Festivals - Fantastic Fest 2022 Announces Colossal Feature Programming and More

By Mulder, 16 august 2022

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. In years past, the festival has been home to the world and US premieres of Parasite, Jojo rabbit, The black phone, John Wick, Frankenweenie, There will be blood, Apocalypto, Zombieland, Red, Split, Halloween, Bad times at the el royale, Mid 90s, and Suspiria while the guest roster has included such talent as Tim Burton, Nicolas Winding-Refn, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, Bong Joon-Ho, Taika Waititi, Robert Rodriguez, Rian Johnson, Bill Murray, Keanu Reeves, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder, Edward Norton, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Karl Urban, Josh Hartnett, The RZA, Dolph Lundgren, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Darren Aronofsky, Mike Judge, Karyn Kusama, M. Night Shyamalan, James McAvoy, Vince Vaughn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jonah Hill, Barbara Crampton and Jessica Harper. Fantastic Fest also features world, national, and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films. Fantastic Fest has seen the acquisition of many titles, including Bullhead, Kill list, Monsters, Klown, The fp, Penumbra, Here comes the devil, No rest for the wicked, Vanishing waves, Combat girls, I declare war, The perfection, and Tigers are not afraid Fantastic Fest is held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas. Alamo Drafthouse has been named the best theater in the country by Entertainment Weekly, Wired, and Time.
  
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.”

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. 
 
Fantastic Fest is proud to join the WomanInFan initiative, launched by the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia. WomanInFan was born with the aim to celebrate and elevate the role of the female filmmakers within the fantasy genre. The initiative aims to provide historical visibility, support for new projects, and foster connections and opportunities for female filmmakers. 
 
Spanish and French Genre cinema are a big part of this year’s Fantastic Fest. With topics ranging from killer sharks, urban exploration gone wrong, space exploration, time travel, witchcraft, alien invasion to real life monsters and space rangers, it is clear that our cross-Atlantic neighbors were pretty busy during the pandemic. Fantastic Fest is thankful for the support of Acción Cultural Española and Unifrance, two cultural entities facilitating the travels of their national filmmakers.
 
We are thrilled to present 85 feature film titles and episodics, as well as a variety of short film selections to be announced at a later date — all showcasing World, North American, U.S. and Regional Premieres. See below for the full lineup of feature film programming at this year’s festival. 
 
12 days of terror (USA) (2004) (95 minutes)
Directed by Jack Sholder
In attendance - Director Jack Sholder
Synopsis : 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) (113 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Prem Lalwani & Desh Mukherjee
Synopsis : 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) (72 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Alex Phillips
In attendance - Director Alex Phillips
Synopsis : 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) (104 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon
In attendance - Director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon
Synopsis : 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) (96 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Luis Tinoco Pineda
In attendance - Director Luis Tinoco Pineda
Synopsis : 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) (105 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Gabriel Bier Gislason
In attendance - Director Gabriel Bier Gislason
Synopsis : 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) (118 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Kensuke Sonomura
Synopsis : 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) (114 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Martin McDonagh
In attendance - Director Martin McDonagh
Synopsis : 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) (83 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by James Nguyen
In attendance - Director James Nguyen
Synopsis : 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) (102 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Dain Said
Synopsis : A psychic teenage boy battles a bloodthirsty, malevolent spirit in this gory Malaysian horror from Bunohan’s Dain Said. Minutes

Blood relatives (USA) (2022) (88 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Noah Segan
In attendance - Director Noah Segan
Synopsis : 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) (129 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
In attendance – Director Luca Guadagnino
Synopsis : 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) (81 minutes) (Austin Premiere)
Directed by Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader
In attendance - Directors Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader, Actors Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher
Synopsis : 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) (84 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Mickey Reece
In attendance - Director Mickey Reece
Synopis : 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) (138 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
In attendance - Director Park Chan-wook
Synopsis : 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) (80 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Grégory Beghin
Synopsis : 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) (103 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Chris Huang Wen Chang
Synopsis : 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)
Directed Luis Javier Henaine
Synopsis  : After sneaking onto a crime scene to snap pictures of a corpse, an ambitious photographer stumbles into a curse that takes away his senses one by one.

The elderly (Spain) (2022) (95 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Raul Cerezo & Fernando Gonzalez Gomez
Synopsis : 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) (120 minutes)(North American Premiere)
Directed by David Hebrero
In attendance - Director David Hebrero
Synopsis : 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) (100 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Isaac Ezban
In attendance - Director Isaac Ezban, Actor Paola Miguel
Synopsis : 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) (96 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Peter Hengl
In attendance - Director Peter Hengl
Synopsis  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) (111 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
Synopsis : 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) (103 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Léa Mysius
Synopsis : 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) (89 minutes) (Texas Premiere of 4K Restoration)
Directed by Bill Hinzman
Synopsis : 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) (93 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Paolo Strippoli
In attendance - Director Paolo Strippoli
Synopsis : 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) 87 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa
Synopsis : 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) (114 minutes) (World Premiere of 1st 2 Episodes)
Directed by Eugenio Mira
In attendance - Director Eugenio Mira
Synopsis : 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) (80 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Amanda Kramer
Synopsis : 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 minutes)
Directed by Jonas Govaerts
Synopsis : 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) (115 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Ali Abassi
Synopsis : 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) (97 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera
In attendance - Director Michelle Garza Cervera
Synopsis : 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) (125 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by LEE Jung-jae
Synopsis : 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) (110 minutes) (US Premiere of Restoration)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Synopsis : 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 minutes)
Directed by Jason Eisener
In attendance - Director Jason Eisener
Synopsis : 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) (105 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Daphné Baiwir
In attendance - Director Daphné Baiwir
Synopsis : 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) (84 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Eduardo Casanova
In attendance - Director Eduardo Casanova
Synopsis : 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) (83 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Phillip Escott
In attendance - Director Phillip Escott
Synopsis : Fest alumnus Phillip Escott presents a journey into The Texas Chainsaw massacre, exploring the elements that garnered the film its cult status.

Leonor will never die (Philippines (2022) (99 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar
In attendance - Director Martika Ramirez Escobar
Synopsis : 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) (75 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Oscar Harding
In attendance - Director Oscar Harding, Executive Producers Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher
Synopsis : 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) (102 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Kyra Gardner
In attendance - Director Kyra Gardner
Synopsis : 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) (108 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe
Synopsis : Documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe dissects director David Lynch’s lifelong obsession with The wizard of oz.

Mako: the jaws of death (USA) (1976) (86 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by William Grefé
Synopsis : 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) (115 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Carlos Vermut
In attendance - Director Carlos Vermut
Synopsis : 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) (100 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Thomas Hardiman
In attendance - Director Thomas Hardiman
Synopsis : 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) (107 minutes)  (US Premiere)
Directed by Mark Mylod
In attendance - Director Mark Mylod
Synopsis : 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) (124 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Shinzô Katayama
Synopsis : 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) (96 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by David Farrier
In attendance - Director David Farrier
Synopsis : 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) (99 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Kjersti Helen Rasmussen
Synopsis : 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) (109 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Tereza Nvotová
Synopsis : 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) (88 minutes) (International Premiere)
Directed by Trine Piil & Seamus McNally
In attendance - Directors Trine Piil & Seamus McNally
Synopsis : 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) (93 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Oliver Park
In attendance - Director Oliver Park
Synopsis : 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) (70 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Mascha Halberstad
Synopsis : A young girl suspects that her estranged butcher grandfather has sinister plans for the adorable piglet he has given her as a birthday gift.

One and four (China) (2021) (88 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Jigme Trinley
Synopssis : 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) (92 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Vera Drew
In attendance - Director Vera Drew
Synopsis : 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) (90 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Carlota Pereda
In attendance - Director Carlota Pereda
Synopsis : 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) (121 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by KIM Hongsun
Synopsis : 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) (105 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by 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
Synopsis : 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) (113 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Shinji Higuchi
Synopsis : 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) (82 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by John Hyams
Synopsis : 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) (95 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Kristoffer Borgli
Synopsis : 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) (116 minutes) ( World Premiere)
Directed by Parker Finn
In attendance - Director Parker Finn
Synopsis : 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) (80 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Quentin Dupieux
Synopsis : 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) (85 minutes) (World Premiere of 4K Restoration)
Directed by Jack Bomay & Sal Watts
Synopsis : 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) (115 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directors - Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
In attendance - Directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Synopsis : 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) (94 minutes) ( World Premiere)
Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Synopsis : 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) (70 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by AFGA
Synopsis : 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) (92 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Lucas Delangle
Synopsis : 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) (94 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Carter Smith
In attendance - Director Carter Smith and Actor Mark Patton
Synopsis : 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) (60 minutes) (World Theatrical Premiere of 4K Restoration)
Directed by Jon Moritsugu
Synopsis : 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) (137 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Damien Leone
Synopsis : 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) (85 minutes) (Repertory 35mm Screening)
Directed by René Cardona Jr.
Synopsis : 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) (149 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Ruben Östlund
Synopsis : 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) (110 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Edouard Salier
In attendance - Director Edouard Salier
Synopsis : 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) (101 minutes) ( Texas Premiere of 2022 4K Edition)
Directors - Samaji Nonagase, Hajime Tsuburaya & Akio Jissoji
Synopsis : Four episodes from the brand new 4k restoration of the original Ultraman television series. 

Unicorn wars (Spain, France) (2022) (92 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Alberto Vázquez
Synopsis : 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) (100 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Juan Felipe Zuleta
In attendance - Director Juan Felipe Zuleta
Synopsis : 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) (99 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directors - Johannes Roberts, Maggie Levin, Flying Lotus, Tyler MacIntyre, Vanessa Winter & Joseph Winter
In attendance - Directors Maggie Levin & Tyler MacIntyre
Synopsis : 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) (100 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directed by Jaume Balagueró
In attendance - Director Jaume Balagueró
Synopsis : 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) (112 minutes) (US Premiere)
Directors - Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper
In attendance - Directors Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper
Synopsis : 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) (96 minutes) (World Premiere)
Directed by Lindsay Denniberg
Synopsis : 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) (102 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by François Descraques
Synopsis : 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) (93 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Natalia Sinelnikova
Synopsis : When a dog disappears from a secluded high-rise building, fear spreads among the residents, threatening to turn their utopia into Absurdistan.

Awounded fawn (USA) (2022) (91 minutes) (Texas Premiere)
Directed by Travis Stevens
In attendance - Director Travis Stevens, Actors Sarah Lind & Josh Ruben
Synopsis : 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) (84 minutes) (North American Premiere)
Directed by Ludovic Boukherma & Zoran Boukherma
Synopsis : A maritime police sergeant-major spends her last days before retirement in the relentless pursuit of the shark terrorizing her small beach town.

(Source : press release)