NIFFF 2024 Leitartikel

In a world shaken and battered by upheavals, fantasy cinema has the power to take us on a journey and project us into other worlds, but also to bring us back to reality and – for the duration of the Festival – hold up a mirror on our everyday lives.

For over twenty years, the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival has had the invigorating and virtuous merit of bringing us together, but above all, of offering up a promising range of formats, horizons and encounters. This diversity is reflected in the eclectic programme, which gives pride of place to audacious films, genre classics, emerging talents and established directors.

All of which serves to explain the allure of the NIFFF beyond the Swiss cultural scene, and the interest of its ever-growing audiences. The tireless commitment of its teams to issues such as gender equality, whether within the festival, in the programming or in the juries, is another good reason for us to support the Festival, on this 23rd and very promising edition.

I wish you an entertaining, inspiring and, in short, fantastic festival.

Elisabeth Baume-Schneider
Federal Councillor

A knife… a skull… and that pile of cocaine that actually turns out to be flour!

This year, the NIFFF’s flamboyant poster puts up a smokescreen – before revealing we’re not in a crime scene, just in a pizzeria. Beyond the playful twist, this idea is the perfect way to explore the most crucial issue related to digital creation: the importance of framing and the manipulation of images in the era of generative AI.

For its 23rd edition, our festival is thrilled to offer an ambitious program that includes 124 films, a prestigious International Competition, art performances, and immersive installations – a testament to the wealth of contemporary imagination.

Now more than ever, fantastic films are a way to explore the deep changes our society is going through, as well as gender related issues. The NIFFF tackles these concerns through feminist narratives and many films directed by women and non-binary people. We are also delighted to be offering a carte blanche to our guest of honor and icon of the MeToo movement Asia Argento, as well as to Swiss drag queen Moon.

For us, expectations are high: over its two previous editions, the festival broke attendance records, reaching 60,000+ attendees in 2023.

We are very much looking forward to being reunited with our NIFFF afficionados and our ever more numerous audience members for 9 days of excitement – it’s going to be hotter than embers in a pizza oven!

Nathalie Randin
NIFFF President

The varied, engaged NIFFF 2024 selection includes films from many countries and gives prominence to gender diversity with nearly half of the movies in the International Competition directed by women or non-binary filmmakers (including Camila Beltrán, Thea Hvistendahl, and Jane Schoenbrun).

However, diversity can take many forms: films can also be written or produced by women, and it is important to highlight it whenever possible. Nowadays, giving the spotlight to such diversity is more essential than ever.

Another important observation: many filmmakers are happy to come back to Neuchâtel with their latest work, like Veronika Franz (who was a member of the international jury last year), Steffen Haars (of legendary New Kids fame), and Shalini Ushadevi, who had made a strong impression back in 2012 (!) with her debut feature.

You could say the NIFFF community is just like the film industry: rich in its differences, fascinating, and interconnected. We hope to live up to expectations again this year.

Enjoy the festival!

Pierre-Yves Walder
NIFFF general & artistic CEO