Sydney’s leading festival for cult, underground and independent films, the Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF) has announced its first in-person return since 2019. With a packed virtual and physical program, the festival will run from September 8-11. This year round, the festival is also moving to a brand new location of Event Cinemas, George Street.
The Underground Film Festival
Like every year, attendees can expect a packed program of feature and documentary films, homegrown Australian premieres, shorts and several live events.
Highlights include:
- International Premiere of I Love My Dad on opening night starring Patton Oswalt and James Morosini. The movie revolves around a desperate father who pretends to be a woman online in order to reconnect with his son.
- Gen-Z horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies — combining elements from our favourite comedy and slasher flicks like Clue, Scream and Mean Girls.
- Exclusive NSW premiere of sci-fi, dark comedy Something in the Dirt.
- World premiere of Pig Killer by director Chad Ferrin.
- Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon by Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour.
- Special charity event of Ukrainian film Rhino.
- The return of the TAKE48 film challenge which will take place for 48 hours from August 19-21. Testing the knowledge of budding and established filmmakers, over $10,000 worth of prizes will be on the line.
Other highlights
There’s a lot more on the program for film buffs. Music lovers can look forward to music documentaries like in I Get Knocked Down, featuring Chumbawamba singer Dunstan Bruce and Pub: The Movie. In the Court of the Crimson King, on cult rock band King Crimson is also on the planner.
As for shorts, an extensive collection of animation, documentaries and more is making its way to the city. Expect documentary shorts program Reality Bites, Love/Sick and more. The Underground Film Festival also has an extensive variety of films for those catching up on the program at home. Find the full list here.
“There has never been a better time to come and discover new films alongside like-minded people,” Katherine Berger, Festival Director said.
“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 horrific films not to be missed on the big screen this September,” she added.
There’s a lot more happening across the four-day event. Find the full list of titles here.