Cirrus@Austlit

'Dubbed a “celebration of the imagination”, AFF expanded its scope in 2022 to include new venues across the city (Her Majesty’s Theatre, the Capri Theatre Goodwood), also touring films in regional sites and locations. A dedicated emphasis on youth, music and genre was evident throughout the festival’s programming: from the bone-crackling Huesera: The Bone Woman (Michelle Garza Cervera) (a great Mexican take on the ‘monstrous-feminine’) to a younger set of local Australian filmmakers who rose to the fore through their re-inventions of horror and science fiction. Across the festival, vulnerability (be it human, animal, ecological) emerged as a recurring theme. One particular animal, the humble donkey, appeared time and again in the festival’s standout international titles, calling attention to its vulnerable, creaturely presence.' (Introduction)