The Forbidden Play by Japan’s Hideo Nakata opened yesterday the 31st Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival which will gather in the Vosges and until 28 January all the fans of a genre whose potential in cinemas no longer needs to be proven.

On the menu is a competition featuring ten titles, including four European feature films: For Night Will Come [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Céline Rouzet
scheda film] by France’s Céline Rouzet (appreciated at Venice Orizzonti), The Curse by France’s Abel Danan, Amelia’s Children by American-Portuguese director Gabriel Abrantes, and Resvrgis by Italy’s Francesco Carnesecchi. Also selected are two American films, one from Argentina, another from South Korea, the Japanese opening film and The Funeral by Turkey’s Orçun Behram. The jury is presided by novelist Bernard Werber, who will be choosing the winner together with filmmakers Jean-Paul Salomé and Mathieu Turi, actor/director Clovis Cornillac, actresses Camille Chamoux, Mélanie Bernier and Caroline Anglade, and radio and TV presenter Alessandra Sublet.

Also showcased are ten feature films playing out of competition, among them four French films (Bitten [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Romain de Saint-Blanquat
scheda film] by Romain de Saint-Blanquat, The Soul Eater by the duo Julien Maury - Alexandre Bustillo, Hood Witch by Saïd Belktibia, the documentary Kaidan. Histoires étranges de fantômes japonais by Yves Montmayeur, and the Norwegian title Super Lion by Rasmus A. Sivertsen (as part of a young audience screening).

Worth pointing out is an homage to British filmmaker Gareth Edwards who will deliver a masterclass on Friday 26 January, the "rencontres du fantastique" with a Work in Progress for Sous la Seine by Xavier Gens (who will be attending Gérardmer with Bérénice Bejo), a "Vampires" retrospective, two white nights ("nuit Sharks Attacks" and "nuit décalée"), a short film competition, a "rétromania" programme and an homage to fantasy literature.