About FFFA

From the shadows of the unconventional to the spotlight of Melbourne and Sydney cinema screens, Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA) promises a spectacle of the weird, wonderful, and wholly unexpected. FFFA is set to captivate curious audiences with its panoramic celebration of new and provocative films that dare to venture beyond the cinematic norm.

FFFA returns from 24 April to 16 May 2025, promising a kaleidoscopic showcase of the world’s most exciting voices in cult, genre, arthouse, and alternative cinema.

Artistic Director's Welcome

"FFFA is a celebration of vibrant, boundary-pushing cinema, spotlighting unrestrained and wholly original voices from around the globe. This year we have a panoramic line-up of 27 films including 17 feature film premieres and 10 iconic classics, plus 19 short films, spread across three weeks of pure cinematic pandemonium.

We’re thrilled to showcase an exceptional range of Australian talent with the premieres of four new Australian feature films, 15 short films and the long overdue restoration of Summerfield, an Australian masterpiece. These visionary storytellers offer bold and fresh perspectives, set against this strange, sunburnt land.

The centrepiece of this year’s program is a retrospective of the extraordinary works of Lynne Ramsay, one of the most uncompromising voices in cinema. Her work is intimate, unsettling, raw and profoundly human. The festival is thrilled to be bringing all four of her groundbreaking films back to Australian cinemas.

To close the festival, we’re lighting the fuse on an explosive screening of the gun-fu masterpiece Hard Boiled, complete with a bombastic live improvisational jazz score by The Rookies. This is more than just a screening, it’s an unmissable all-out sensory spectacle.

So, take a ride on the wild side this year. Find your new favourites, discover cult classics in the making, and join our community of likeminded cinematic explorers. Thanks for tuning in – and stay weird."

— Artistic Director Hudson Sowada

FFFA has received a classification excemption from the Australian Classification Board. Unless stated otherwise on the website, all screenings are restricted to patrons aged 18 and over.

FFFA does not tolerate inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour, nor any off-screen activities that cause anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe. For nude screening guidelines see the event page here.