Fantastic Film Festival Australia is once again descending upon Melbourne and Sydney like a beautifully cinematic meteor, and honestly, what a privilege it is to stand directly in its blast radius.

Alphabet Lane is a hypnotic ode to isolation and the lengths that everyday Australians will go to just to feel normal again. 

Despite its flaws, The Deb is a very solid Aussie crowd pleaser that will hopefully reach more audiences as the years go on. 

For viewers who want a tight, thoughtful sci-fi horror mixture, Cold Storage will undoubtedly frustrate, but for those in the mood for messy, gory fun, its lead chemistry and gleeful commitment to splatter-comedy make it an entertaining - if imperfect - midnight snack for genre fans.

The Drama reminds viewers that they are not what they almost did, and to give each other a chance to start over.

The film being the winner of the Enrico Fulchignoni Award, an award given at the Venice Film Festival to films that best represent UNESCO values, is perhaps the best summation of what this film strives for.

Pillion bizarrely retrofits Adam Mars-Jones tragicomic novella Box Hill within the structure of a rom-com, defanging the complex sexual politics of the original text in favour of a highly marketable premise.

It’s a classic French studio comedy: glossy and taking full advantage of its setting, toothless while simultaneously somehow well-observed, and would certainly go down easy on a night out with a glass of wine.

In an era of horror films that strain for prestige, Send Help feels refreshingly unconcerned with respectability. It is messy, funny, cruel, and wholly entertaining.

Is This Thing On? ultimately finds its strength in the emotional nuance of its central relationship, anchored by convincing performances from Arnett and Dern.

No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision to Leave), is another sharp entry in the filmmaker’s body of work, showcasing his distinctive visual style and darkly comedic sensibility.

Nouvelle Vague is Linklater’s answer to the credence that all directors must one day make a film about filmmaking. This is an absurd thing to believe.

Sweet but not saccharin, Rental Family (2025) is a solid feel good film despite its slightly confused final message.

Urchin isn’t concerned with a film-like “happy” conclusion to its character’s problems; it lets you marinate in the idea that things might not actually get better - and that was refreshing.

Don’t forget to do the #EllaMcCayChallenge if you see a poster or standee for this at whichever cinema you see it at!

Eternity is a must watch. It’s not just a great romantic comedy, but also one which has a perspective that almost none of its genre companions do.

If you love Shakira’s vocals, slow burn romances, justice, and films that encourage critical thinking, then Zootopia 2 is the film for you. 

Christmas Karma certainly isn’t boring, but not in the way you would want it to be.

If you’re into lighthearted WWI films, chorals, the beauty of Yorkshire, and Ralph Fiennes’s captivating performance then The Choral is the film for you. 

Where the first film offsets its crude side with a palpably warm heart, Goremageddon plays like a reunion tour that’s fun for the diehards, but very much has the air of desperation that comes with one final hurrah.