Thursday 14 April 1:00 Industry event - Festival Secrets 7:30 Red Carpet Drinks 8:00 SHORTS PROGRAM + Opening Night Party Friday 15 April 5:00 Industry event - The Attic Lab Pitch + Networking Drinks 8.00 Feature film - THE INVITATION + short film THE THINGS WE TAKE 10.00 Feature film - THE LOVE WITCH + short film INNSMOUTH Saturday 16 April 11:00 Symposium - Bad Dog! (Dominic Leonard) 12:00 Symposium - Old Age and Treachery (Erin Harrington) 1:00 Symposium - Spilling Her Guts (Alison Mann) 2:30 Industry event - Tasmanian Gothic Script Readings and Awards 3.00 Industry event - Horror Now Panel 4:00 Feature film - GIRL ASLEEP 7.00 Feature film - EVOLUTION 10.00 Feature film - MIDNIGHT SHOW Sunday 17 April 11.30 Feature film - FRANKENSTEIN 2:30 Symposium - Deidre Hall is the Devil (Jodi McAlister) 3:30 Symposium - Shock And Awe (Emma Valente) 4.30 Feature film - THE FORSAKEN + short film THORN 7.00 Feature film - CRUSHED 9:00 Farewell Drinks in the Festival Club Stranger With My Face International Film Festival is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Screen Tasmania. #swmfiff Well, we’re back. After a hiatus in 2015, Stranger With My Face Horror Film Festival returns for its 4th edition—and is now known as Stranger With My Face International Film Festival. Why the name change? Don’t worry, we’re still into horror. Personally, I did get sick of about talking about the defi- nition of it all the time though, or worrying about what could or couldn’t logically be screened under that label. Genre is only a label in the end, and is useful mainly for marketing. The most interesting and notable films tend to not entirely fit conventional definitions. Or, at least, they’re redefining the genre... which is kind of the point. Stranger With My Face is still about dark storytelling. And it’s primarily about highlighting the work of women directors (there are a few films from male directors, screening out of competition). But I hope you’ll agree that, within that framework, there’s a huge diversity to be found within the pro- gram this year. Which surely reflects well on the state of indie horror filmmaking right now. And while this festival is first and foremost aimed at a genre audience, that’s not the end of the story. We also want to engage with people who say they ‘don’t like horror’ (and, to be fair, some don’t just say it, they actually mean it too!). My hot tips on that score: Girl Asleep and Evolution. But it’s not even that simple. For the fans who love zombies but can’t handle ghost stories, or for those who are into monsters but not slasher killers, the broad idea of ‘horror’, is pretty unhelpful. So for the benefit of the more wary viewer, the symbols below should provide some guidance. At the same time, I recommend that you step outside your comfort zone, at least a little, because that’s what film festivals are about. Buy a festival pass, see films made by directors you’ve never heard of, go to the Mary Shelley Symposium... surprise yourself! Stranger With My Face is intended to operate as a curated conversation: first, between the artists involved, and then between the artists and the audience. That’s you. Briony Kidd Festival Director SUPERNATURAL THEMES VIOLENCE GORE VERY WEIRD CULT OR OCCULT #swmfiff FEATURE FILMS Crushed Evolution Australia | 2015 | 111 minutes France/Belgium/Spain | 2015 | 81 minutes directed by Megan Riakos directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović unclassified, no under 15s unless with an adult unclassified, no under 15s unless with an adult TASMANIAN PREMIERE AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Crushed is the story of a young woman who “Put aside everything you know about the birds returns home to her family vineyard after her and the bees. Lucile Hadžihalilović’s Evolution father dies in an accident at the winery. But when proposes an entirely new paradigm to explain his death is ruled a murder and her mother where babies come from, burrowing into becomes the prime suspect she must uncover the young men’s subconscious anxieties about truth. those aspects of their biology that they can and cannot control — including fear of penetration Starring Sarah Bishop, Roxanne Wilson and Les and pregnancy — to create an unsettling Hill, Crushed was shot on location in the beautiful companion piece to her 2005 arthouse Australian wine region of Mudgee, New South provocation, Innocence. “—Variety Wales. A bold and visually stunning work from one of Megan Riakos short film The Shed screened at world cinema’s most original filmmakers. SWMF 2013. Crushed is her feature film debut. Megan Riakos will be present for a Q&A hosted Lucile Hadžihalilović will be available for a Q&A by the Australian Director’s Guild’s Rebecca via Skype after this screening. Thomson. 7 PM, SUNDAY 17 APRIL 7 PM, SATURDAY 16 APRIL PEACOCK THEATRE PEACOCK THEATRE TICKETS $16/$18 OR WITH FESTIVAL PASS TICKETS $16/$18 OR WITH FESTIVAL PASS FEATURE FILMS Evolution The Forsaken Frankenstein Spain (English language) | 2015 | 86 minutes USA | 2015 | 90 minutes directed by Yolanda Torres directed by Bernard Rose unclassified, no under 15s unless with an adult unclassified, under 18s not admitted AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A band of criminals is hired to kidnap a wealthy Mary Shelley’s story reimagined in the modern businessman’s daughter, but the plan goes day and told from the perspective of the horribly wrong. monster, who’s been left for dead by a husband- and-wife team of eccentric scientists. A mysterious woman named Sara (Claudia Trujillo) propels us through this visceral twist on Xavier Samuel’s powerhouse performance the haunted house story. leads a stellar cast, including Carrie-Anne Moss, Danny Huston and Tony Todd. A production from Afilm International Film Workshops, made by students and teachers The acclaimed director of Candyman, Immortal from this film school located in Sitges. Beloved and Paperhouse captures the primal and uncompromising essence of a classic This film is preceded by the short film Thorn. tale, recontextualising its themes for the 21st Century. This flim is screening out of competition. Yolanda Torres will be available for a Q&A via Skype after this screening. 4.30 PM, SUNDAY 17 APRIL 11.30 AM, SUNDAY 17 APRIL PEACOCK THEATRE MONA MUSEUM TICKETS $16/$18 OR WITH FESTIVAL PASS TICKETS $16/$18 OR WITH FESTIVAL PASS FEATURE FILMS Girl Asleep The Invitation Australia | 2015 | 77 minutes USA | 2015 | 99 minutes directed by Rosemary Meyers directed by Karyn Kusama unclassified, general admittance unclassified, no under 15s unless with an adult TASMANIAN PREMIERE TASMANIAN PREMIERE Greta (Bethany Whitmore) can’t bear to leave her Will and Eden lost their son years ago. The childhood. She floats in a bubble of loserdom with tragedy affected their relationship irreversibly, her only friend Elliott (Harrison Feldmann), until to the point that she disappeared overnight. One her parents throw her a surprise 15th birthday day, Eden returns to the city; she’s married again party and she’s flung into a parallel place; a and something in her seems to have changed, world that’s weirdly erotic, a little bit violent and turning her into a disturbing presence, now thoroughly ludicrous – only there can she find unrecognizable even to Will. herself. Karyn Kusama is the acclaimed director of Based on the acclaimed production by Windmill Girlfight, Aeon Flux and Jennifer’s Body. The Theatre, Girl Asleep is a journey into the absurd, Invitation won the Jury Award at the Sitges scary and beautiful heart of the teenage mind. International Film Festival in 2015. “Girl Asleep is an exuberant example of “The shivers arrive early and often in “The imaginative filmmaking that takes its cues from Invitation,” a teasingly effective thriller that imagination and talent — with nary a focus group builds a remarkable level of tension...” in sight.”—Variety —Variety This film is preceded by the short film The Things We Take. The filmmakers will be in attendance for a Q&A. Rosemary Myers will be available for a Q&A via Skype after this screening. 4 PM, SATURDAY 16 APRIL 8 PM, FRIDAY 15 APRIL PEACOCK THEATRE PEACOCK THEATRE TICKETS $16/$18 OR WITH FESTIVAL PASS TICKETS $16/$18 OR WITH FESTIVAL PASS FEATURE FILMS The Invitation The Love Witch Midnight Show USA | 2016 | 120 minutes Indonesia (English subtitles) | 2016 | 97 minutes directed by Anna Biller directed by Ginanti Rona Tembang Asri unclassified, no under 15s unless with an adult unclassified, under 18s not admitted AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Elaine (Sarah Robinson) enchants men with her The staff of a Jakarta movie theatre are charms, consuming them by the net full. Yet this annoyed at having to work late to accommodate narcissistic witch reverses the traditional roles a small audience for the midnight showing of a of the sexes. A feminist message in a fantastic horror movie called Child. That’s nothing to how 1960s setting. they’re going to feel when the real-life killer who inspired the story pays them a visit... With impressive attention to detail in set, costumes and music (including pieces by Ennio This is the feature debut of Ginanti Rona Morricone), Biller creates a decadent retro Tembang Asri, whose previous credits include aesthetic. With a use of saturated colour that 1st assistant director on Killers and V/H/S2 and recalls Technicolor, The Love Witch was shot on as 2nd unit director on The Raid and The Raid 2. 35mm. Midnight Show was a box office hit on its release The filmmaker’s love of genre cinema is evident in Indonesia earlier this year.