The Sydney Underground Film Festival is back, in cinemas and online, this coming weekend. Get to know the whats, whens, and wheres.
Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF), the city’s leading festival for cult and indie films, reemerges this weekend with a punchy program playing from Thursday 8 September to Sunday 11 September. This year’s fest has a new venue in Event Cinemas George Street for in-person screenings, the first since 2019, complete with the launch of a brand-new Festival Hub and a real eye-catcher of an Opening Night film—Patton Oswalt catfishing comedy I Love My Dad.
Katherine Berger, Festival Director, said: “It’s exciting to announce that the annual SUFF pilgrimage is back! There has never been a better time to come and discover new films alongside like-minded people. We’re also proud to platform the immense talents of
independent and alternative filmmakers from Australia and around the world, and we have a tonne of quality hilarious, offbeat and horrorific films not to be missed on the big screen this September”.
Here are a dozen highlights from this year’s SUFF in-cinema and online program.
I Love My Dad
Chuck (Patton Oswalt), a hopelessly estranged father, desperately attempts to reconnect with his troubled son (James Morosini) by pretending to be a romantically-interested young woman online in this SXSW Film Festival-winning comedy, based on the writer-director-lead’s own unfortunate experiences.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon
Jeon Jong-seo (Burning), Ed Skrein (Midway) and Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) star in this fantasy thriller from filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour (The Bad Batch) about a girl with unusual powers who escapes from a mental asylum and tries to make it on her own in New Orleans.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this A24 whodunnit satire.
Something in the Dirt
When neighbours John and Levi witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, they realise documenting the paranormal could bring fame and fortune in this sci-fi from Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (The Endless), who also star.
On the Count of Three
In this pitch-black comedy, two friends make a pact to end their lives when the day is done. Stars two-time Emmy nominee comedian Jerrod Carmichael (who also makes his feature directorial debut) and Christopher Abbott (Possessor).
Pig Killer
A pig farmer terrorises Vancouver’s seedy downtown in this horror inspired by the true story of Robert ‘Willy’ Pickton, one of the most horrific serial killers in Canadian history.
The Civil Dead
A misanthropic, struggling photographer just wants to watch TV and eat candy while his wife is out of town, but when a desperate old pal resurfaces, his plans are thwarted, with spooky consequences.
Sick of Myself
We can highly recommend this black comedy about two competitive attention-seekers. Featuring two of the foulest characters you will see on-screen, Kristoffer Borgli’s venomously funny sickie takes the toxic culture of media-obsessed self-absorption into compellingly cringey extremes.
I Get Knocked Down
The untold story of Leeds-based anarcho-pop band Chumbawamba, directed by founding band member Dunstan Bruce and filmmaker Sophie Robinson (My Beautiful Broken Brain).
In the Court of the Crimson King
A 50th anniversary documentary celebration about cult rock band King Crimson branches out into “an exploration of time, death, family, and the transcendent power of music to change lives. But with jokes.”
Pub: The Movie
The true story of Australian cartoonist and punk rocker, Fred Negro, creator of PUB, the cartoon strip that chronicled the history of the St Kilda music scene that spawned the likes of Nick Cave and The Birthday Party and his own controversial shock-rock band, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVY.
Rhino
In this special fundraising screening for Ukraine, this dramatic thriller follows the cruel and tenacious Vova, who struggles to find his place among the ruthless members of the underworld in a city where crime and corruption reign.
To see the full SUFF schedule, including their short film showcases and TAKE48 filmmaking competition, head on over to www.suff.com.au.
