll never forget.” - JOHN WATERS
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10 OPENING NIGHT
THURSDAY 6PM
CO-PRESENTED BY
OPENING NIGHT FILM Twenty years deserves one hell of a party. We’re kicking off the 20th Sydney Underground Film Festival with TURA! - an electrifying tribute to the incomparable Tura Satana, the cult icon whose influence still echoes through cinema, music, fashion and underground culture.
& PARTY
6.00pm - VENUE DOORS OPEN + DJ Miss Death + complimentary drink on arrival + mingle and nibbles
6.45pm - CINEMA DOORS OPEN 7.00pm - FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! BURLESQUE SHOW (Orla Saphron, Roxy Sofia & Bella Louche! )
Arrive early for complimentary wine or Hawke’s beer, Island Boys nibbles and swinging sounds from DJ Miss Death. Then, get ready for a burlesque spectacular worthy of a Russ Meyer fever dream, followed by a special introduction from Tara Moss bestselling author, friend of Tura Satana and featured in the documentary.
NSW Premiere: TURA!
After the credits, the party continues with a burlesque birthday surprise, more complimentary drinks, filmmakers, friends and a dancefloor soundtracked by garage rock, surf, soul and the sleazy sounds of cult cinema.
9.20pm - AFTER PARTY + Burlesque Birthday Surprise with Bella Louche + More drinks! More music! More shenanigans!
+ MC Jay Katz + Welcome + Special introduction by Tara Rae Moss
Leather, leopard print, bad-girl glamour. Dress (and dance) like Tura’s watching. One ticket gets you a film, a party and the perfect start to an unforgettable festival weekend.
WITH COMPLIMENTARY Food and beer supplied by:
GRINDHOUSE GO-GO GIRLS
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OPENING NIGHT 11
SUNDAY 6.30PM
BUY TICKETS
DIRECTED BY KENJI TANIGAKI 2026 | HONG KONG/THAILAND/CHINA 105 mins | ACTION/THRILLER When it comes to martial arts cinema, The Furious is an uppercut above the rest. The Furious is a jaw-dropping martial arts thrill ride from legendary stunt coordinator-turned-director Kenji Tanigaki, bringing together an all-star lineup of action icons including Joe Taslim (The Raid), Yayan Ruhian (The Raid), Moe Tse (The Enforcer), Brian Le (Everything Everywhere all at Once), and Jeeja Yanin (Chocolate). When his young daughter Rainy is kidnapped, humble tradesman Wang Wei is dragged into a brutal world of corruption, betrayal and bloodshed. Joined by relentless journalist Navin, the unlikely pair battle their way through an international criminal syndicate in a desperate race to save Rainy before time runs out. "A blistering assault on the senses." - KAT HUGHES, THN
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12 CLOSING NIGHT
SUNDAY 6.30PM
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
We're ending SUFF 2026 with a bone-crunching bang! Closing Night explodes with THE FURIOUS - an exhilarating martial arts spectacle packed with jaw-dropping fight choreography, relentless energy and pure adrenaline. Some films simply demand the big screen, and this is one of them. Loud, visceral and wildly entertaining, it's the perfect film to experience with a crowd. Continuing with the SUFF tradition, your ticket includes a complimentary ice cream to celebrate the end of another unforgettable festival. But don't rush off after the credits. When the fists stop flying, the music doesn't. FBi Radio's DJ Jack Shit kung-fu kicks on after the film.
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CLOSING NIGHT 13
& AFTER PARTY 6.30pm Factory Bar and Island Boys Food Truck open 7.00pm - Closing night + THE FURIOUS! + complimentary ice cream 9.30pm - AFTER PARTY with DJ Jack Shit
THE PREMIUM ECONOMY OF BEERS.
GOOD. HONEST. BEER.
SUFF MARKET SAT - SUN 12 noon - 5pm
Free to browse with festival admission!
Calling all physical media obsessives, collectors and cult cinema devotees! Between screenings, lose yourself among stacks of cult classic Blu-rays and DVDs, VHS, vinyl film soundtracks, movie memorabilia and more. Whether you're chasing Asian horror, Italian gialli, exploitation classics, grindhouse oddities, arthouse masterpieces, or obscure docs - the thrill is in the hunt!
SCREEN NSW A place for every story
screen.nsw.gov.au Sydney Underground Film Festival supplied by Sydney Underground Film Festival
FEATURE FILMS ASSETS & LIABILITIES
GEISHA WAR
SPECIES
GODHEAD
STARSTRUCK
HOTSPRING SHARKATTACK
THE DOLL SQUAD
BAGWORM
BARRIO TRISTE
JUMP SCARE
THE TALLER THEY COME
CHILI FINGER
LUCID
THE TRAINER
DAMNED IF YOU DO
MEAT DADDY
THE VELOCIPASTOR 2
FOLLIES
PANDEMONIUM
Dir. Emiliano Rocha Minter COMEDY......................... 39
RUBBER'S LOVER
THE ROOM RETURNS
Dir. Zach Weintraub COMEDY/DRAMA/THRILLER...18
BAD HAIRCUT
Dir. Kyle Misak COMEDY/THRILLER.............19 Dir. Oliver Bernsen COMEDY/HORROR............. 20 Dir. STILLZ DRAMA...........................21 Dir/s. Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad DRAMA/COMEDY/THRILLER. 22 Dir/s. Jake Rubin & Evan Metzold COMEDY/HORROR............. 23
Dir. Eric K. Boulianne DRAMA/COMEDY.............. 24
Dir. Yoshihiro Nishimura HORROR/ACTION............... 25 Dir. Mark H. Rapaport DRAMA/THRILLER............. 26
Dir. Morihito Inoue CULT/HORROR/COMEDY...... 27 Dir. Donnie Hobbie HORROR/Comedy............. 28 Dir/s. Deanna Milligan & Ramsey Fendall HORROR......................... 29 Writer/Director Branden Wittchen COMEDY......................... 30 Dir. Haydn Keenan COMEDY/FANTASY/HORROR..... 31 Dir. Shozin Fukui HORROR/CYBERPUNK........ 32
17
| FEATURES
Dir. Marion Le Corroller DRAMA/HORROR.............. 33 Dir. Gillian Armstrong CULT/COMEDY/MUSICAL..... 34 Dir. Ted V. Mikels ACTION/SCIFI/THRILLER..... 35
Dir. Andrew Leavold COMEDY/ACTION............... 36 Dir. Tony Kaye COMEDY......................... 37
Dir. Jesse Gouldsbury CULT/COMEDY/HORROR...... 38
THE WIG
Dir. Brando Crawford USA.............................. 40
FRIDAY 6PM
SATURDAY 11AM
BUY TICKETS
BUY TICKETS
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
OFFICIAL SELECTION
PANIC FEST 2026
ASSETS & LIABILITIES DIRECTED BY ZACH WEINTRAUB > USA | 2026 | 62 mins | COMEDY/DRAMA/THRILLER > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Youth is a dangerous place to revisit. Assets & Liabilities is a suburban slacker comedy that follows Zach, a father dreading middle age as he juggles work, family life, and the looming sale of an investment property. When his wife and daughter head away for the weekend, he sees an opportunity to reconnect with his younger, less responsible self. Armed with nothing more than a secret weed stash and his old skateboard, he heads to the local skate park in search of a little freedom, but instead finds an unsettling connection with a fellow skater.
- NIGHTMARE ON FILM STREET
As the day spirals, Zach is forced to confront the complacent life he has built and the growing distance between the man he is and the man he thought he'd become. Moving effortlessly between awkward comedy and psychological horror, Zach Weintraub has crafted a truly unique film about millennial anxiety and the seductive fantasy of turning back the clock. An absurd highlight of the 2026 festival circuit, Assets & Liabilities is a darkly funny, gloriously weird portrait of growing older and discovering that nostalgia can be its own kind of nightmare.
SCREENS WITH:
A Mighty Poison
Dir. Kyle Marchen | Horror/Comedy | 14mins Canada | 2025 | AUS PREMIERE Wannabe pop star, Angelo, is pressured to share his latest hit with a coworker, just as an unexpected discovery challenges his digital facade..
18
"Hilariously deranged, and absurdly uncomfortable.”
| FEATURES
FRIDAY 7.45PM BUY TICKETS
OFFICIAL SELECTION
FANTASTIC FEST 2025
OFFICIAL SELECTION
GRIMMFEST 2026
DIRECTED BY KYLE MISAK > USA | 2025 | 109 mins > COMEDY/THRILLER > NSW PREMIERE
A little off the top turns into a lot more than Billy bargained for. Bad Haircut is a deranged coming-ofage comedy meets serial-killer thriller. It follows socially awkward college student Billy as he attempts to reinvent himself after a humiliating night out. His friends are convinced a trip to their favourite barber is the answer to his social anxieties. Unfortunately, Billy's new stylist, the unhinged and unpredictable Mick, has a very different understanding of what a killer haircut is. An innocent makeover soon gives way to a bizarre ride involving kidnappings, romance,
"A comedy-horror with a wonderful balance of humour, heart and guts." - WHAT A SCREAM PODCAST
19
body disposal, and one of the most insane barber appointments ever put to screen. Drawing on the spirit of early-2000s teen comedies while embracing horror and the absurd, Kyle Misak's debut is a genre mash-up that constantly finds new ways to surprise. Bad Haircut is exactly the kind of film audiences come to SUFF to discover, and one that'll have you thinking twice before your next trim. For fans of: The Loved Ones (2009) Vicious Fun (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION
REVELATION PERTH INT FILM FESTIVAL 2026
| FEATURES
FRIDAY 9.45PM
SUNDAY 3PM
BUY TICKETS
BUY TICKETS
"A mind-bending, body horror odyssey." - DREAD CENTRAL
DIRECTED BY OLIVER BERNSEN > USA | 2026 | 96 mins | COMEDY/HORROR [18+] > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
One small step on a rusty nail. One giant leap into madness. Carroll is a lonely, sexually frustrated hammer salesman whose already miserable existence takes a spectacular nosedive after stepping on a rusty nail. As a mysterious infection spreads through his body, he becomes convinced that society is decomposing alongside him. Is he right or is the infection consuming both his body and his mind? Oliver Bernsen's feature debut is one that oozes confidence with its disturbing mix of body horror and social satire, but
If Taxi Driver and The Fly had a baby, it might look something like this. Twisted, grotesque, and as hilarious as it is revolting, Bagworm is a film that’ll burrow under your skin with no intention of ever leaving. For fans of: Bug (2006) Combat Shock (1986) All Jacked Up and Full of Worms (2022)
CALGARY UNDERGROUND FILM FEST 2026
SITGES FILM FESTIVAL 2025
20
- DREAD CENTRAL
beneath all the pus, paranoia, and painfully awkward comedy is a surprising look at the desperate search for meaning in a world that feels like it's falling apart.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
"A gooey, sublime portrait of contemporary meltdowns."
| FEATURES
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SXSW 2026
SUNDAY 1PM BUY TICKETS
"A hypnotic, hallucinatory journey." - FILM FEST GENT
"A haunting, poignant comingof-age story."
DIRECTED BY STILLZ > COLOMBIA/USA | 2025 > 88 mins | DRAMA > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
- VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
A stolen video camera becomes both weapon and witness in one of the year's most startling feature debuts. Late-1980s Medellín. After stealing a television reporter's VHS camera, four young punks begin filming their lives on the forgotten edges of the city. Their homemade recordings capture friendship, boredom and youthful mischief, but as strange lights begin appearing overhead and time itself starts to feel unstable, the footage gradually slips into a haunting coming-of-age story unlike anything you've seen before.
Directed by acclaimed Colombian-American music video visionary STILLZ (Bad Bunny, Rosalía) and produced by Harmony Korine's EDGLRD, this astonishing feature debut never settles into a single genre. One moment it feels like a time capsule, the next a piece of science fiction, before becoming an intimate portrait of young people trying to imagine a future beyond the violence surrounding them. Propelled by an extraordinary original score from Arca, Barrio Triste is underground cinema at its most vital and a bold reinvention of the coming-of-age film that confirms STILLZ as an exciting new voice in contemporary cinema. For fans of: Gummo (1997), Pixote (1980)
OFFICIAL SELECTION
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2025
OFFICIAL SELECTION
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025
21
| FEATURES
OFFICIAL SELECTION
CPH:DOX 2026
SATURDAY 6PM BUY TICKETS
DIRECTED BY EDD BENDA AND STEPHEN HELSTAD > USA | 2026 | 100 mins | DRAMA/COMEDY/THRILLER > NSW PREMIERE 6.00 PM
A delicious, twisted recipe for disaster. When burnt-out small-town lawyer Jess discovers a severed human finger floating in her fast-food chili, she sees not horror, but opportunity. Hoping to score a life-changing payout, she launches an audacious blackmail scheme against the restaurant chain. What could go wrong? Inspired by the infamous real-life "finger in the chili" scandal, Chili Finger serves up a deliciously twisted blend of Midwestern noir, pitch-black comedy, and escalating criminal stupidity. Co-directors Edd Benda and
-7.30PMthe spirit of the Stephen Helstad channel Coen Brothers, delivering a riot of bungled schemes and eccentric characters where every bad decision leads to an even worse one.
Led by a terrific Judy Greer in one of her best starring roles, the film boasts an enviable ensemble featuring Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Sean Astin, all clearly relishing the chance to dive headfirst into this wildly offbeat caper. Fans of Fargo and Burn After Reading will feel right at home in this wildly entertaining escapade, where one tiny discovery spirals spectacularly out of control.
"A fun and riotous ride in the spirit of the Coen Brothers." - VARIETY OFFICIAL SELECTION
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2026
22
| FEATURES
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
SUNDAY 5PM BUY TICKETS
OFFICIAL SELECTION
FILMQUEST 2025
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2025
DIRECTED BY JAKE RUBIN & EVAN METZOLD > USA | 2025 | 107 mins | COMEDY/HORROR > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Catching up with an old flame means something very different for these four friends. Back in 1999, four high school friends sold their souls to the Devil. Now they're back together for their high school reunion, only to discover the debt is finally being collected. Their only hope lies in a loophole buried deep in the contract, but finding it won't be easy. The Devil has no intention of playing fair, and time is quickly running out. Directed by first-time feature filmmakers Jake Rubin and Evan Metzold, Damned If You Do features a terrific all-star genre cast including Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill
23
"Guillén’s performance is legendary. Playing Satan, he brings a joyous flamboyancy to his role that’ll knock your socks off." - B-SIDES & BADLANDS
House), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Ginger Gonzaga, Paulo Costanzo, Beth Dover and Ed Weeks, with a cameo from Mike Flanagan. Packed with pitch-black humour, outrageous performances and a premise that twists Faustian folklore into a millennial nightmare, Damned If You Do is the kind of crowdpleasing movie that begs to be experienced in a packed cinema. For fans of: Jennifer’s Body (2009) Ready or Not (2019)
| FEATURES
"A bloody good time!" - FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 3PM BUY TICKETS
"One of the most thoughtful, humanistic, laugh-out-loud funny movies you'll see this year."
FOLLIES
- FILM OBSESSIVE
DIRECTED BY ERIC K. BOULIANNE > CANADA | 2025 | 101 mins | DRAMA/COMEDY > NSW PREMIERE
Opening your relationship is easy. It's opening up to each other that's the hard part. After sixteen years together, François and Julie decide to open their relationship. What follows is not the erotic fantasy they imagined, but something far messier and far more revealing. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival, Follies is a refreshingly honest and often hilarious exploration of the awkward reality of modern intimacy, following a couple as they cautiously venture into unfamiliar sexual and emotional territory. Each new experience forces them to confront insecurities, OFFICIAL SELECTION
LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL 2025
testing not only their relationship but their understanding of themselves. Rather than chasing cheap laughs, director Eric K. Boulianne approaches the subject with compassion, finding humour in vulnerability. It's an emotionally intelligent romantic comedy that treats its characters and their choices with care, allowing the awkward moments to land because they feel so relatable. This one is sure to leave your cheeks a little sore by the end… from laughing, that is. For fans of: Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (2019) The Overnight (2015)
OFFICIAL SELECTION
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025
24
| FEATURES
OFFICIAL SELECTION
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025
SATURDAY 8PM BUY TICKETS
DIRECTED BY YOSHIHIRO NISHIMURA > JAPAN/USA | 2026 | 103 mins | HORROR/ACTION > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE [18+]
Affectionately known as the "Tom Savini of Japan," Nishimura became a cult legend through his groundbreaking practical gore effects and his unforgettable contributions to underground splatter horror and cyberpunk cinema.
Welcome to GEISHA WAR, the final fever dream of Japanese splatter legend Yoshihiro Nishimura. Set in Tokyo's historic Yoshiwara pleasure district, Geisha War pits rival Yakuza clans against the American Mafia in a bloody battle for control of Edo's most notorious entertainment quarter. When a wealthy American businessman and his ruthless henchmen attempt to swindle the geisha women who call Yoshiwara home, a resourceful ramen girl fights back, sending blood spraying like fountains along the way.
Produced by Robert "Corpsy" Rhine (Girls and Corpses Films) and filmed entirely in Japan, Geisha War screens at SUFF in honour of Nishimura's extraordinary legacy. Don't miss this rare chance to experience Nishimura's final blood-soaked spectacle on the big screen.
From the creator of Tokyo Gore Police, Yoshihiro Nishimura delivers another delirious explosion of outrageous violence, pairing astonishing practical gore effects with an unexpectedly heartfelt story of resistance against those who abuse power. Completed shortly before Nishimura's tragic passing at the age of 59 on 25 May 2026, Geisha War stands as a fitting farewell from one of cult cinema's most inventive voices.
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DIR. YOSHIHIRO NISHMURA
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DIRECTED BY MARK H. RAPAPORT > USA/UK | 2026 | 99 mins | DRAMA/THRILLER > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The line between devotion and delusion isn't always easy to see. When a baby is abandoned on the steps of a remote church, a reclusive priest raises him as his own. Years later, two mysterious twins arrive at his door claiming that one of them is the physical embodiment of the Holy Ghost. As the priest becomes ensnared by their increasingly disturbing proclamations, faith curdles into obsession, and absolute certainty reveals itself to be its own kind of terror. Following his acclaimed debut Hippo (SUFF, 2023), Mark H. Rapaport returns with another deeply unsettling descent into fractured belief. Shot in stark black and white,
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"From its impeccable cast...to the dreamy black-and-white beauty [Godhead] shows even the most divine are capable of our worst imaginings." - INSESSION FILM
Godhead is a psychological horror not built on jump scares but the terrifying certainty of its characters, each clinging to convictions that push them towards increasingly dangerous extremes. Every conversation crackles with unease, tightening the screws until questions of faith, identity and fanaticism become impossible to separate. Echoing the spiritual dread of classic folk horror while forging a singular path of its own, Rapaport's sophomore feature is hypnotic, morally knotty and impossible to shake. After its recent world premiere in July at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival, GODHEAD is already garnering “best film of the fest” accolades - so don’t miss this one! For fans of: Bugonia (2024) Saint Maud (2019) First Reformed (2017)
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SATURDAY 8PM BUY TICKETS DIRECTED BY MORIHITO INOUE > JAPAN | 2024 | 78 mins > CULT/HORROR/COMEDY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Just when you thought it was safe to go in the hot springs. The peaceful spa town of Atsumi is thrown into chaos when a prehistoric shark awakens beneath its geothermal waters, transforming relaxing onsen holidays into a blood-soaked feeding frenzy. As the body count rises and the attacks become increasingly impossible to explain, an eccentric team of police, scientists, and locals race to stop the ancient predator before every bath turns into a death trap and the entire town goes under. Made with a mixture of miniature effects, practical gore, and a heightened sense
"The funnest movie of the summer!"
of disbelief, Hotspring Sharkattack is a delirious love letter to Japanese tokusatsu cinema and sharksploitation that treats its ludicrous premise with infectious enthusiasm. Once you've accepted there's a prehistoric shark lurking beneath a hot spring, the film earns the right to throw absolutely anything at you. The crazier it gets, the more fun it becomes. Don’t forget your inflatable pool rings and beach gear! For fans of: Sharknado, Big Shark, Jaws: The Revenge, Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, Sharktopus, Ghost Shark.
"Sharksploitation at its finest."
- MACABRE DAILY
- FILM THREAT
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"It's punk. It's metal. It's full of fake blood, angst, sass, attitude, and sharp objects." - FILM THREAT
DIRECTED BY DONNIE HOBBIE > USA | 2025 | 98 mins | HORROR/COMEDY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE [18+]
The guitars aren’t the only thing shredding in this head-banging horror bloodbath. An all-female metal band retreats to a remote desert cabin to write their next album, only to find themselves fighting for survival when a family of flesh-hungry cannibals crashes the session. Writer-director Donnie Hobbie makes one hell of a first impression with an excessive splatter horror debut that moves at one hundred miles a minute without ever taking its foot off the gas. It wears its Texas Chain Saw Massacre influence proudly on its
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flesh-torn sleeve, serving up a hyperactive all-nighter packed with animated flourishes, inventive gore, and music-video energy cranked all the way to eleven. Jump Scare thrives on frenzied energy, finding increasingly ridiculous ways to spray blood across the screen while never losing sight of the fun. This is a full-volume assault on the senses that hits like a tab of acid straight on the eyeball. Buckle up folks, you’re in for a wild ride. For fans of: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) Evil Dead II (1987)
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"A phantasmagorical 90's banger." - CINAPSE
DIRECTED BY DEANNA MILLIGAN & RAMSEY FENDALL > CANADA | 2025 | 108 mins | HORROR > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
A struggling art student turns to a mysterious dream-inducing elixir to unlock her creativity, only to unleash the monsters lurking deep within her subconscious.
Expanding on their acclaimed 2021 short film, Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall craft an imaginative fever dream that fuses DIY practical effects with rebellious spirit to create a mind-bending hallucinatory world.
Set against the grungy backdrop of 1994, Lucid follows struggling art student Mia Sunshine Jones, who turns to a mysterious lucid dreaming elixir in the hope of unlocking the creative breakthrough that could shape her future. Instead, each night pulls her deeper into a surreal dreamscape where grotesque visions begin clawing their way out of her subconscious and into her waking life.
After premiering at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival, the film quickly earned a reputation for its queer energy and dark fantasies, leaving audiences around the world in a frenzy. It’s the kind of film you’ll want to see with a crowd, so grab your friends and come experience the wild ride that is Lucid.
"Bold, experimental and refreshing."
For fans of: Bliss (2019) I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
- BLOODY DISGUSTING
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WRITER/DIRECTOR BRANDEN WITTCHEN > AUSTRALIA | 2026 | 87 mins | COMEDY
An awkward weekend meeting the future in-laws spirals into a waking nightmare where nothing - and no one - can be trusted. Rick joins his girlfriend Kristy on a trip to her father's remote cattle farm, hoping to secure his approval. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an uncanny world populated by bizarre behavior, a masked child who watches from next door, an ominous dead tree, and a family whose logic seems to obey the rules of a fever dream. Every attempt to escape only draws him deeper into the nightmare. Then, just as the story appears to be over, the film rewinds and unfolds again from Kristy's
father's perspective - transforming an already surreal experience into something even more unsettling. Drawing on the surreal dream logic of David Lynch, the existential absurdity of Charlie Kaufman and the subversive spirit of Luis Buñuel, Branden announces himself as a fearless new voice in Australian cinema. A bold, darkly funny and deeply unsettling debut, this is the kind of film that rewards adventurous audiences and leaves them questioning everything they've just witnessed. For fans of: I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) Beau is Afraid (2023)
PLUS Q&A WITH WRITER/ DIRECTOR BRANDEN WITTCHEN & CAST
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PLUS Q&A WITH WRITER/ DIRECTOR HAYDN KEENAN
DIRECTED BY HAYDN KEENAN > AUSTRALIA | 1987 | 88 mins [R18+] > COMEDY/FANTASY/HORROR SCI-FI
Before Bondi became paradise, it was pure pandemonium. Forty years before Sydney became the polished global city we know today, filmmaker Haydn Keenan captured Bondi at its most unruly, turning it into a world of sex, punk, politics, exploitation cinema, and pure underground mayhem. Part midnight movie, part apocalyptic comedy, part surreal Australian nightmare, Pandemonium follows the mysterious Dingo Girl, who sets out to find the parents who abandoned her, only to stumble into a strange world hidden beneath a derelict Bondi film studio. Along the way she
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"It's one of those films where trying to explain it just makes it sound even more insane than it already is!" - MOVIEZILLA crosses paths with neo-Nazis, cultists, monsters, and an assortment of outsiders, all living among the crumbling remains of Australia's cultural myths. Featuring cult Australian icons David Argue, Esben Storm, Gary Foley, Ignatius Jones and Lex Marinos, Pandemonium is unlike anything else produced in this country. A wonderfully offensive and wildly ambitious vision. We’re thrilled to bring this singular work of Australian underground cinema back to the big screen, in all its punk-rock glory. For fans of: Liquid Sky (1982), Forbidden Zone (1980)
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30TH ANNIVERSARY
30TH ANNIVERSARY NEW 4K RESTORATION CO-PRESENTED BY NEW WAVE VIDEO
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RUBBER'S LOVER DIRECTED BY SHOZIN FUKUI > JAPAN | 1996 | 91 mins | HORROR/CYBERPUNK [18+]
Before Audition. Before Pulse. Before The Matrix. There was Rubber's Lover. Shozin Fukui's ferocious plunge into Japan's cyberpunk underground begins when a secret research program experimenting with psychic enhancement loses its funding. Desperate to prove their work, a team of scientists pushes human experimentation beyond all reason, unleashing a relentless descent into industrial psychosis where flesh, technology, and consciousness collapse into one terrifying hallucination.
"A cyberpunk nightmare, drenched in industrial horror and psychedelic visions." - NEW WAVE VIDEO
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"An assault on the senses." - 366 WEIRD MOVIES
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Rubber's Lover is one of the defining works of Japanese cyberpunk, standing alongside Tetsuo: The Iron Man, 964 Pinocchio, and Electric Dragon 80.000 V. Shot in gritty black and white, driven by a mechanical sound design and hyperactive editing, Fukui's cult masterpiece hits with the same heavy metal energy today as it did when it first exploded onto screens. Presented in a stunning 4K restoration by New Wave Video from the original 16mm camera and sound negatives, and personally approved by Shozin Fukui before his sad passing in April 2026, Rubber's Lover returns exactly as it was meant to be experienced: loud, abrasive, hypnotic, and unforgettable.
CO-PRESENTED BY NEW WAVE VIDEO
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"There is a refreshing teen spirit pumping through the veins of the film." - ICS FILM "A visceral, intelligently fleshed-out body horror."
DIRECTED BY MARION LE CORROLLER > FRANCE/BELGIUM | 2026 | 103 mins | DRAMA/HORROR > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE [18+]
A young doctor's dream career slowly transforms into her worst nightmare. Margot dreams of becoming a doctor, but life as an intern in the country's most competitive emergency room is pushing her to breaking point. As more and more young patients arrive with mysterious symptoms linked to extreme burnout, Margot begins to experience disturbing changes within her own body. The harder she works, the more she transforms. Marion Le Corroller's electrifying debut is a blood-soaked collision of body horror and social satire that cements her as one of the most exciting new voices in contemporary
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- THE FIFTH SKILL
French genre cinema. Fusing Cronenbergesque mutations with the feminist ferocity of Titane and The Substance, Species turns generational anxiety into an exhilarating spectacle. Bursting with gooey practical effects and a wicked sense of humour, Species tears into the horrors of modern work to deliver an exciting genre debut. Flesh-ripping and mind-bending, it brings a horrifying new meaning to the phrase daily grind. For fans of: Raw (2016) The Substance (2024)
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CINEMA ADDE
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SAT 3.10PM BUY TICKETS
"A glorious slice of Australian New Wave exuberance." - BFI DIRECTED BY GILLIAN ARMSTRONG > AUSTRALIA | 1982 | 105 mins | CULT/COMEDY/MUSICAL
A wonderfully zany, neon-soaked musical with Sydney in its veins and pop music in its heart. Starstruck is one of the most eccentric films of the Australian New Wave, capturing a side of Sydney unlike anything else from the era. Working behind the bar in her family's crumbling pub beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Jackie dreams of becoming a pop star. With the help of her ambitious teenage cousin Angus, she hatches a string of increasingly outrageous publicity stunts in the hope of becoming an overnight sensation. The result is one of the most unforgettable New Year's Eve finales in Australian cinema.
Made between My Brilliant Career and Mrs. Soffel, Gillian Armstrong's musical comedy is a rare, one-of-a-kind gem. More than 40 years on, its irreverent spirit and infectious songs still feel fresh, making it easy to see why Starstruck has become such a beloved Australian cult classic.
Join us afterwards as legendary broadcaster and all-round pop culture icon Maynard keeps the New Wave spirit alive with a post-screening DJ set!
HOSTED BY MAYNARD
IT’S 1982, DARLINGS! DRESS ACCORDINGLY! Think big hair, New Wave, outrageous colour and maximum fabulousness. Prizes for best dressed!
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DIRECTED BY TED V. MIKELS | USA | 1973 | 90 mins | ACTION/SCIFI/THRILLER
If Opening Night's TURA! leaves you wanting more Tura Satana, we've got you covered. When a madman threatens the world with sabotage, rockets and the bubonic plague, the government unleashes its ultimate secret weapon: an elite team of glamorous, gun-toting female agents led by the formidable Sabrina (Francine York). Joining her is none other than cult icon Tura Satana (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!), bringing her unmistakable screen presence to one of Ted V. Mikels' wildest creations.
have inspired Charlie's Angels - and later cited by Quentin Tarantino as an influence on the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad in Kill Bill - this gloriously low-budget oddity has earned its place as an essential slice of cult cinema history. Don’t miss this rare chance to experience one of Ted V. Mikels’ most notorious, joyfully unhinged films on the big screen. For fans of:
A delirious cocktail of spy-fi, exploitation Danger: Diabolik (1968) cinema and drive-in mayhem, The Doll Charlie’s Angels (2000) Squad is packed with machine-gun battles, outrageous explosions, swinging fashions "One of Ted V. Mikels' best films... goofy, and wall-to-wall funk. Long rumoured to creative, fast-paced…and a lot of fun." - GRINDHOUSE CINEMA DATABASE
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DIRECTOR/WRITER ANDREW LEAVOLD > AUSTRALIA/GHANA 5pm > 2026 | 100 mins 6.30pm > COMEDY/ACTION
Never work with children, animals... or Alby Wrangler! Australian exploitation filmmaker Alby Wrangler (Andrew Leavold) dreams of becoming the next Tarantino. Instead, he finds himself in Ghana, conning his way onto the film set of real-life director Samuel "Ninja" Nkansah's kung fu remake of the Jamaican reggae spaghetti western The Harder They Come... starring little people.
“raw, offensive and completely bonkers... the ultimate masterclass in Underground Exploitation Cinema.”
As Alby goes "full Kinski", the production (also titled The Taller They Come) hurtles off the rails, and this crazy film-within-a-film transforms into an outrageous portrait of artistic ambition gone completely gonzo, in the tradition of Heart of Darkness and Burden of Dreams. Equal parts action film parody, mockumentary and metatextual self-mockery, it's an anarchic celebration of filmmaking obsession. Following The Search for Weng Weng (SUFF, 2013) and Pub: The Movie (SUFF, 2022), Andrew Leavold delivers another wildly entertaining descent into filmmaking madness that every low-budget filmmaker will appreciate.
- JAY KATZ MUMESON ARCHIVES
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WITH PRODUCER/ DIRECTOR/ ACTOR ANDREW LEAVOLD Q&A
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DIRECTED BY TONY KAYE > 2024 | USA | 95 mins | COMEDY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2025
Tony Kaye has never been a filmmaker interested in subtlety. Nearly three decades after detonating onto the scene with American History X (if you’re a fan check out Humpty Dumpty X, also screening at SUFF), the notorious director returns with perhaps his strangest work yet.
A cringe comedy satirical piss-take of influencer culture, The Trainer is an exhilarating sensory overload. Kaye attacks the screen with a barrage of relentless visual invention, while Schnabel delivers a fearless performance as a man whose delusions are matched only by his confidence. Joined by an absurdly stacked cast - including Julia Fox, Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Steven Van Zandt, Bella Thorne, Snoop Dogg and Sharon Stone - The Trainer is a chaotic skewering of celebrity, wellness culture and the intoxicating fantasy that success is only ever one lie away.
Jack Flex (Vito Schnabel) is a walking embodiment of hustle culture. whose latest invention - the Heavy Hat, a ludicrous fitness device promising to flood your brain with "Hope Molecules" - is about to make him rich. There's just one problem: none of his success is real. Given one last shot to sell his miracle product on home shopping television, Jack embarks on a frantic odyssey across Los Angeles, desperately trying to turn his increasingly outrageous lies into reality before everything comes crashing down.
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ROME FILM FESTIVAL 2025
"Tony Kaye's eccentric, chaotic, and never dull satire of the American Dream." - NEXT BEST PICTURE
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THE 1,000 VIRGIN SACRIFICE IS NEARLY COMPLETE AND YOU COULD BE NEXT!
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DIRECTED BY JESSE GOULDSBURY > USA | 2026 | 90 mins | CULT/COMEDY/HORROR > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Praise be to the glorious nonsense that is The Velocipastor 2. Doug and Carol head to Milan to investigate a string of grisly murders at an Italian fertility festival, where a masked sex maniac is carving through victims with alarming enthusiasm. Throw in Soviet spies, INTERPOL, questionable theology, gallons of gore, and the welcome return of that inflatable dinosaur suit, and you've barely scratched the surface.
- COLLIDER
If the original The VelociPastor won audiences over through sheer commitment to its own ridiculous premise, the sequel somehow finds another gear, piling one ludicrous idea on top of another until it reaches a heightened state of pure absurdism. Whether you're already part of the congregation or discovering the Church of VelociPastor for the first time, this is exactly the kind of movie you’ll want to devour with a crowd. For fans of: Miami Connection (1987), Llamageddon (2015)
The perfect movie DOES exist.
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"Even more sex, drugs, & dinosaurs."
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BAFICI 2026
"A sort of Mexican Mulholland Drive excessive, brazen, with the desert as its landscape and ultimate destination." - BAFICI CATALOGUE
DIRECTED BY EMILIANO ROCHA MINTER > MEXICO | 2026 | 65 mins | COMEDY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
A failed filmmaker discovers that inspiration can come from the strangest places. And when we say strange, we mean total mind-melting madness. From the twisted mind that brought us We Are the Flesh (SUFF 2015), Emiliano Rocha Minter returns with another extraordinary journey into the strange. When struggling filmmaker Silvestre is invited to pitch his dream project to a wealthy benefactor, he expects the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead, he finds himself drawn into an increasingly surreal world inhabited by cinephiles, former lovers, and a mysterious nineteenth-century wig that seems to have the power to reshape reality.
Premiering in the International Competition at BAFICI, The Wig is a playful reflection on filmmaking and the peculiar forces that drive artists to keep creating. Echoes of Buñuel, Fellini, Jodorowsky and Lynch can be felt throughout, but Rocha Minter's latest is unmistakably his own. It's a film that sidesteps the expected, and instead rewards audiences willing to surrender to its imagination and go further down the rabbit hole of pure insanity. For fans of: Mulholland Drive (2001) The Holy Mountain (1973)
SCREENS WITH:
OPEN MIC
Dir. Jano Pita | Comedy/Horror | 9mins | Spain |2025 | AUS PREMIERE Nitescu’s gig at an open mic night degenerates into a lurid spectacle with laughter and cheers.
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"It's a hilariously awkward celebration of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room." - MOVIE RECS BY LEX
DIR. BRANDO CRAWFORD > USA | 2025 | 65 mins | COMEDY This is a benefit event for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research (501c3), and Blue Collaborative (501c3)
What happens when great actors collide with what some consider the worst script ever written? Tommy Wiseau’s original THE ROOM (2003) infamously burned through $6 million and months of shooting with no-name actors. This reimagining flips the myth on its head. Filmed in under 12 hours, on virtually no budget, with Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Bella Heathcote (The Neon Demon), Kate Siegel (Hush), Greg Sestero (the original Room), executive producer Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House), and
directed by newcomer Brando Crawford. With no rehearsal and only teleprompters to guide them, the cast embraced the chaos with Shakespearean gravity, transforming cinematic disaster into unpredictable spectacle… all for charity.
"A completely sincere and dramatic reimagining with as much unintended humour as Wiseau’s portrayal." - WORLD OF SCREENS
OH, HI MARK. STICK AROUND AFTER THE FILM FOR A VERY SPECIAL PRE-RECORDED Q&A WITH BRANDO CRAWFORD, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER OF THE ROOM RETURNS AND THE MAN TAKING ON THE ICONIC ROLE OF ‘MARK’! 40
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DOCUMENTARY FILMS BLACK ZOMBIE
CRIME & PARODY
MODERN WHORE
BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL
LAST MOVIES
WE ARE THE SHAGGS
COREY FELDMAN VS THE WORLD
MINESHAFT: THE CRUISING MURDERS
Directed by Maya Annik Bedward CANADA ........................ 42
Directed by David Kittredge USA ............................. 43
Directed by Marcie Hume USA ............................. 44
Directed by Will Thwaites USA ............................. 45 Directed by Stanley Schtinter UK ............................... 46
Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz USA ............................. 47
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Directed by Nicole Bazuin CANADA ........................ 48
Directed by Ken Kwapis USA ............................. 49
SATURDAY 1PM BUY TICKETS
BLACK ZOMBIE DIRECTED BY MAYA ANNIK BEDWARD > CANADA | 2026 | 90 mins | DOCUMENTARY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The zombie has been part of popular culture for decades, but its real story begins long before George A. Romero. One of the most thought-provoking horror documentaries in recent years, Black Zombie tears apart a century of zombie mythology to uncover the unsettling truth behind one of cinema's most enduring monsters. Travelling from the spiritual traditions and colonial history of Haiti to the evolution of the modern horror film, director Maya Annik Bedward traces how the zombie shifted from a symbol of enslavement, resistance, and survival into the flesh-eating icon recognised around the world today.
"An excellent excavation of a horror genre's specific roots in place and culture." - POV MAGAZINE
Drawing on film history, cultural criticism, archival treasures and conversations with historians, artists and Voodoo practitioners, Black Zombie is every bit as gripping as it is enlightening. Following its world premiere at SXSW and screenings at Hot Docs, it quickly established itself as one of 2026's must-sees for film buffs and horror hounds alike; examining the forgotten history lurking beneath horror's most recognisable monster. You'll never look at the undead the same way again. OFFICIAL SELECTION
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HOT DOCS 2026
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| DOCUMENTARIES
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"One of the wisest, deepest, most poetic-minded documentaries I've ever seen." - HOLLYWOOD ELSEWHERE
DIRECTED BY DAVID KITTREDGE > USA | 2025 | 112 mins | DOCUMENTARY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
"A dazzling reflection on the career of John Boorman." - HOLLYWOOD ELSEWHERE
How did one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation create one of the most infamous flops in movie history?
together one of Hollywood's most infamous productions, uncovering a tale of artistic obsession, studio pressure, production disasters and impossible ambition.
Boorman and the Devil is a wildly entertaining deep dive into the extraordinary story behind Exorcist II: The Heretic, the sequel whose disastrous reception threatened to derail John Boorman's career. Through candid interviews with Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher and a host of collaborators, critics and filmmakers, the documentary pieces
Far more than a simple making-of documentary, Boorman and the Devil is a reflection on the nature of art itself and the cost of pursuing a singular vision. Funny, insightful, emotional and packed with incredible film history, this is essential viewing for horror lovers, cinephiles and anyone who has ever dared to dream too big.
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COREY FELDMAN VS THE WORLD Corey Feldman vs. The World charts the extraordinary rise, fall, reinvention, and persistence of one of pop culture's most misunderstood figures. From beloved 1980s classics like The Goonies, Stand By Me, and The Lost Boys to his often-mocked music career and relentless battles with the media,
WORLD PREMIERE
AMERICAN CINEMATEQUE 2026
DIRECTED BY MARCIE HUME > USA | 2025 | 98 mins | DOCUMENTARY > NSW PREMIERE
The world had its say. Now it's Corey Feldman's turn.
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BRUNSWICK UNDERGROUND FILM FEST 2026
Feldman has spent decades living in the spotlight while simultaneously becoming one of its favourite targets. But beneath the memes and tabloid headlines lies a far more complex story. Through candid interviews, archival footage, and unflinching self-reflection, the film explores childhood fame, exploitation, public ridicule, artistic ambition, personal resilience, and the cost of refusing to disappear.
“I say this with absolutely no hyperbole, Corey Feldman Vs The World is an absolute masterpiece. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen in the last 20 years. Every scene is hysterical and fascinating at the same time. There isn’t a single dull moment to be had.” - JACOB BATTAT, RADIO PRODUCER
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| DOCUMENTARIES
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BIG SKY DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2026 DIRECTED BY WILL THWAITES > USA | 2026 | 90 mins | DOCUMENTARY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
He posted a joke. They charged him with a crime. In 2016, Ohio comedian Anthony Novak created a satirical Facebook page impersonating his local police department. The joke went viral. The police weren't laughing. Arrested, jailed and prosecuted over a very obvious parody page, Novak found himself at the centre of an extraordinary legal battle that would raise profound questions about free speech, police accountability, and the limits of satire in America. With support from The Onion and constitutional lawyers, his case became a landmark fight over who gets to make fun of those in power.
"If the police can't be held accountable then our freedoms do not exist."
Crime & Parody is an infuriating, hilarious and unexpectedly gripping account of a case that should never have happened. Drawing on courtroom footage, archival material and the people at the centre of it all, the film traces the absurd attempt to criminalise comedy while asking what that says about free speech and who gets to decide where the line is. The further the story unfolds, the harder it becomes to believe it actually happened. Whether you're here for true crime, political absurdity or a brilliantly told underdog story, Crime & Parody delivers all three. For fans of: The Yes Men (2003), The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
- HAMMER TO NAIL
"A story about comedy under attack." - TALKHOUSE
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| DOCUMENTARIES
SATURDAY 11AM
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DIRECTED BY STANLEY SCHTINTER > UK | 2026 | 76 mins | DOCUMENTARY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The last film you ever watch might say more about your life than you think. What did Franz Kafka, Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Elizabeth Taylor all watch before they died? It's the sort of question that sounds like a late-night pub conversation until you realise filmmaker Stanley Schtinter has devoted an entire documentary to answering it. Narrated by Jeremy Irons, Last Movies pieces together an alternative history of cinema through the final films seen by artists, writers and cultural icons before their deaths. Expanding on Schtinter's acclaimed 2023 book, the film drifts through archival fragments, forgotten curiosities and cinematic ephemera with
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MOSTRA INTERNAZIONALE DEL NUOVO CINEMA 2026
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CPH:DOX 2026
wit, melancholy and surprising philosophical depth. Somewhere between The Pervert's Guide to Cinema and Room 237, Last Movies becomes an existential detective story - a meditation on death, cinephilia, coincidence and the strange ways films become intertwined with our lives. For anyone who's ever stayed up too late arguing about movies, this is pure catnip: funny, fascinating and unlike any documentary you'll see this year. For fans of: Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
"A tribute to chance, coincidence, and misalignment." - OPEN CITY DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
| DOCUMENTARIES
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FRAMELINE FILM FESTIVAL 2026
DIRECTED BY JEFFREY SCHWARZ > USA | 2026 | 84 mins | DOCUMENTARY > NSW PREMIERE
Cruising into controversy. William Friedkin's Cruising remains one of cinema's most controversial films, but the extraordinary true story behind it is even more compelling. Beginning with the reallife murders that inspired the 1980 thriller, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders journeys deep into New York's underground leather scene, uncovering the collision of true crime, filmmaking and queer activism that transformed a cult thriller into a defining cultural flashpoint. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz (I Am Divine, Vito, Tab Hunter Confidential) expertly blends archival footage, first-hand accounts and incisive cultural commentary to unravel the
"An engrossing... dive into William Friedkin's gay S&M thriller and its surrounding controversies." - THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
film's troubled production, the protests it provoked, and the lasting legacy of one of cinema's most divisive works. Following acclaimed premieres at Tribeca and Frameline Film Festivals, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders is the perfect collision of true crime, film history and cultural controversy. If your idea of a great documentary is one that uncovers hidden histories, sparks debate and leaves you questioning everything you thought you knew, this is essential viewing. OFFICIAL SELECTION
REVELATION PERTH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
"The shocking true story behind one of the most controversial films ever made."
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| DOCUMENTARIES
SATURDAY 8PM "The most audacious and engaging movie ever made about the oldest profession."
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DIRECTED BY NICOLE BAZUIN EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY SEAN BAKER > CANADA | 2025 | 80 mins | DOCUMENTARY > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The world's oldest profession still has new stories to tell. What happens when a former escort decides to tell her own story? Writer and performer Andrea Werhun answers that question with humour, honesty and a healthy dose of irreverence, pulling apart the myths surrounding sex work one story at a time. Mixing documentary with playful performance, Modern Whore finds inventive ways to explore the complicated realities that so often get flattened into easy stereotypes. Expanding on Nicole Bazuin's acclaimed short film, which screened at SUFF in 2020, this feature is as interested in challenging assumptions as it is making you laugh. Above all, it gives the microphone back to someone who has too often had other people speaking for her. Sharp, subversive and surprisingly funny, Modern Whore is exactly the kind of bold documentary that feels right at home at SUFF. OFFICIAL SELECTION
CALGARY UNDERGROUND FILM FEST 2025
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48 | DOCUMENTARIES | DOCUMENTARIES
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WE ARE THE SHAGGS
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DIRECTED BY KEN KWAPIS > USA | 2025 | 98 min | MUSIC DOC > AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
They were ordinary teenage girls forced into a band by their father – and, through one gloriously unconventional album, became enduring icons of outsider art. Convinced by a prophecy that his daughters were destined for fame, Austin Wiggin pulled Dot, Betty and Helen out of school, handed them instruments they couldn't play, and encouraged them to write songs without knowing how. After years of bewildering local audiences in rural New Hampshire, they recorded a single album, Philosophy of the World (1969), before disappearing into ordinary life.
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Decades later, the album was rediscovered and embraced by an unlikely fanbase that included Frank Zappa, Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain and generations of musicians captivated by its wildly out-of-sync rhythms, unconventional harmonies and complete disregard for musical convention. Blending rare archival footage with warm, candid interviews with surviving Shaggs Dot and Betty, veteran filmmaker Ken Kwapis uncovers the extraordinary story behind The Shaggs - a band that never set out to change music, but ended up becoming one of its most unlikely cult legends.
"Better than The Beatles." - FRANK ZAPPA
ATTEND THE SCREENING FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF
PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD
ON VINYL!
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49 49DOCUMENTARIES DOCUMENTARIES
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p sup d Film d n u Pro rgrou e . Und 2017 e c sin .au m .co ble
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SHORT FILM SESSIONS HOMEBAKED AUSSIE SHORTS
STRANGER THAN FICTION
Locally grown. Universally unhinged......................52
Extraordinary stories. 100% real. Definitely off-kilter....... 60
WTF SYDNEY!
EYE SLICER HORROR SHORTS
Fresh nightmares. Razor sharp. .....................................54
Minimal warning. Maximum insanity. (the local edition).............................62
LOVE / SICK SHORTS
WTF!
LSD FACTORY
TAKE 48 CHALLENGE
Anti-romcoms for a fucked up date night. .......................................56 Melt your mind. Reassemble later. ............................58
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Minimal warning. Maximum insanity. ..........................64 48 Hour Film Challenge screening.......................65
51 51 SHORT FILM SESSIONS 51DOCUMENTARIES SHORTS
SUNDAY 3PM
HOMEBAKED
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AUSSIE SHORTS
Locally grown. Universally unhinged.
Appetite of a Nobody
Dashcamera Obscura
Gerald, a socially inept man who survives on raw meat, longs to make friends. But when he follows the steps of an ’80s self‑help video, things take a bloodcurdling turn.
A man desperate to capture a traffic accident on his new dashcam accidentally unleashes a car crash day in his personal life.
Dir. Amanda Kaye | Horror/ Comedy | 16mins | Brisbane 2024 | SYDNEY PREMIERE
Dir. Henry Stone Comedy/Found Footage 7mins Melbourne | 2026 SYDNEY PREMIERE
Kooky Crazy No Good Neighbour
Dir. Mark Samual Bonanno Comedy/Horror/Thriller 20mins | Melbourne | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE In this laugh-out-loud comedy, Kirsty attempts to process her abusive past before it warps her into an unrecognisable, murderous monster.
Burqini Body
Dir. Hebah Ali Comedy/Horror | 5mins Sydney | 2025 A Muslim woman makes a splash at her local swimming pool with her ‘scandalous’ modest swimwear.
Items Objects and Things
Dir. Kristoffer Lucia | Comedy/ Drama | 5mins | Adelaide | 2025 | SYDNEY PREMIERE A young woman reflects on her family's strange inherited illness.
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SUNDAY 3PM
HOMEBAKED AUSSIE SHORTS
Lie Down, Breathe Out
Dir. Gemma Rose Salomon Horror/Drama 9mins | Adelaide | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE An anonymous patient awakens in a sinister clinic where a nightmarish procedure becomes an inescapable surreal ordeal.
Past Tenant
Dir. Ricky Townsend Comedy/Fantasy 6mins | Sydney | 2025 WORLD PREMIERE A Sydneysider must kick out their roommate who refuses to pay their rent. The only problem is their roommate is a ghost.
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Locally grown. Universally unhinged.
The Bad Room
Dir. Nicola Sercombe Comedy/Horror | 7mins Sydney | 2025 Amid Sydney's housing crisis, a young couple discovers their dream home comes with one very haunted room.
The Prize
Dir. Paul McDermott, Ren Thackham | Comedy 7mins | Sydney | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE After an unfortunate (but comical) accident, real estate agent Nicholas Flemp gets a sudden taste of victory, but spirals into obsession as he struggles to recapture his fleeting moment of fame.
The CEO
Dir. Michael Cusack Comedy | 7mins Melbourne | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE A successful CEO becomes a billionaire and uses this milestone effect to tell the girl who broke his heart decades ago that he finally succeeded in life... or has he?
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SATURDAY 9.45PM BUY TICKETS
EYESLICER HORROR SHORTS Fresh nightmares. Razor sharp. [18+]
Facts
Dir. Tristan Viney Horror/Comedy | 2mins Australia | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE After watching Halloween for the first time, a little girl’s fear of serial killers spirals into a dark and twisted survival plan.
Inner West
Dir. Maeve McKenna Horror/Comedy | 6mins Australia | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Locked out of the rental market, a desperate couple's house inspection becomes a deadly fight for survival against a sinister agent.
Praying Mantis
Dir. Joe Hsieh | Animation | 18mins | Taiwan/Hong Kong | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A praying mantis mutant seduces and preys on men out of desperation to save her child. A failed mission leads to revelations of her past and dark secrets as the story unfolds.
Man of the House Dir. Alex Henes Horror | 8mins | USA | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
An exhausted mom must face the monstrous truth about who - or what - her son becomes at night.
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Obey!
Dir. Jordan Wippell | Horror/ Comedy | 11mins | USA/ Australia | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE After the tragic death of her viral dog, Max, a pet influencer is confronted by a vengeful spirit demanding an apology for a life of exploitation.
EYESLICER
SATURDAY 9.45PM BUY TICKETS
HORROR SHORTS Fresh nightmares. Razor sharp. [18+]
Pleasure-Seeking
Scissors
SUBLET
Consumed by loneliness, Sasha's dopamine-fuelled existence unravels as a bizarre affliction exposes her fractured mental state.
A slasher with a grudge meets his match when a group of queer friends on a weekend getaway turns his killing spree into a bloody night he never saw coming.
When her housemate sublets their room for the week, Jess suddenly finds herself sharing a hallway with a complete stranger.
Dir. Michaela Holmes Horror| 14mins Australia | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE
Dir. Hannah Alline | Horror/ Comedy | 12mins | USA | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Dir. James Nolan Drama/Thriller | 14mins England/Australia | 2025 NSW PREMIERE
Tunnel Vision Rebrand
Dir. Edoardo Ranaboldo | Horror | 15mins | Italy/USA | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A group of camping YouTubers head to the woods to make their final video. Unbeknownst to them, four masked men follow behind, planning to make a video of their own.
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Dir. Alex Salkicevic, Bryce Kraehenbuehl | Horror 6mins | Australia | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE A man’s frustration with a blown lightbulb leads him to discover a strange hole in his wall. A 16mm short film about a seemingly simple task that leads to shocking consequences.
SATURDAY 6PM BUY TICKETS
LOVE/SICK
Anti-romcoms for a fucked up date night. [18+]
Crammed
Dir. Robin Kalus | Comedy 3mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE An amateur craftsman finds himself in a race against time as he hurries to finish his most horrifying creation yet.
SHORTS
Man Eating Pussy
Dir. Emily Lawson | Horror/Drama | 12mins | USA/Canada | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE A dying man seeks comfort in a mysterious sex worker whose monstrous anatomy offers not just pleasure—but the ultimate release.
Klee
Like + Sub
…oh
IKlee follows an alien who is sent to earth and tasked with a mission to invade, seduce, and terminate a family of colonizers in 19th century Saskatchewan.
An experimental reimagining of Ballet Mécanique for the age of social media, OnlyFans and fractured digital identities.
Frustrated while sexting at the office, Sadie throws caution to the wind and sneaks away to the handicap restroom where she... wait, did anyone hear that??
Dir. Gavin Baird | Sci-Fi/Horror 20mins | Canada | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Dir. Aleks Wansbrough Experimental | 3mins Australia | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
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Dir. Justin Geldzahler Comedy/ Thriller | 9mins | USA | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
LOVE/SICK SHORTS
One Cut of the Living Dead
Dir. Kenichi Ugana Horror/Comedy 10mins | Japan | 2024 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Pinky
A Stable Marriage
Mommy needs some me time.
A woman's sexual fantasy is fulfilled -- with surprising ramifications.
Dir. Ariel McCleese Comedy | 3mins | USA | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
A Court of Claws and Riesling Dir. Johnny Massahi | Horror/ Comedy | 9mins | UK | 2026 A middle-aged recluse descends into sexual mania after falling under the spell of his television.
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Anti-romcoms for a fucked up date night. [18+]
A man and a woman having sex. A woman I've never seen before arrives...
Tele XXX
SATURDAY 6PM
Dir. Anthony Ross Comedy/Horror/Romance 15mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE
A young woman adopts a cat, only to learn that the combination of white wine and antihistamines has her having visions of a handsome faerie lord with a very distinct appetite.
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Dir. Josephine Decker Comedy | 8mins | USA | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The Touch
Dir. Willem Whitfield | Comedy 7mins | Australia | 2026 SYDNEY PREMIERE A woman's sexual fantasy is fulfilled -- with surprising ramifications.
FRIDAY 7.45PM BUY TICKETS
LSD FACTORY Melt your mind. Reassemble later.
Action Bog
Dir. Winston Hacking Animation | 1min Canada | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE An algorithmic fever dream where photographic bodies dissolve into clay, suspended between transformation and stasis.
Burned Cans for Aluminum Children
Dir. Rob Kleinschmidt Animation/Experimental 2mins | USA | 2025 SYDNEY PREMIERE The distant sound of church bells signals the beginning of an apocalypse.
Gilded Gutter
Dir. Hellen Rose | Music Video 5mins | Australia | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE In honour of the sad anniversary of the suicide of Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Gobbledygook Die Hard By Decay Best in Show
Dir. Niklas Dahlqvist Animation | 5mins Sweden | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Obsessed with two performing poodles, a lonely man crosses a line at a dog show, risking public shame for a chance to be seen.
Dir. Tony Lawrence Experimental | 12mins Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE Bruce Willis stars in this action packed 35mm film fragment, damaged and decayed beyond any playability.
DreamSynth
Dir. Ryley Byrne Experimental/Doc | 11mins Canada | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE What are we without our dreams? What do machines become with them?.
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Dir. Nathaniel Elegino & Lizzete Flores | Experimental/ Fantasy | 12mins | USA | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A puppet girl encounters an other worldly entity through her Television set with every click of the remote.
Ignes et Glacies
Dir. Dan Sokolowski Experimental | 2mins Canada | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE The Yukon River at Dawson City (Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in) on November 15, 2025. The ice has covered the river but not memories of summer fires.
FRIDAY 7.45PM
LSD FACTORY
BUY TICKETS
Melt your mind. Reassemble later.
Marked
Dir. Wrik Mead | Experimental 3mins | Canada | 2026 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Layered Super 8 and 16mm transform an intimate embrace into a poignant reflection on queer love, visibility and erasure.
Um Dir. Nieto | Animation
Someone to Steal Horses With
Dir. Dylan Pailes-Friedman Animation | 9mins USA/Italy | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE As a horse launches his new book, Someone to Steal Horses With, his reflections on memory unsettle the citizens of Los Santos.
Pick It Till It Bleeds
Dir. Christina Dovolis and Tavis Putnam | Animation | 3mins Canada | 2026 | AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Yearning to pick his girlfriend’s scab, a young man gets more than he bargained for.
What's in a Lamp?
Dir. Bennet Pimpinella Experimental | 2mins Italy | 2024 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A visual meditation where light transcends illumination to embody intimacy, protection and human connection.
Paper Trail
Dir. Don Hertzfeldt Experimental/Drama | 14mins USA | 2026 | SYD PREMIERE Don Hertzfeldt’s latest animation is a high-speed study of someone's life, seen only through pieces of paper.
8mins | France | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Haunted by demonic faces in their eggs, the bird people spiral into violent chaos as catastrophe looms.
The Artist and The End
Dir. Dir. George Gittoes 10mins | Experimental Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE Unless our species changes course fast, we are about to witness the end. A painting or a poem may never have saved a life, but the arts are all that can save humanity.
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Yazza
Dir. Francisco Lacerda Experimental | 5mins Finland/Portugal | 2025 AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Sometimes you tell a friend you have to leave or you'll be late—and they react with complete, unexpected frenzy.
SATURDAY 11AM
STRANGER
BUY TICKETS
THAN FICTION Extraordinary stories. 100% real. Definitely off-kilter.
Heel Turn
Dir. Isabella Poynter-Symonds Documentary | 8mins | Australia | 2026 One afternoon with Sydney wrestling legend Nikki Van Blair reveals the power and cost of life in the ring.
Home Movie Legend Trip: The Beast of Bray Road Dir. Dean Bertram/Samantha Krause | Documentary/Found Footage | 6mins | USA | 2026 SYDNEY PREMIERE
Dean and Samantha record their legend trip to Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Stomping grounds of the legendary werewolf/ dogman "The Best of Bray Road".
Mall Store Video
Dir. Nick Nummerdor / Andrew J. Morgan | Documentary 23mins | USA | 2026 | WORLD PREMIERE A nostalgic documentary following Harrison Lange, owner of Static Tape Video, as he rescues forgotten VHS collections and transforms a mall shop into a haven for film lovers. Collectors and movie fans travel from far and wide to experience his retro video oasis, celebrating the enduring magic of physical media and the community it continues to inspire.
Home Movies
Dir. Benjamin Bowles Animation/Documentary 7mins | Australia | 2025 WORLD PREMIERE Forgotten in an attic, two sentient VHS tapes travel through time in search of the family they lost.
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It Felt Like Night
Dir. James Hollenbaugh Experimental Documentary 2mins | USA | 2024 AUS PREMIERE The Great North American Eclipse occurred on April 8, 2024. Some things went according to plan. Some did not.
STRANGER THAN FICTION
SATURDAY 11AM BUY TICKETS
Extraordinary stories. 100% real. Definitely off-kilter.
Paper Angels
Dir. Sebastian Hill-Esbrand Documentary | 8mins Australia | 2026 SYD PREMIERE
Subhuman Services
Mikey Mendoza rises through pro skateboarding and sustainable fashion design to carve out his new identity, despite capitalist and societal forces, leaving his tumultuous childhood in the dust.
A reflection on personal and systemic failures woven into an analysis of The Department of Human Services hold music utilising archival footage of Jimmy Buffet, Duran Duran, Steely Dan, Paula Cole, late night cable erotica, and more.
A Short Film About Anything Dir. Oscar Axel Thorborg Documentary | 13mins Australia | 2025 SYD PREMIERE
A documentary weaving together voices on the topic of meaningfulness, highlighting the importance of shared experience.
Dir. Dan Schneidkraut | Documentary | 16mins | USA | 2025 AUS PREMIERE
The Music is Max
Dir. Kate Knott | Documentary 7 mins | Australia | 2026 Max, a musician, exposed corruption through his lyrics and joined protests in Iran before enduring brutality at the hands of the government and seeking asylum in Sydney.
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The Street With No Name
Dir. Leticia Ng | Documentary 7mins | Australia | 2025 SYD PREMIERE A forgotten Sydney street is haunted by mysterious murders—and perhaps something even darker beneath the surface.
SUNDAY 1PM BUY TICKETS
WTF Minimal warning. Maximum insanity. (the local edition). [18+]
SYDNEY!
A Faecal Matter
Billie and Jesse
Two unlikely friends bond over a pile of poo, and the hilarious potential of someone stepping in it.
A lesbian power couple faces an unexpected reckoning when one partner's transition reshapes attraction and intimacy.
Dir. Cassandra May | Comedy 7mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE
A Hammer Beats Down on the Horizon Dir. Geordie Anderson Experimental | 11mins Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE
Clyde walking the streets. Confusion and bitterness. Longing for extinction. World gone to shit. Who said that?
Dir. AP Pobjoy | Drama 14mins | Australia | 2025
Misery and Other Choices
Dir. Samuel Lucas Allen Drama | 10mins | Aus | 2026 What do you do when the world is on fire? 'Misery and Other Choices' is a darkly comic eco-thriller pitting climate nihilism against murderous hope.
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Driverless
Dir. Eric Hutton | Comedy 7mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE Two friends enact a ridiculous scheme to increase the resale value of a car. The results push one of them to the brink of psychological collapse.
I'm a Tuna Sandwich Dir. Andy Nedelkovski Drama/Comedy | 7mins Australia | 2025 WORLD PREMIERE
Steve, a struggling actor and model, puts one foot in front of the other as he powers through his pathetic life.
SUNDAY 1PM
WTF SYDNEY! OUR PRINCESS
Dir. James Kunovski | Drama 7mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE A Greek-Australian bride reckons with the reemergence of her black sheep brother on the morning of her wedding day. This is not a fairytale.
Dérive
Dir. Billy White | Comedy 7mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE A man wanders his hometown in search of something he can’t name.
MOTION PICTURE
Minimal warning. Maximum insanity. (the local edition). [18+]
Spiders on My Lashline
Dir. Grace Tan | Drama | 8mins Australia | 2026 Following an attack, genderqueer pole dancer Ash takes shelter in a church, where childhood memories resurface and help them find strength again.
The Catch of the Day Dir. Zander Czerwaniw Comedy/Mockumentary 7mins | Australia | 2026 WORLD PREMIERE A journalist investigates a mysterious catch from a group of fishermen.
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The Impossible Dream
Dir. Nikola Jokanovic | Comedy 5mins | Australia | 2025 After being made fun of at the pub, Quaid attempts to set a Guinness World Record - no matter the price.
The Special
Dir. Gabrielle Tarabay Comedy | 8mins | Australia 2026 | WORLD PREMIERE Two chefs transform a fatal accident into culinary success, until their appetite for perfection demands the ultimate sacrifice.
Dir. Haydn Keenan | Arthouse 8mins | Australia | 1973 David Stratton said it was the most offensive film of the 9000 he had programmed for the Sydney film Festival. 3000 ran out of the cinema at its premiere. The laboratory burned the negative. First screening in 55 years.
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FRIDAY 6PM
WTF! SHORTS
BUY TICKETS
¡PIKA!
Dir. Alex Fischman Cárdenas | PERU/ USA | 2025 | Drama/ Thriller | 18mins SYD PREMIERE A man wakes up with an unbearable itch – anxious to find a cure, he embarks on a nightmarish odyssey in search of relief.
A Mighty Poison
Dir. Kyle Marchen CANADA| Horror/ Comedy | 2025 14mins | AUS PREMIERE Wannabe pop star, Angelo, is pressured to share his latest hit with a coworker, just as an unexpected discovery challenges his digital facade..
Minimal warning. Maximum insanity. [18+]
CHÄIR Dir. Chris
McInroy | USA | 2025 Horror/Comedy 6mins | SYD PREMIERE Carl just wanted to sit down. The chair had other plans.
Dirtmouths
Dir. Breehn Burns USA | Comedy/Horror | 2026 | 7mins | AUS PREMIERE On a fog- drenched hilltop, the night groundskeeper crawls under the house and finds an unexpected chore. Starring Pendleton War (Adventure Time).
Open Mic
Dir. Jano Pita | SPAIN 2025 | Comedy/Horror 9mins | AUS PREMIERE Nitescu’s gig at an open mic night degenerates into a lurid spectacle.
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Mr. Legs
Dir. Sean Zwan Australia | 2026 Animation | 3mins WORLD PREMIERE Number twos are hard enough. Add a nine-foot poltergeist with the emotions of a two-year old and things get hairy.
The Cockroach Dir. Clara Chinaski SPAIN | 2025 Comedy/Horror 14mins | AUS PREMIERE A lonely man's peculiar fantasy collides with the supernatural after a chance discovery at a record store.
64 SHORTS
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much Dir. Eric Jackowitz USA | 2025 | Giallo/ Comedy | 17mins AUS PREMIERE
A blind violinist and her seeing-eye dog become the only witnesses to a blackgloved killer stalking the Rome Symphony.
Wall Udder
Dir. Alexandra Hayden USA | 2025 Comedy | 9mins AUS PREMIERE A woman confronts repressed feelings of discontent after her partner comes home smelling like milk. A surreal story of love, loss, and lactose.
SATURDAY 3PM BUY TICKETS
THE 8TH ANNUAL 48-HOUR FILMMAKING CHALLENGE
EMBRACE THE CHAOS ENJOY THE RIDE
11 AWARDS UP FOR GRABS TOP 40 FILMS SCREEN AT SUFF Whether you've got a full crew ready to roll, or you're championing it solo, 48 hours of filmmaking chaos and conquest awaits... Show us what you're made of!
CHALLENGE: 7PM FRI 14 AUGUST - 7PM SUN 16 AUGUST SCREENING AT SUFF: 3PM SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE, SUMMON YOUR CREW, TAKE 48 IS CALLING YOU!
Head to take48.com.au/2026 to learn more.
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2026 JURY MICHAEL ADAMS Podcaster, historian, author and journalist, former Empire Reviews Editor and co-host of The Movie Show. Author of Showgirls, Teen Wolves and Astro Zombies, chronicling his quest to find the world’s worst movie.
BOB BYINGTON Austin-based filmmaker, screenwriter and actor known for Harmony and Me, Somebody Up There Likes Me, 7 Chinese Brothers, Infinity Baby (SUFF, 2017), Frances Ferguson (SUFF, 2019), and Lousy Carter (SUFF, 2023).
LILY HAYES-KAUFMAN New York-based writer and filmmaker, and director of Occupy Cannes (SUFF, 2025), following Lloyd Kaufman and the Troma team’s punk-spirited fight for independent cinema at Cannes.
READ MORE AT SUFF.COM.AU/2026JURY
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67 SUFF JURY
ALEXANDRA HELLER-NICHOLAS Award-winning author of ten books on cult, horror and exploitation cinema. In 2025, her book 1000 Women in Horror was adapted into a feature documentary from Shudder.
IZZY LEE Award-winning filmmaker and author whose genre work has screened at Fantasia, FrightFest, Overlook, Brooklyn Horror and SUFF, with her feature House of Ashes now on Tubi.
BRIAN LONANO Filmmaker behind the infamous Gwilliam, whose DIY trash cinema has screened at SXSW, FantasticFest, Fantasia, Slamdance and SUFF.
STUART SIMPSON Australian filmmaker, writer and producer behind El Monstro del Mar! (SUFF, 2010), Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla, Sleeping Beauties (SUFF, 2024) and The Demons Among Us.
SUFF MEMORIES Written by David Michael Brown Since its first incarnation in 2007, the Sydney Underground Film Festival has become an essential part of the city’s cinematic landscape. In its early days, the program was loaded with short films, giving first-time filmmakers the chance to see their work on the big screen. Twenty years later, the festival has gone from strength to strength, showcasing films that lurk at the extremes. There have been so many incredible memories at both the Factory Theatre and Dendy Newtown: 3D money shots and odorous scratch-and-sniff screenings — thankfully not Wetlands — transgressive gore fests, late-night cereal binges and go-go dancing freak-outs courtesy of Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! SUFF has delivered a cavalcade of unforgettable experiences. Here are five of the most memorable…
1. Tin Can Man (2007) One of SUFF’s great joys is watching undiscovered gems that the festival has thrust into the limelight. Ivan Kavanagh’s unnerving Tin Can Man, screened on opening night of the inaugural festival, was one such experience. Channelling Lynch, Polanski and Haneke, this relentlessly grim experience unsettled those who stayed the distance, its screaming atonal score leaving the audience bloodied and bruised. My remembrances of the film cannot be extricated from my memories of my first night at SUFF. The film trapping the audience inside a nightmarish world of profound isolation, grief and psychological collapse. Its bleak black-and-white imagery, relentlessly oppressive atmosphere and emotionally damaged characters created unease, while the Irish director’s refusal to offer comforting answers left a lingering sense of despair long after the film and the first night ended.
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68 68 SUFF SUFF FLASHBACK MEMORIES
2. Gimmicks! (2009 onwards) Who doesn’t love a gimmick? Well, the spirit of William Castle is alive and well at SUFF. From the 2009 “Odorama” screening of John Waters’ Polyester, complete with original scratch-and-sniff cards, to later fragrant outings of Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble and Weird Al’s UHF, stinky cinema has long wafted through the program. There was even faux marijuana-scented smoke pumped through the cinema whenever Matthew McConaughey took a toke during a special 2019 screening of Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum. And who could forget the salacious thrill of seeing Gaspar Noé’s Love in 3D at the 2015 festival? Giving new meaning to “comin’ at ya!”, SUFF has always been in your face — and, on occasion, in your lap.
SUFF MEMORIES 3. Discovering the cinema of Sion Sono watching Guilty of Romance (2011)
4. Any moment featuring JAIMIE LEONARDER aka JAY KATZ
Guilty of Romance is an extraordinary, transgressive experience and a shocking introduction to the cinema of controversial provocateur Sion Sono. The final part of his “Hate Trilogy”, following Love Exposure and Cold Fish, it’s far more than a salacious guilty pleasure. Led by a stunning performance from Megumi Kagurazaka, Sono relentlessly dismantles social respectability through graphic sexuality, psychological disintegration and brutal violence. Beneath the provocation lies a fearless critique of repression, identity and misogyny, forcing the shell-shocked SUFF audience to confront uncomfortable truths about desire, obsession and the hidden darkness beyond their lives outside the cinema. SUFF went on to screen Sono’s Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2014), The Virgin Psychics (2016) and Tokyo Vampire Hotel (2018).
The Sydney Underground Film Festival wouldn’t be the same without one man, the talismanic figurehead of alternative cinema himself, Mr. Jaimie Leonarder. A Sydney institution through his legendary Meson screenings, he acts as the festival’s MC, DJ and rabble-rousing cheerleader. An unfiltered whirlwind of passion, joy and intelligence with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the dark recesses of all things celluloid, it’s almost impossible to imagine the opening night of the festival without Jaimie's wild pontifications on stage or his hugely entertaining sessions behind the decks.
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69 SUFF MEMORIES
5. Annapurna Sriram’s Fucktoys Last year’s closing night screening was the brilliantly named Fucktoys written, directed and starring the multi-talented Annapurna Sriram. The surreal, darkly comic odyssey plays like the scuzzy indie flipside to the Oscar winning Anora as it blends eroticism, fantasy and social satire as a part-time sex worker in a neon-drenched alternate pre-millennium universe who must raise $1,000 and sacrifice a lamb to lift a psychic curse. The film brought the house down. Annapurna was meant to be a guest of the fest and take part in a live Q&A but had to withdraw at the last minute. Instead, she recorded a brilliant, hilarious and heartfelt one-woman-show from her hotel room for the audience to enjoy. It was joyous and brought the house down. At SUFF, the show must go on!
20 YEARS OF SUFF PROGRAM COVER ART