26/10/2023 - A place of discovery and for discussing the ever-growing potential of audiovisual, the Genevan event invites us to dive head-first into an array of works which refuse to follow the rules

Daaaaaali ! by Quentin Dupieux

In the press release focusing on her third year at the head of the Geneva International Film Festival - GIFF, Anaïs Emery insists that she’ll be making the most of this 29th edition (running 3 – 12 November) to "hone the role of the GIFF and the GDM – Geneva Digital Market as places to reflect upon and experiment with the potential of audiovisual", and places to reflect about film more generally. In this sense, film becomes synonymous with innovation, sharing, opening up towards the future and multi-disciplinarity. As Emery stresses, the Geneva Award - which is set to be awarded to the Kourtrajmé collective this year - is a prime example of this intention, of the festival’s desire to open itself up to the different possibilities offered by the audiovisual sector. Given their pronounced taste for independence and gender fluidity expressed through a diversified use of formats, and their desire to democratise cinema, Kourtrajmé aren’t afraid to impose their own personal vision for the audiovisual medium.

Daaaaaali ! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Quentin Dupieux is set to kick things off with a welcome dose of craziness: six gleeful actors play the famous Spanish artist, who has been chosen by a journalist to be the main subject of his new film. An impressive number of European productions and co-productions have been selected in the International Feature Film Competition. Sparkling amongst these twelve gems is the French film After the Fire [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Mehdi Fikri, homing in on a family confronted with a tragedy which can’t go unpunished; Spirit of Ecstasy [+see also:
film review
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interview: Héléna Klotz
film profile] by Héléna Klotz, in which a young woman (played by musician Pomme) fights to carve out a different future for herself; Blaga’s Lessons [+see also:
film review
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile] by Stephan Komandarev, a film noir taking a frank look at Bulgarian society; Timm Kröger’s thriller The Universal Theory [+see also:
film review
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interview: Timm Kröger
film profile], which unfolds in the heart of the mountains in the fascinating 1960s; Holly [+see also:
film review
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interview: Fien Troch
film profile] by Fien Troch, which follows a mysterious 15-year-old teenager who finds herself experiencing strange premonitions; Polite Society [+see also:
film review
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interview: Nida Manzoor
film profile] by Nida Manzoor, a comedy dominated by martial arts in which modern heroines fight for their independence; Upon Entry [+see also:
film review
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interview: Alejandro Rojas and Juan Se…
film profile] by Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastian Vásquez, an intense huis clos exploring the underside of immigration processes; and international co-productions Banel & Adama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ramata-Toulaye Sy
film profile] by Ramata-Toulaye Sy, which transports us to the heart of Senegal in a northern village where a couple must contend with their community’s immutable ancestral traditions, and Sidonie in Japan [+see also:
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interview: Élise Girard
film profile] by Élise Girard, where a renowned French writer (Isabelle Huppert) who has travelled to Japan to promote one of her books is forced to face the ghosts of her past.

European series also enjoy a significant presence by way of the International Series Competition. These include Danish works Agent [+see also:
series review
trailer
series profile] by Nikolaj Lie Kaas - a touching satire about the complex work of artist agents - and Prisoner [+see also:
series review
series profile] by Kim Fupz Aakeson, Frederik Louis Hviid and Michael Noer, which thrusts us into the murky depths of a prison corrupted by power games, not to mention Boat Story by British directors Harry and Jack Williams, which takes viewers on a captivating journey into the hidden recesses of drug dealing, and Belgian movie The Club [+see also:
series review
series profile] by Zita Theunynck and Leander Verdievel, following three couples united in their desire to have a child despite their fertility issues.

(Translated from French)