Neuchâtel is fantastically European
The 5th Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) is taking place from the 28th of June to the 3d of July. This year, this event, created in 2000 to defend an unprejudiced approach of the genre, is hosting the Golden Melies award ceremony, where the best European fantastic film is distinguished.
The Swiss festival, organised in collaboration with the European Federation of fantastic film festivals and with the support of the Media Programme, proves very committed to European films, as does its director, Olivier Müller. On the 30th of June, the Golden Melies will go to one of the eight films selected this year and to the best work of the short film section. Belmondo by Annette Carle (winner 2004 of the Swiss Authors' Society Prize in Neuchâtel), represents Switzerland in competition.
The international contest is very open to Asian cinema but it also shows how interesting the genre is in its European version, with such films as Calvaire [+see also:
trailer
interview: Fabrice du Welz
film profile] (Belgium), by Fabrice Du Welz, a tribute to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre produced by Vincent Tavier for La Parti Production (he was a member of the Man Bites Dog team).
The NIFFF is fairly recent but already well-known for its ambitious retrospectives. This year, it will focus on Sovietic productions, screening about twenty movies on the notion of Utopia and science-fiction produced between 1935 and 1989. There is also a Swiss short film contest including eight titles: La fosse by Pascal Forney, Terra Incognita by Peter Vokart, Come Closer by Pierre Monnard (winner of the Swiss Film Awards 2003 with Swapped), Hang Over by Rolf Brönnimann, Ave by Raphael Gschwind, L'auberge by Prune Jaillet and Anouk Dominguez, The Funeral by Tony Benham, and Sennentuntschis Tod by Pascal Bergamin.
(Translated from French)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
