For the 24th edition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF, 4–12 July), our audience will once again be able to meet renowned guests as part of our specialized and industry-oriented section NIFFF EXTENDED, including concept artist Aleksi Briclot, comic book author Boulet, Neuchâtel-based producer and director Jean de Meuron, and French writer Ketty Steward. The guest of honor of our New Worlds of Fantasy literary forum, illustrator Emil Ferris, will also be in attendance for an exclusive public talk. In addition, two roundtable discussions about environmental challenges will take place.
Unfolding over four days of free conferences and public events with world-renowned guests, NIFFF EXTENDED – with the support of SRG SSR – aims to discuss the major challenges faced by audiovisual productions in the fantasy genre, both in Switzerland and elsewhere.
IMAGING THE FUTURE – ANIMATION, VFX, AND VIDEO GAMES
The IMAGING THE FUTURE symposium, which has become a great platform to exchange ideas, brings together experts from various industries such as movies, contemporary art, video game design, engineering, and sociology.
Known for his career in Hollywood, notably as a collaborator of Roland Emmerich’s, Neuchâtel-based producer Jean de Meuron will present the European premiere of EDGE OF SPACE (USA, CH, 2024), his first short film as director. A key figure of the illustration industry, French artist Aleksi Briclot will give a masterclass about his work for Marvel Studios.
ALEKSI BRICLOT MASTERCLASS
© Marvel Studios
JEAN DE MEURON AT THE EDGE OF SPACE
© JdM Entertainment
As far as visual effects are concerned, the Important Looking Pirates studio will discuss their work on the SHOGUN TV series (Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, USA, 2024), which earned them an Emmy Award. The LUAL (CH) and Deconstructeam (ES) studios will talk horror game design as part of the AHEAD OF THE GAME: DESIGNING EXISTENTIAL DREAD roundtable discussion, while the ART OF SUSTAINABILITY conference will focus on the ways the industry can be more responsible in terms of environmentalism.
VFX BREAKDOWN: SHOGUN
© FX
AHEAD OF THE GAME:
DESIGNING EXISTENTIAL DREAD
© Deconstructeam / © LUAL Games
THE ART OF SUSTAINABILITY
© Fabbula
NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY – CONTEMPORARY FANTASY LITERATURE
NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY is a free literary forum for all audiences, comprised of roundtable discussions, conferences, and book-signing sessions.
Famous for her comic book MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS (2017), American artist Emil Ferris will discuss her career and her creative process during an exclusive public talk, followed by a book-signing session. Another highlight this year: a performance-talk from French author and illustrator Boulet, who will be giving the spotlight to his love for horror stories.
A CONVERSATION WITH EMIL FERRIS
© Whitten Sabbatini
RENCONTRE AVEC BOULET
© Boulet
The CRÉER POUR LA TERRE roundtable discussion – the result of a collaboration with the Ecotopiales festival – will cast a new look at artistic creations by imagining a healing fantasy literature that can take care of the living with French author Ketty Steward among others. Finally, the (DÉ)POSSÉDER L’ART? roundtable discussion, organized in collaboration with the Assises francophones de l’art libre, will discuss the complex challenges related to intellectual property in relation to creation, production, and lawmaking.
CRÉER POUR LA TERRE
LA BELLE VERTE (Coline Serreau, 1996)
(DÉ)POSSÉDER L’ART?
OTHER UNMISSABLE EVENTS
Pacôme Thiellement will moderate a conference dedicated to David Lynch. The French essayist and video-maker, who is a Lynch expert, will thus pay homage to the legendary director who passed earlier this year. Finally, there will be a roundtable discussion relating to the TAKE CARE! retrospective, which explores the theme of care in genre cinema.
