Sydney Underground Film Festival Reveals Slam Dunk of a 2016 Program
If you're tired of the same ol' superhero blockbusters, this one's for you.
Allergic to the multiplex? Couldn't care less if the latest superhero film is any good? Keen to get your cinema kicks watching flicks that won't turn up anywhere else in Sydney? If you answered yes to any of the above, then you probably already know that the 2016 Sydney Underground Film Festival is just around the corner. What you mightn't know just yet is just what dark and delicious film delights its 10th anniversary program holds.
The short answer: plenty. The slightly longer answer: where do we start? Whether you're after sequels to cult hits, remastered trash, docos about critical filmmakers or just a whole lot of movie mayhem and madness in between, you'll find it at The Factory in Marrickville from September 15 to 18 — as well as Sydney's first chance to experience a Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party.
Of course, SUFF wouldn't be the weird and wonderful alternative cinema celebration that cinephiles know and love without kicking off with something that'll get tongues wagging — or tails, actually. Whether you're a fan of Todd Solondz's 1995 effort Welcome to the Dollhouse, an aficionado of sausage-like pooches or fond of Greta Gerwig, you'll want to check out Sundance hit Wiener-Dog. Just remember that there'll be dachshunds and dark comedy.
At the other end of the fest, SUFF closes in the only way it can courtesy of none other than John Waters. When festival directors Katherine Berger and Stefan Popescu heard that Multiple Maniacs had been restored and re-released, they couldn't resist. A camp comedy of extreme perversions set in a travelling sideshow — now that's how you close an underground film fest.
Speaking of seminal filmmakers, Waters isn't the only great auteur in SUFF's sights. Check out the Noah Baumbach-directed documentary De Palma, as well as a 40th anniversary screening of his horror classic Carrie. Or, if Richard Linklater is more your style, Dream is Destiny will step you through his career. A 25th anniversary session of David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch keeps the big names coming, as does Sion Sono's latest over-the-top effort, The Virgin Psychics. As far as the latter's concerned, we're guessing the title says it all.
Elsewhere, eager viewers can indulge their love of out-there fare courtesy of Turkey's Baskin, meme-focused doc Beware the Slenderman, and the Christopher Lloyd-starring I Am Not A Serial Killer, just to name a few. British monster comedy Aaaaaaaah! features The Mighty Boosh's Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, while Anti-Birth follows the hard-partying Natasha Lyonne and Chloë Sevigny as they cope with a mysterious pregnancy.
Or, enjoy the brightest-coloured witch movie you'll ever see, aka The Love Witch, or throw cutlery at the screen during The Room-focused tribute Room Full of Spoons. And yes, there's more in store across the complete four-day lineup. You know where to find us come mid-September.
The Sydney Underground Film Festival runs from September 15 to 18. To view the full SUFF 2015 program, or to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
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