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NIFFF 2018 Awards

Gaspar Noé scoops the H.R. Giger “Narcisse” Award at NIFFF

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- The ever-provocative French director Gaspar Noé seduces Neuchâtel's international competition jury, chaired by David Cronenberg, with his film Climax

Gaspar Noé scoops the H.R. Giger “Narcisse” Award at NIFFF
Climax by Gaspar Noé

Coming to a close with some very positive stats – 44,000 attendees over the course of nine days – Neuchâtel International Film Festival (NIFFF) proves that it’s as dynamic and innovative as ever. A strong turnout that confirms a strong interest in the fantasy genre, which still has so much to offer.

The International Competition has, once again, offered NIFFF viewers a heteroclite and original overview of some of the best genre films of the year. From the horror film of the year, Hereditary by the American director Ari Aster, to the claustrophobic Cutterhead [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rasmus Kloster Bro
film profile
]
by Rasmus Kloster Bro, the mythical mangaadaptation Kasane - Beauty and Fateby Satô Yûichi  (which won the Audience RTS Award in the international and Asia competition), and finally, this year's big winner: the fantastically repulsive Climax [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Souheila Yacoub
film profile
]
by Gaspar Noé – the audience at this year’s festival experienced some very extreme emotions, to say the least.

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Already surrounded by an air of controversy earned at Cannes, where it was screened at the Directors' Fortnight (and awarded the Art Cinema Award), Climax seduced a demanding international jury chaired by the legendary David Cronenberg and comprised of the Swiss director Stéphanie Argerich, the Danish producer Lene Børglum, the South African director Nosipho Dumisa and the New Zealand illustrator Chris Stapp. The violence and sexually explicit scenes that give the film its rhythm and that pushed many viewers at Cannes to leave the room didn’t frighten off the audience at NIFFF, nor the jury, which awarded him the prestigious H.R. Giger "Narcisse" Award for Best Film (International Competition). Also scooping the Silver Méliès for Best European Fantastic Feature Film, Climax is automatically nominated for the Golden Méliès Award, which will be awarded next October at Sitges Film Festival by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF).

The refined and spicy Piercing by the young American director Nicolas Fish – an adaptation of a story by Murakami Ryū – was awarded the NIFFF International Critics Award and the Imagine the Future Award for Best Production Design (International Competition). 

The Silver Méliès for Best European Short Film – which also automatically enters the film into the running for the Golden Méliès – went to the Swiss director Pauline Jeanbourquin and her film Crepuscule, produced by the Ecole cantonale d’Art de Lausanne - Dipartimento cinema, Nouvelle Tribu.

A memorable edition thanks to David Cronenberg's unforgettable masterclass and passionate discussions with prominent guests – including the directors Ari Aster, Gaspar Noé and the Russian duo Timur Bekmambetov and Olga Kharina, the Icelandic actress Halldóra Geirhardsdóttir (main character in Woman at War [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benedikt Erlingsson
interview: Benedikt Erlingsson
film profile
]
by Benedikt Erlingsson) – NIFFF has once again demonstrated its ambition.

The award winners:

International Competition

H.R. Giger “Narcisse” Award for Best Film
Climax [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Souheila Yacoub
film profile
]
Gaspar Noé (France)

Silver Méliès for Best European Fantastic Feature Film
Climax – Gaspar Noé 

NIFFF International Critics’ Award
Piercing – Nicolas Pesce (USA) 

Imagine the Future Award for Best Production Design
Alan Lampert - Piercing 

Denis-De-Rougemont Youth Award
Under The Silver Lake – David Robert Mitchell (USA) 

Asia Competition 

Best Film from Asia
Bad Genius – Nattawut Poonpiriya (Thailand) 

Other Awards 

RTS Audience Award (International and Asia Competition)
Kasane – Satô Yûichi (Japan) 

H.R. Giger “Narcisse” Award for Best Swiss Short Film
Crepuscule – Pauline Jeanbourquin (Switzerland)

Silver Méliès for Best European Fantastic Short Film
Crepuscule – Pauline Jeanbourquin

Taurus Studio Innovation Award (Swiss Short Film Competition)
Das Mädchen im Schnee – Dennis Ledergerber (Switzerland)

Outside the Box Award
Cómprame un revólver – Julio Hernández Cordon (Mexico/Colombia)

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(Translated from Italian)

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