‘Smile’ Fantastic Fest 2022’s First Wave is MASSIVE

Ayeeeee it is all happening. Fantastic Fest 2022 announced just NOW the first wave of programming and there seems to be something for every genre fan out there. Most exciting are the return of the events and parties that have come to define the fest and have been missing during the pandemic. Look below for all the details but most exciting is news of a new A24 release and the debut of Smile which looks neck breakingly scary. Interested in past Fantastic Fest? We have lots of information about previous Fantastic Fests here.

There’s only one place where you’ll find killer teddy bears, man-eating sharks, elderly zombies, cocktail-serving robots, and Park Chan-wook… all under one roof. That’s right, world-famous genre festival Fantastic Fest is back for its seventeenth edition featuring 21 World Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, and 21 U.S Premieres. The festival will once again take over the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX from September 22nd – 29th and on the web via a virtual FF@Home experience from September 29th – October 4th. 

“It’s been far too long since we’ve all been able to gather together and celebrate film the Fantastic Fest way,” says Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’ve really put our all into crafting an extraordinary week, from the exceptional programming that spans exciting discoveries to highly-anticipated features, to our signature events that will inject a much-needed dose of fun into 2022.”

Badges are available now at FantasticFest.com.

The opening night film for Fantastic Fest 2022 is the world premiere of Paramount Pictures’ SMILE, the intensely creepy debut feature from Parker Finn that’ll have even the seasoned FF crowd gripping their armrests in genuine fright. 

This year’s edition of Fantastic Fest will also honor a legendary genre filmmaker and show his latest masterpiece. Park Chan-wook, the South Korean director of OLDBOY, SNOWPIERCER, and THE HANDMAIDEN has been defining (and defying) genre films for decades, and his latest work – MUBI’s DECISION TO LEAVE – is a stunning achievement. In conjunction with the U.S. Premiere of his new film, Park Chan-wook will be present at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to accept a lifetime achievement award from Fantastic Fest in celebration of his mind-bending, artfully-crafted body of work.

The closing night film at Fantastic Fest 2022 will be director Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning pitch black comedy from Neon, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS. The latest Drafthouse Recommends selection, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS is an outrageously funny and audacious social satire, with a second act that could have been engineered in a lab specifically to delight Fantastic Fest audiences. It’s a joyful romp that’ll serve as a fitting capper to the fest, and the perfect segue to closing night festivities. 

Other major studio films include two Searchlight films perfectly tuned to the Fantastic Fest palate – the U.S. Premiere of THE MENU, a sharp satire about a destination-dining experience with unexpected surprises, and the U.S. Premiere of director Martin McDonagh’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, chronicling the dissolution of a friendship that escalates with shocking consequences. 

A24 brings us the North American premiere of MEDUSA DELUXE, a murder mystery set in the world of competitive hairdressing, MGM and Distributor United Artist Releasing’s BONES AND ALL, from director Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon-Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz and Mark Rylance, and the U.S. premiere of Miramax’s SICK, the latest slasher from John Hyams.  

Other World Premieres include:

• Noah Segan’s directorial debut, BLOOD RELATIVES, a father-daughter vampire comedy.
• Dark Side of the Ring co-creator Jason Eisener’s KIDS VS. ALIENS, which sees a group of friends face off against evil space invaders.
• An anthology horror film featuring many Fantastic Fest alumni, SATANIC HISPANICS, from Epic Pictures. 

“Fantastic Fest has always been the purest expression of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s founding principle: share the joy of cinema with people you love,” says Fantastic Fest founder Tim League. “I am beyond proud of the team for forging one of, if not the all-time best, Fantastic Fest experiences ever. This is my favorite week of the year, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.”

The Parties

For the first time since 2019, Fantastic Fest’s legendary parties and events are back.

• A special performance in The Highball from the experiential sonic sorcerers Itchy-O while they’re in Austin for a show at the Far Out Lounge.
• Hailing all the way from Vienna, Roboexotica makes its Texas-debut at the Fantastic Fest opening night party, bringing their famous cocktail-concocting robots to astonish and amuse.
• Podcast recordings and live events on The Highball stage with Leonard Maltin, Scripts Gone Wild, The Kingcast and Screen Drafts.
• Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher of The Found Footage Festival fame will perform a live show after their documentary CHOP & STEELE. 
• And finally, Fantastic Fest essentials like 100 Best Kills, the Fantastic Feud and the Fantastic Debates will return at this year’s festival.

FF@Home

For the second year in a row, Fantastic Fest will be a hybrid festival that offers in-person and virtual screenings. The Burnt Ends lineup will headline the online festival, with programming that seeks to champion eccentric and obscure indie cinema. Two in-person screenings will introduce audiences at South Lamar to the new series: THE PEOPLE’S JOKER and ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS, both with filmmakers in attendance. The rest of this virtual lineup will be announced at a later date, featuring a selection of films from this year’s in person fest and will also include virtual exclusives such as a retrospective of cult DIY filmmakers Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh’s MOTERN MEDIA movies.

Shark Attack & AGFA Takeover

This year’s sidebar is dedicated to the man-eater from the deep blue sea. Centered around the North American Premiere of FF alumni Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s YEAR OF THE SHARK, Fantastic Fest programmers dug deep to bring audiences the most entertaining shark movies from around the world. Many of them have never before screened in the USA and are now available thanks to our friends at AGFA. 

The shark sidebar features TINTORERA! (Mexico) — which will be shown on 35mm from a print coming directly from Quentin Tarantino’s vault — as well as AATANK (India), GAMERA VS ZIGRA (Japan), MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH (USA), and 12 DAYS OF TERROR (USA).

Speaking of AGFA, the American Genre Film Archive team has gone all out for this year’s festival, with the debut of the AGFA theater takeover. For two days of the fest, AGFA has free reign over their own theater, and will fill it with mind-melting films from morning to night, featuring premieres of new restorations the first day, and a whiplash-inducing celluloid mystery marathon with five features and ten fingers on the trigger the second day. 

Formed in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution . From TERMINAL USA (a new restoration of Jon Moritsugu’s underground classic) to THE STAIRWAY TO STARDOM MIXTAPE (the definitive presentation of the most otherworldly public access TV show of all time), the AGFA team has brought out their best for the fest. 

FESTIVAL FILM LINEUP BELOW:

12 DAYS OF TERROR

USA, 2004

Retrospective, 95 min

In attendance – Director Jack Sholder

During the record-breaking summer heat of 1916, beachgoers on the Jersey shore are threatened by a shark that has developed a taste for human flesh.

AATANK

India, 1996

North American Premiere, 113 min

Directors – Prem Lalwani & Desh Mukherjee

A gangster’s hunt for black pearls sparks a series of vicious shark attacks. No diver, boat, or helicopter is safe in this B-grade Bollywood oddity.

ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS (Burnt Ends Selection)

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 72 min

Director – Alex Phillips

In attendance – Director Alex Phillips

A psychedelic journey of self-discovery leads to romance when a man shares his addiction to psychotropic worms… and Chicago will never be the same.

AMAZING ELISA

Spain, 2022

World Premiere, 104 min

Director – Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon

In attendance – Director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon

In the aftermath of a horrific accident, Elisa believes that she’s been given super powers and will stop at nothing to avenge her mother’s death.

THE ANTARES PARADOX

Spain, 2022

World Premiere, 96 min

Director – Luis Tinoco Pineda

In attendance – Director Luis Tinoco Pineda

An astrophysicist working for the SETI project risks her career and family to verify an extraterrestrial radio signal before her access is cut off.

ATTACHMENT

Denmark, 2022

Texas Premiere, 105 min

Director – Gabriel Bier Gislason

In attendance – Director Gabriel Bier Gislason

Maja and Leah’s relationship is off to a great start, but they face two perilous threats: the whims of a Jewish demon and Leah’s overbearing mother.

BAD CITY

Japan, 2022

North American Premiere, 118 min

Director – Kensuke Sonomura

A jailed cop is released to lead a crack unit against a corrupt businessman in this bone-crunching dust-up starring V-cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa.

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

UK/Ireland, USA, 2022

US Premiere, 114 min

Director – Martin McDonagh

In attendance – Director Martin McDonagh

Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

BIRDEMIC 3: SEA EAGLE

USA, 2022

World Premiere, 83 min

Director – James Nguyen

In attendance – Director James Nguyen

The birds are back, and global warming has them roiled! James Nguyen returns with the director’s cut of his thrilling, romantic, and worthy sequel.

BLOOD FLOWER

Malaysia, 2022

World Premiere, 102 min

Director – Dain Said

A psychic teenage boy battles a bloodthirsty, malevolent spirit in this gory Malaysian horror from BUNOHAN’s Dain Said.

BLOOD RELATIVES

USA, 2022

World Premiere, 88 min

Director – Noah Segan

In attendance – Director Noah Segan

A nomadic recluse living on the fringes of society reconsiders his bloodthirsty legacy when a teenage girl shows up claiming to be his daughter.

BONES AND ALL

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 129 min

Director – Luca Guadagnino

In attendance – Director Luca Guadagnino

A story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter; a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.

CHOP & STEELE

USA, 2022

Austin Premiere, 81 min

Directors – Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader

In attendance – Directors Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader, Actors Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher

After pranking unsuspecting morning show hosts, the brains behind the beloved Found Footage Festival earn the ire of a major media conglomerate. 

COUNTRY GOLD

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 84 min

Director – Mickey Reece

In attendance – Director Mickey Reece

Rising star Troyal Brux spends an evening with his idol George Jones, unaware that the country music legend has a rather cold deadline the following morning.

DECISION TO LEAVE

South Korea, 2022

US Premiere, 138 min

Director – Park Chan-wook

In attendance – Director Park Chan-wook

Laced with wicked humor, master filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s dazzlingly cinematic romantic thriller surprises and delights to the very last.

DEEP FEAR

France, 2022

North American Premiere, 80 min

Director – Grégory Beghin

Three friends are caught between a skinhead gang and an otherworldly enemy after discovering a forgotten secret in the depths of the Paris Catacombs.

DEMIGOD: THE LEGEND BEGINS

Taiwan, 2022

US Premiere, 103 min

Director – Chris Huang Wen Chang

Martial arts, magic, and marionettes collide in a dazzling kaleidoscope of blood-spattered puppetry in this one-of-a-kind wuxia spectacular.

DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY

Mexico, 2022 

World Premiere, TBD min

Director – Luis Javier Henaine

THE ELDERLY

Spain, 2022 

US Premiere, 95 min

Directors – Raul Cerezo & Fernando Gonzalez Gomez

An octogenarian starts behaving weirdly in the wake of his wife’s sudden suicide as he prepares for events leading up to a mysterious apocalypse.

EVERYONE WILL BURN

Spain, 2021

North American Premiere, 120 min

Director – David Hebrero

In attendance – Director David Hebrero

A mysterious young girl interrupts María José’s suicide attempt, offering the power to take revenge on the villagers responsible for her son’s death.

EVIL EYE

Mexico, 2022

World Premiere, 100 min

Director – Isaac Ezban

In attendance – Director Isaac Ezban, Actor Paola Miguel

Left in the care of their eccentric grandmother, Nala discovers that the tough old lady has sinister plans for her chronically ill sister, Luna.

FAMILY DINNER

Austria, 2022

Texas Premiere, 96 min

Director – Peter Hengl

In attendance – Director Peter Hengl

An insecure teenager begs her nutritionist aunt for help shedding weight over the Easter holiday, unaware of how extreme the diet plan will become.

FINAL CUT

France, 2022

US Premiere, 111 min

Director – Michel Hazanavicius

Oscar-winning French director Michel Hazanavicius’ meta-remake of the Japanese cult movie ONE CUT OF THE DEAD manages a little tour de force.

THE FIVE DEVILS

France, 2022

North American Premiere, 103 min

Director – Léa Mysius

A young girl’s ability to smell and reproduce any scent transports her into her family’s troubled past in this gorgeous, magical realist drama.

FLESHEATER (Presented by AGFA)

USA, 1988

Texas Premiere of 4K Restoration, 89 min

Director – Bill Hinzman

The “spiritual sequel” to George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, newly restored in 4K from the original 16mm camera negative by Vinegar Syndrome.

FLOWING

Italy, Belgium, 2022

World Premiere, 93 min

Director – Paolo Strippoli

In attendance – Director Paolo Strippoli

A broken family violently confronts their tragic past as the Roman sewers exhale a hallucinatory toxin that revives repressed memories and fears.

GAMERA VS. ZIGRA

Japan, 1971

North American Premiere, 87 min

Director – Noriaki Yuasa

A classic case of mutated, talking murdershark vs. nuclear turtlebeast when Japanese cinema’s second-most iconic reptile takes on an oceanic threat!

GARCIA!

Spain, 2022

World Premiere of 1st 2 Episodes, 114 min

Director – Eugenio Mira

In attendance – Director Eugenio Mira

On the hunt for a scoop that could secure her a job, a journalist intern inadvertently awakens a superhuman agent created by Franco’s regime.

GIVE ME PITY!

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 80 min

Director – Amanda Kramer

Sissy St. Clair’s debut television special, a variety show evening of music and laughter, quickly curdles into a psychedelic nightmare.

H4Z4RD

Belgium, 2022

North American Premiere, 86 min

Director – Jonas Govaerts

When Noah Hazard volunteers to drive his beloved gold Lexus to help his jailbird cousin pick up a friend from prison, he doesn’t expect to be drawn into a murderous drug war.

HOLY SPIDER

Denmark, 2022

Texas Premiere, 115 min

Director – Ali Abassi

A female journalist descends into an Iranian city’s underbelly to investigate a serial killer stalking sex workers to cleanse the streets of sinners.

HUESERA

Mexico, Peru, 2022

Texas Premiere, 97 min

Director – Michelle Garza Cervera

In attendance – Director Michelle Garza Cervera

An expectant young mother confronts her past demons in Michelle Garza Cervera’s creepy mash-up between a folk ghost story and an anxiety attack.

HUNT

South Korea, 2022

Texas Premiere, 125 min

Director – LEE Jung-jae

Rival KCIA agents hunt for an elusive North Korean spy in this ‘80s espionage thriller, the explosive directorial debut from SQUID GAME’s Lee Jung-jae.

JOINT SECURITY AREA (Presented by AGFA)

South Korea, 2000

US Premiere of Restoration, 110 min

Director – Park Chan-wook

Arrow Film’s new restoration of Park Chan-wook’s explosive exploration of the madness of war set in the DMZ between North and South Korea.

KIDS VS. ALIENS

USA, 2022

World Premiere, 75 min

Director – Jason Eisener

In attendance – Director Jason Eisener

Jason Eisener’s long-awaited follow-up to Canuxploitation classic HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN pits a group of moviemaking pals against sinister alien invaders.

KING ON SCREEN

France, USA, 2022

World Premiere, 105 min

Director – Daphné Baiwir

In attendance – Director Daphné Baiwir

A documentary exploration of the many screen adaptations of the work of Stephen King, with commentary from the filmmakers he’s influenced the most.

LA PIETÀ

Spain, Argentina, 2022

US Premiere, 84 min

Director – Eduardo Casanova

In attendance – Director Eduardo Casanova

A terminal cancer diagnosis upends a claustrophobic mother-son relationship in Spain’s auteur of weirdness, Eduardo Casanova’s sophomore film.

THE LEGACY OF THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE

United Kingdom, 2022

World Premiere, 83 min

Director – Phillip Escott

In attendance – Director Phillip Escott

Fest alumnus Phillip Escott presents a journey into THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, exploring the elements that garnered the film its cult status.

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE

Philippines, 2022

Texas Premiere, 99 min

Director – Martika Ramirez Escobar

In attendance – Director Martika Ramirez Escobar

A falling TV hits Leonor on the head, and she ends up in the action movie she’s writing, but there’s just one problem: she hasn’t finished the script.

A LIFE ON THE FARM

United Kingdom, USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 75 min

Director – Oscar Harding

In attendance – Director Oscar Harding, Executive Producers Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher

An often-macabre deep-dive into the inspiring legacy of the long-lost home movies of a filmmaking farmer’s life in rural Somerset, England. 

LIVING WITH CHUCKY

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 102 min

Director – Kyra Gardner

In attendance – Director Kyra Gardner

The daughter of one of Chucky’s puppeteers examines the family relationships that contributed to the success of the queer camp classic CHILD’S PLAY.

LYNCH / OZ

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 108 min

Director – Alexandre O. Philippe

Documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe dissects director David Lynch’s lifelong obsession with THE WIZARD OF OZ.

MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH

USA, 1976

Texas Premiere, 86 min

Director – William Grefé

A rabidly anti-human Vietnam vet cranks his telepathic shark-bond to 11 in William Grefe’s lethally entertaining shipwreck of JAWS and CARRIE.

MANTICORE

Spain, 2022

US Premiere, 115 min

Director – Carlos Vermut

In attendance – Director Carlos Vermut

Spanish cult director Carlos Vermut returns to the festival with an unsettling, intimate portrait of a real-life monster tortured by a grim secret.

MEDUSA DELUXE

United Kingdom, 2022

North American Premiere, 100 min

Director – Thomas Hardiman

In attendance – Director Thomas Hardiman

Tensions and hairspray run high when a stylist is murdered at an elite hairdressing competition where a passion for extravagance borders on obsession.

THE MENU

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 107 min

Director – Mark Mylod

In attendance – Director Mark Mylod

A couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

MISSING

Japan, 2021

US Premiere, 124 min

Director – Shinzô Katayama

A distraught daughter searches for her widower father, after he disappears while trying to collect the reward for capturing an unknown serial killer.

MISTER ORGAN

New Zealand, 2022

World Premiere, 96 min

Director – David Farrier

In attendance – Director David Farrier

Following reports of fraudulent car clamping in Auckland, journalist and filmmaker David Farrier opens an investigation that pushes him to the limits of his sanity in this incredible true story of psychological warfare.

THE NIGHTMARE

Norway, 2022

World Premiere, 99 min

Director – Kjersti Helen Rasmussen

Mona’s domestic bliss with her devoted boyfriend unravels as her night terrors intensify, but attempts at lucid dreaming reveal something sinister.

NIGHTSIREN

Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2022

US Premiere, 109 min

Director – Tereza Nvotová

Šarlota returns home decades after losing her sister in an accident, only to be faced by the brutal village patriarchy and accusations of witchcraft.

NOTHING

Denmark, Germany, 2022

International Premiere, 88 min

Directors – Trine Piil & Seamus McNally

In attendance – Directors Trine Piil & Seamus McNally

A group of teenage classmates face an existential crisis, pushing them into darker and darker territory as they confront the meaninglessness of life.

THE OFFERING

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 93 min

Director – Oliver Park

In attendance – Director Oliver Park

A desperate man defends his unborn child from an ancient demon brought into their family-owned, Hasidic funeral home inside a mysterious corpse.

OINK

The Netherlands, 2022

Texas Premiere, 70 min

Director – Mascha Halberstad

A young girl suspects that her estranged butcher grandfather has sinister plans for the

ONE AND FOUR

China, 2021

Texas Premiere, 88 min

Director – Jigme Trinley

A Tibetan forest ranger must deduce who among the three visitors seeking refuge in his cabin from a coming blizzard are poachers and who are cops.

THE PEOPLE’S JOKER (Burnt Ends Selection)

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 92 min

Director – Vera Drew

In attendance – Director Vera Drew

The Joker finds new purpose in Gotham City after transitioning and opening an illegal comedy club in Vera Drew’s handcrafted superhero genre parody.

PIGGY

Spain, 2022

Texas Premiere, 90 min

Director – Carlota Pereda

In attendance – Director Carlota Pereda

When a bullied girl’s tormentors are kidnapped, she faces the ultimate moral test: Does she help or allow them to suffer as payback?

PROJECT WOLF HUNTING

South Korea, 2022

US Premiere, 121 min

Director – KIM Hongsun

On the choppy seas between Manila and Busan, violent convicts run amok on a hellish cargo ship in this blood-soaked slice of maritime carnage.

SATANIC HISPANICS

USA, Mexico, Argentina, 2022

World Premiere, 105 min

Directors – Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues

In attendance – Directors Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues

Five crazy and original shorts from five entertaining Hispanic directors, together in an anthology that will make you laugh and jump in fright.

SHIN ULTRAMAN

Japan, 2022

Texas Premiere, 113 min

Director – Shinji Higuchi

Ultraman descends from space after Japan suffers a devastating series of kaiju attacks in this homage to the classic, genre-defining TV series.

SICK

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 82 min

Director – John Hyams

As the pandemic steadily brings the world to a halt, Parker and her best friend Miri decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone – or so they think. Directed by John Hyams (ALONE), written by Kevin Williamson (SCREAM, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) and Katelyn Crabb (SICK) and starring Gideon Adlon (BLOCKERS, THE CRAFT: LEGACY), Bethlehem Million (AND JUST LIKE THAT), Marc Menchaca (THE OUTSIDER, OZARK), and Jane Adams (TWIN PEAKS, POLTERGEIST, HACKS).

SICK OF MYSELF

Norway, Sweden, 2022

US Premiere, 95 min

Director – Kristoffer Borgli

Fueled by a need for attention, Signe plays a perverse game of one-upmanship with her boyfriend, popping a drug that causes a painful skin condition.

SMILE

USA, 2022

World Premiere, 116 min

Director – Parker Finn

In attendance – Director Parker Finn

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING

France, 2022

Texas Premiere, 80 min

Director – Quentin Dupieux

Five anti-smoking avengers are forced to take a mandatory team-building retreat in Quentin Dupieux’s absurdist take on the superhero genre.

SOLOMON KING

USA, 1974

World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 85 min

Directors – Jack Bomay & Sal Watts

Think twice before you mess with Solomon King! Deaf Crocodile’s meticulous restoration of Sal Watts’ ‘70s cult classic will soon be your new favorite.

SOMETHING IN THE DIRT

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 115 min

Directors – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

In attendance – Directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

A pair of Los Angeles misfits’ investigation into the city’s occult history sends them down a rabbit hole that threatens their friendship and sanity.

SPOONFUL OF SUGAR

USA, 2022

World Premiere, 94 min

Director – Mercedes Bryce Morgan

Desperate for connection, Millicent enmeshes herself in the lives of a dysfunctional family as her disturbing, LSD-fueled hallucinations grow violent.

THE STAIRWAY TO STARDOM MIXTAPE (Presented by AGFA)

USA, 2022

World Premiere, 70 min

Director – AFGA

Culled from more than 15 hours of footage, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) presents the definitive cut of public access TV’s most otherworldly show.

THE STRANGE CASE OF JACKY CAILLOU

France, 2022

North American Premiere, 92 min

Director – Lucas Delangle

Jacky has his grandmother’s gift of healing, but when a woman turns up on his doorstep with an unusual problem, he must decide how far he’ll go for love.

SWALLOWED

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 94 min

Director – Carter Smith

In attendance – Director Carter Smith and Actor Mark Patton

Forced to mule drugs on their crossing of the southern US border, two friends realize that the packages they ingested seem to be alive.

TERMINAL USA (Presented by AGFA)

USA, 1993

World Theatrical Premiere of 4K Restoration, 60 min

Director – Jon Moritsugu

Jon Moritsugu’s genre-melting underground classic, newly restored from the original camera negative by the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA).

TERRIFIER 2

USA, 2022

North American Premiere, 137 min

Director – Damien Leone

Resurrected by occult forces, Art the Clown returns to wreak bloody havoc on the residents of Miles County, targeting a frazzled mother and her kids.

TINTORERA!

Mexico, United Kingdom, 1977

Repertory 35mm Screening, 85 min

Director – René Cardona Jr.

A tiger shark disrupts two best friends’ blissful plans to enjoy life in the Caribbean in this Mexican sharksploitation classic from 1977.

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

Sweden, 2022

US Premiere, 149 min

Director – Ruben Östlund

In Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.

TROPIC

France, 2022

North American Premiere, 110 min

Director – Edouard Salier

In attendance – Director Edouard Salier

An extraterrestrial substance cripples an aspiring young astronaut, forcing his twin brother out of his shadow to continue his training alone.

ULTRAMAN (4K EDITION)

Japan, 1966

Texas Premiere of 2022 4K EDITION, 101 min

Directors – Samaji Nonagase, Hajime Tsuburaya & Akio Jissoji

Four episodes from the brand new 4k restoration of the original Ultraman television series. 

UNICORN WARS

Spain, France, 2022

US Premiere, 92 min

Director – Alberto Vázquez

After a bloody defeat in their apocalyptic war against the Unicorns, the Teddy Bear army launches a desperate attack in the heart of the magic forest.

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 100 min

Director – Juan Felipe Zuleta

In attendance – Director Juan Felipe Zuleta

An internet sex worker convinces her reclusive neighbor to road-trip across North America for a rendezvous with visitors from a distant galaxy.

V/H/S/99

USA, 2022

US Premiere, 99 min

Directors – Johannes Roberts, Maggie Levin, Flying Lotus, Tyler MacIntyre, Vanessa Winter & Joseph Winter

In attendance – Directors Maggie Levin & Tyler MacIntyre

The found footage anthology’s latest scare package rewinds the tape back to 1999 with bloody tales set against the end of the millennium.

VENUS

Spain, 2022

US Premiere, 100 min

Director – Jaume Balagueró

In attendance – Director Jaume Balagueró

Injured in an attempt to steal from her boss, Lucía hides with her sister, unaware that something’s very wrong with the rundown building’s residents.

VESPER

Belgium, France, Lithuania, 2022

US Premiere, 112 min

Directors – Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper

In attendance – Directors Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper

In a post-apocalyptic world, a peasant girl’s encounter with an oligarch’s lost daughter leads to a discovery that could reverse ecological collapse.

VIDEO DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (Presented by AGFA)

USA, 2012

World Premiere, 96 min

Director – Lindsay Denniberg

The American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) presents a new preservation of DIY filmmaker Lindsay Denniberg’s hypercolored, VHS-inspired horror valentine.

THE VISITOR FROM THE FUTURE

France, 2022

North American Premiere, 102 min

Director – François Descraques

A snarky time traveler from the year 2555 arrives to save the world from ecological disaster by attempting to assassinate a climate activist’s father.

WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD

Germany, Romania, 2022

Texas Premiere, 93 min

Director – Natalia Sinelnikova

When a dog disappears from a secluded high-rise building, fear spreads among the residents, threatening to turn their utopia into Absurdistan.

A WOUNDED FAWN

USA, 2022

Texas Premiere, 91 min

Director – Travis Stevens

In attendance – Director Travis Stevens, Actors Sarah Lind & Josh Ruben

Bruce is erudite, handsome, and charming… but he’s also a psychotic serial killer urged to violence by the gigantic red owl that lives in his head.

YEAR OF THE SHARK

France, 2022

North American Premiere, 84 min

Directors – Ludovic Boukherma & Zoran Boukherma

A maritime police sergeant-major spends her last days before retirement in the relentless pursuit of the shark terrorizing her small beach town.