Get ready—SLASH 1/2 is charging toward you with flared nostrils, unstoppable, to ignite the annual cinematic May bonfire for the 12th time. To get things started, we’re revealing the first four of the nine genre gems that will be sweeping across the Filmcasino screen from May 7 to 9.
But first, some tech news: For the first time this year, we’re launching a brand-new ticketing system, and you can register on our website starting Monday, April 13.
The full SLASH 1/2 program will be released on April 17, and ticket sales begin the same day at 5 p.m.
THE FIRST FOUR SLASH 1/2 HIGHLIGHTS
With the Austrian premiere of Curry Barker’s OBSESSION (2025 US; Theatrical release: May 14), one of the hottest genre films of the year hits the big screen: With the help of a “One-Wish Willow,” the desperate romantic Bear finally hopes to win over Niki, the woman he loves so dearly. But once his wish is granted, his romantic bliss quickly escalates into his worst nightmare.
In THE FURIOUS, also making its Austrian debut at SLASH 1/2, action choreographer, stuntman, and director Kenji Tanigaki brings together the current top tier of Pan-Asian martial arts cinema: The daughter of martial artist Wang Wei is kidnapped by human traffickers, prompting her father to take bloody revenge.
Once again this year, SLASH 1/2 will present five European genre films that were screened the previous week as part of the Night Sight program (curated by SLASH team members Mattias Fabian and Matthias Eckkrammer) at Crossing Europe in Linz.
Among them is the darkly comic Berlinale competition entry ROSEBUSH PRUNING (Stadtkino Filmverleih, theatrical release: May 8): Based on a screenplay by Lanthimos’s co-writer Efthimis Filippou, Karim Aïnouz weaves a stylish, star-studded satire about the decline of an obscenely wealthy family dynasty.
A no less perverted “family construct” is at the center of Gábor Holtai’s feature film debut FEELS LIKE HOME, which became a box-office hit in Hungary: Rita, who has just been fired, is kidnapped and forced to take on the role of her sister Szilvi in order to be integrated into the Árpád family.