The conferences and interviews made during the 22nd edition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) are now available online.
NIFFF EXTENDED
The yearly NIFFF EXTENDED programme – supported by the SRG SSR – consists of free roundtables, conferences, and public talks that have to do with the festival’s guests and various programmes. It is also an opportunity to explore new technologies at the service of fantasy storytelling (IMAGING THE FUTURE) and to meet major authors in person (NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY).
Between June 30th and July 8th, 2023, the NIFFF audience was able to meet, among others:
- John McTiernan, the undisputed master of the hard-hitting, bloody revolution in the American action genre of the late 80s.
- Josiane Balasko, a major artist of the French-speaking film industry, but also an author with a passion for the fantasy genres. In collaboration with RTS Culture, this conference was broadcast live on La Première – Vertigo.
- Charles Burns, creator of graphic novels DÉDALES and BLACK HOLE, who talked at length about his work and his masterful mixing of humour and horror.
- Katsuhito Ishii, the cult Japanese director, discussed his varied filmography and flamboyant visual style. Several of his films were shown at the NIFFF 2023.
All four of them also gave exclusive NIFFF interviews, which you can discover below.
As part of NIFFF EXTENDED, animation was also explored with:
- ANIMATION FOR GROWNUPS, a roundtable about the new stakes of animation, a genre that is no longer just for young audiences.
- Richard Pickersgill, head puppet maker for GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO (2022), presented the painstaking and breathtaking techniques of stop-motion animation.
There were also conferences on Swiss creation and visual effects:
- MAD HEIDI: VFX MADE IN SWITZERLAND, a deep dive into the effects of the film with VFX supervisor Chris Blaser.
- ELECTRIC.FILM : UN STUDIO D’UN NOUVEAU GENRE, a presentation from Swiss filmmaker Simon Jaquemet, who is harnessing the power of web 3.0 technologies to offer a novel approach to filmmaking.
More topics tackled in 2023: comic books (and scrolling comics), artificial intelligence, and design.
OFFICIAL INTERVIEWS
Some of the guests who attended the NIFFF’s 22nd edition agreed to give exclusive interviews to the festival team. You can notably watch Amanda Nell Eu talk about her first feature film TIGER STRIPES, which won the NIFFF first prize, the H.R. Giger “Narcisse” Award (CHF 10,000 from the City of Neuchâtel).
Images : © Studio Corium / NIFFF 2023
ONLINE SHOP
The NIFFF shop is back online, with our collectors’ merch now cheaper than ever!
What’s new this year? Scrunchies, wallets, and laptop covers made out of recycled tarp by Alfaset, as well NIFFF-branded caps and hoodies.
