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 23 April to 15 May 2026, promising a kaleidoscopic showcase of the world’s most exciting voices in cult, genre, arthouse, and alternative cinema.

Artistic Director's Welcome

"For our seventh year, Fantastic Film Festival Australia returns bigger, louder, and more daring than ever. Expect the unexpected.  

Our program includes 37 films: six premiere local features, 14 new international features, 17 iconic classics and restorations, plus 22 short films that showcase the next generation of fearless storytellers. 

We are thrilled to introduce the inaugural Fantastic Film Prize, a new initiative celebrating the most exciting voices in Australian genre cinema with a $10,000 cash prize. This award recognises filmmakers pushing boundaries and redefining what local genre storytelling can be. 

Our retrospective weekender events are not to be missed. ‘Vampire Weekend’ is a blood-soaked marathon of seven iconic vampire films, ranging from arthouse elegance to pure midnight mayhem. We then descend into the depths with ‘FLESH//GHOST//MACHINE: Japanese Nightmares’, a weekend of seven restored gems celebrating the intensity, atmosphere, and imagination that made the J-horror movement a global phenomenon. 

That’s just scratching the surface of what we have in store. We can't wait for you to join us for three weeks of cinema at its wildest, strangest and most fantastic. 

Stay weird out there."

— 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.