The Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF, July 5 – 13) is proud to unveil, with the support of SRG SSR, its specialized, professional NIFFF EXTENDED program, which offers a series of free conferences from renowned international guests. These will notably include VFX deep-dives on THE LAST OF US, as well as the works of Wes Anderson, with his model builder Simon Weisse in attendance. This year, the prominent role of environmentalism in fantasy will be looked into with a roundtable discussion all about the green movement in fiction. The audience will have the chance to meet Saul Pandelakis, sci-fi author and multidisciplinary artist specialized in queer design, who is part of the 23rd edition’s international jury. Not to be outdone, Swiss creations will be in the spotlight with game design presentations, as well as a discussion on a 1970s hoax from the RTS archives.
IMAGING THE FUTURE – DIGITAL CREATION & NEW TECHNOLOGIES
The IMAGING THE FUTURE symposium, focused on the cutting-edge synergy between audiovisual production and tech innovations, is spotlighting environmental issues at this year’s video game conference (LET’S PLAY NATURE) where GameLab UNIL-EPFL will present the game design for STRAY (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive, 2022) and KONA II: BRUME (Ravenscourt, 2023). A discussion between Swiss and international developers (AHEAD OF THE GAME: THAT COSY FEELING) will notably focus on Swiss design thanks to Tabea Iseli, game director for Stardust Studio and David Wildemann, co-CEO and creative director at neoludic games. They will discuss the wholesome games trend through two games currently in development.
Espen Nordahl from Norwegian studio Storm Studios will unveil the secrets of the astonishing visual effects (VFX) seen in THE LAST OF US (Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, HBO, US, 2023).
Creepypastas, backrooms, digital urbex – the internet is a hotbed for horror stories. Join us for a deep dive into INTERNET HORROR during a roundtable with experts: French Youtuber and videographer Obscuria, as well as Franco-Swiss artists and founders of the Résidence Evil artists-in-residence program Mélanie Courtinat and Yatoni Roy Cantu. Some of their residency works will be displayed at La Villa.
ANIMATION FOR GROWNUPS will be an opportunity for Indian director Ishan Schukla to talk about the creative and technical aspects related to the use of the Unreal Engine to animate his movie SCHIRKOA: IN LIES WE TRUST (IN/FR/DE, 2024). Toby Seale, lead animator for British animation studio DNEG will analyze the flamboyant, Oscar-nominated animation film NIMONA (Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, US, 2023), an exhilarating story adapted from a graphic novel.
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. During his conference (PRACTICAL VFX), he will unveil the secrets of his most recent works with Wes Anderson and discuss the synergy between his art and CGI technology.
Picture : Simon Weisse
MONDAY, JULY 8
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 Guénat, GameLab collaborator and graduate assistant at UNIL, CH
Image : STRAY © BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive
AHEAD OF THE GAME: 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
Images : GRIMOIRE GROVES © Stardust Studio // TINY BOOKSHOP © neoludic games
VFX BREAKDOWN: 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
Image : © HBO
TUESDAY, JULY 9
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
Image : Internet Horror © Obscuria
ANIMATION – NIMONA
NIMONA, an exhilarating story brought to life through flamboyant animation, received wide acclaim from the audience. DNEG Animation will present the work accomplished on this very “metal” adaptation of N.D. Stevenson’s graphic novel. From animation techniques to the importance of authentic storytelling, discover how the studio gave life to this Oscar-nominated film.
- Toby Seale, Lead Animator at DNEG Animation, UK
Image : NIMONA © Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
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 Shukla, director, IN
Image : SCHIRKOA: IN LIES WE TRUST © Dissidenz / Red Cigarette Media
PRACTICAL VFX : 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
Image : © Simon Weisse
NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY
The NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY literary forum will notably focus on environmentalism, which is a very current topic. Today’s art is no longer content with showing what is at stake, it has become an embodiment of environmental concerns. The EMBODYING (DIS)ENCHANTED TOMORROWS roundtable discussion, in collaboration with the ORIA (Observatoire des récits et imaginaires de l’anthropocène) from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), will bring together Saul Pandelakis (author and researcher at the University Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, member of the 23rd edition’s international jury), Swiss author and artist Lucia Masu, French philosopher and utopia expert Alice Carabédian, and Swiss actress and researcher Sophie Desbiolles. This will also relate to THE ALLUVIALS, an installation from American artist Alice Bucknell which will be exhibited as a world premiere at La Villa in collaboration with MUDAC. It exposes the political stakes of a near-future Los Angeles drought through the perspectives of both human and non-human actors.
The works of Saul Pandelakis are a perfect opportunity to think about how we should 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 during a public conference moderated by Tammara Leites, an artist, designer, and developer specialized in human/machine interactions for Transmii. A book-signing session will follow.
Picture : Saul Pandelakis © Barbara Métais-Chastanier
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
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, specialist in science fiction utopias, FR
- Sophie Desbiolles, researcher and comedian, CH
- Colin Pahlisch, coordinator at ORIA, UNIL, CH
Image : ANNIHILATION (Alex Garland, 2018)
CONVERSATION WITH 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
Image : Saul Pandelakis © Barbara Métais-Chastanier
OTHER MUST-SEE CONFERENCES
Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) recently investigated the historical interest of Swiss television for science fiction. Marlène Belilos (TV producer), Didier Bufflier (Head of ArchiveLAB-RTS), and Sophie Meyer (Head of Publishing and Partnerships, at RTS Data and Archives department) will present the famous hoax that took place in 1971 (RTS ARCHIVES: CREATING A TV HOAX). Finally, the EAT THE RICH retrospective – dedicated to how elites are portrayed in genre cinema – will also have its own roundtable discussion with multiple guests in attendance.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
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
Image : RTS ARCHIVE © Interpresse Genève
SAVE THE DATE
Full program & online ticketing: Thursday, June 20