A look back in images at NIFFF 2024 through daily videos created by the Youpi Team !
NIFFF EXTENDED – CONFERENCES
Every year, our entirely free conferences program NIFFF EXTENDED (with support from SRG SSR) offers masterclasses and roundtables on the festival’s themes and from our guests. It is also designed as a forum for exploring new technologies in the fantasy genre (IMAGING THE FUTURE) and as an opportunity to meet some of the most important contemporary authors (NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY).
3 BODY PROBLEM
Adapting Liu Cixin’s novel — full to the brim with bold scientific concepts that are hard to visualize — to the screen was no easy task. Pixomondo will revisit this ambitious project, which required a wide array of VFX services.
• Michael Schlesinger, Lead Compositor at Pixomondo, DE
With the support of SRG SSR
ANIMATION – SCHIRKOA: IN LIES WE TRUST
Schirkoa, which is part of our Asian Competition, makes a strong impression thanks to its unique aesthetics, bringing a striking dystopian world to life. The director will talk about the creative and technical aspects that come with using the Unreal Engine as part of the animation process.
• Ishan Schukla, director, IN
With the support of SRG SSR
EMBODYING (DIS)ENCHANTED TOMORROWS
Many artists today tackle issues related to environmentalism. These modern works not only articulate what’s at stake, but also bring these problems to life. Now is the time to make art about the green movement, not just in relation to it. How can these new voices express themselves? What more will they be able to say tomorrow?
• Saul Pandelakis, author and researcher at Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, FR
• Lucia Masu, artist and author, CH
• Alice Carabédian, utopia specialist, FR
• Sophie Desbiolles, researcher and comedian, CH
• Colin Pahlisch, coordinator at ORIA, UNIL, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
INTERNET HORROR
Creepypastas, backrooms, digital urbex — Internet has become the craddle for the creation and circulation of a new kind of horror storytelling. Thousands of netizens get together online to come up with spooky stories. What sets these dark creations apart? What opportunities come with the digital age?
• Mélanie Courtinat, artist and co-founder of Résidence Evil, CH
• Yatoni Roy Cantu, artist and co-founder of Résidence Evil, CH
• Obscuria, videographer and Youtuber, FR
• Boris Bruckler, consultant NWoF, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
JULIEN BLONDEL
Multifaceted writer Julien Blondel (comics, films, video games, role playing games) is launching the second cycle of his flagship series Elric, as well as a new manga set in the Dark Souls universe. For his one and only visit to Switzerland, he will discuss his appetence for dark tales, a genre he has been working in for many years.
• Julien Blondel, comics writer and screenwriter, FR
• Boris Bruckler, consultant NWoF, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
LET’S PLAY NATURE
In video games, nature is often seen as a threat or as a resource. This two-person conference questions the ability of the medium to subvert this anthropocentric outlook by exploring two unique games: STRAY (a dark, feline-lead adventure), as well as the icy KONA II: BRUME.
• Loïse Bilat, GameLab member and teacher at HEP Fribourg, CH
• Guillaume Guenat, GameLab collaborator and graduate assistante at UNIL, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
RENCONTRE AVEC SAUL PANDELAKIS
From the trans bots of La Séquence Aardtman to the sunđuz language created in Les Hygialogues de Ty Petersen, Saul Pandelakis never stops thinking about the ways we can come together and interact with our (more or less) fellow humans. He will discuss the place given to language in his empathetic and ambitious stories with Tammara Leites.
• Saul Pandelakis, author and researcher at Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, FR
• Tammara Leites, artist, developer and interaction designer at Transmii, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
RTS ARCHIVES : CREATING A TV HOAX
Has Swiss television ever been interested in science fiction? While going through their archives, the RTS stumbled upon a surprising prank from June 22nd, 1971. On that day, at 8:30 p.m., the station interrupted its normal programs to broadcast the live arrival of a UFO near Geneva… The show’s producer will revisit what went into setting up this Orson Welles-level hoax.
• Marlène Belilos, television producer, CH
• Didier Bufflier, Head of ArchiveLab-RTS, CH
• Sophie Meyer, Head of Publishing and Partnerships at RTS Data and Archives Department, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
SIMON WEISSE
In a world where digital effects reign supreme, Simon Weisse remains one of the few experts of 3D modeling worldwide. He is the architect of Wes Anderson’s singular visions, and has also worked with the Wachowskis and Steven Spielberg. He will revisit his most recent collaboration with Anderson, and discuss the synergy between his work and CGI technology.
• Simon Weisse, Prop & Model Maker, DE
With the support of SRG SSR
THAT COSY FEELING
Wholesome games are products that offer a nice, chill, pleasant gaming experience through varied, playful mechanics. How does one approach the specifics of such a (relatively new) genre? Stardust and neoludic tackle the subject while roaming through a magic forest (GRIMOIRE GROVES) and a utopian bookshop (TINY BOOKSHOP).
• Tabea Iseli, CEO & Game Director at Stardust Studio, CH
• David Wildemann, co-CEO & Creative Director at neoludic games, DE
• David Javet, consultant AotG, CH
With the support of SRG SSR
THE LAST OF US
No other zombie story had ever made people cry so much. Storm Studios will present its work on The Last Of Us, among the most well-regarded video game adaptations of recent years. The studio has mainly worked on the infected and the cordyceps, focusing its creativity on prosthetics and production stills.
• Espen Nordahl, Head of VFX at Storm Studios, NO
With the support of SRG SSR
THE RICH GAZE IN GENRE CINEMA
This roundtable discussion is dedicated to how the political allegories of genre cinema work as a mirror for class struggle. This discussion, moderated by journalist Judith Beauvallet, aka Demoiselle d’horreur, and involving researcher Sophie Serrano among others, complements our Eat The Rich retrospective. A fascinating dialogue about the evolution of political commitment in cinema.
With the support of SRG SSR
– Judith Beauvallet (Demoiselles d’horreur) – moderator
– Sophie Serrano – PhD FNS Doc.CH – Criminology
– Nora Bouazzouni – Journalist
