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FESTIVALS Switzerland

The 23rd edition of the Geneva International Film Festival embraces tradition and innovation

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- With 170 films, 12 international premieres and 88 Swiss premieres on the programme, along with 200 guests, the festival (3-11 November) looks to be on great form

The 23rd edition of the Geneva International Film Festival embraces tradition and innovation
The Guardians by Xavier Beauvois

Seemingly always with its ear to the ground regarding the latest innovations in the world of cinema, the Geneva International Film Festival is this year presenting us with a wide-ranging program of current audiovisual productions. Until recently known as Tous Ecrans (all screens in English), the Genevan festival is a true pioneer and is always in tune with the latest cinematic developments, both in terms of content and format (new technology, TV series, virtual reality, etc.).

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The big news this year is the installation of a new space called Territoires Virtuels, a 600m2 area devoted entirely to virtual reality and due to host 26 virtual works and immersive projects.

The 23rd edition of the Geneva International Film Festival will open with Swiss co-production The Guardians [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile
]
by Xavier Beauvois, starring Nathalie Baye, Laura Smet, Iris Bry and Xavier Beauvois (all of whom are on the lengthy guest list for this year). The International Competition – the true heart of the festival – includes ten strong and radical films, all of which will be premiering in Switzerland. Among them is Crater [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Silvia Luzi, Luca Bellino
film profile
]
by Luca Bellino and Silvia Luzi, Closeness [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Russian Kantemir Balagov, the Romanian Meda or the Not So Bright Side of Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emanuel Pârvu
film profile
]
by Emanuel Parvu and the two French films Occidental [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Neïl Beloufa
film profile
]
– the debut feature by Franco-Alergian artist Neïl Beloufa – and Thirst Street [+see also:
trailer
interview: Nathan Silver
film profile
]
by Nathan Silver (co-produced with the USA). Many European films also on the program in other sections, such as Jalouse [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by David and Stéphane Foenkinos, starring Karin Viard and Bruno Todeschini, Djam [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by the charismatic French director Tony Gatlif and the fantastic thriller Thelma [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eili Harboe
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile
]
by Norwegian Joachim Trier, all of which are in the Highlight Screenings section. The Rien que pour vos yeux section is set to bring together some festival favourites, including the French films The Starry Sky Above Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Ilan Klipper and Paris Prestige [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Ekoeé Lebitey and Hamé Bourok.

The Film & Beyond Prize is set to go to legendary US director Abel Ferrara this year, whose film Piazza Vittorio [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
will also be closing the festival. The Geneva Digital Market will be hosting this year's third and final part of the project dedicated to Swiss cinema, Connect to Reality, which will focus on the impact of new technology on audiovisual practices. Artificial intelligence and new augmented reality headsets are just a few of the topics on the menu.

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(Translated from Italian)

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