Now an unmissable event for those attending the NIFFF (Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival), the 24th edition of which is due to unspool between 4 and 12 July 2025, the Open Air sidebar is shedding its skin and taking a new form. As of this upcoming edition, rather than taking their places on bleachers, Neuchâtel audiences will get to experience the thrills of genre cinema seated in chairs and deckchairs arranged across the charming cobblestoned town square of Place des Halles. This adjustment in size will allow the festival to welcome up to 1,000 people - twice the number afforded by the former tiered set-up – in an elegant and welcoming setting located within touching distance of the town centre.

What won’t be changing, however, is the festival’s overall approach, since a number of screenings will be free, allowing thrill-seekers to discover jewels of the genre beneath the stars of the Neuchâtel sky, promising all kinds of strong emotions.

The restaurants located on the Place de Halles who are involved in this project will also make their outside areas available to the public, meaning that people can enjoy the screenings across the entire square. Installed close to the Maison des Halles, the projection room will be fully optimised to ensure the high-quality cinematographic immersion required for a shared experience of this kind.

This new initiative was devised and developed by the Town of Neuchâtel in collaboration with the restaurants located on the square. From hereon in, the Open Air event will become a part of and exist alongside this important meeting point in the town which, from 8.45pm, will be transformed into a cinema auditorium beneath the stars. As for the screening programme, the press release reminds us that: “as part of the NIFFF INVASION label in partnership with the Town of Neuchâtel, each year the NIFFF will screen five big fantastic film classics, which are free to view upon reservation”. In order to protect the tranquillity of the neighbourhood, films programmed for later in the evening will be screened on a headphones-only basis. All those living in Place des Halles will be able to access the full line-up of Open Air screenings free of charge.