The Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) 2014

Summer is at our doorstep so it is the right time for Festivals. I am not talking only about the ones outdoors with music bands, barbecues, beer and camping. Oddly enough, summer is also the time to lock ourselves into dark rooms and participate to movie festivals.
The Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival will start in less than two weeks in this nice little town alongside a lake in Switzerland. It will last from July 4th to 12th and JoRafCinema will have the opportunity to participate to the last three days.

I [Jo] had the chance to go there already eight years ago and kept an excellent memory of it. The festival was smaller then but already offered the possibility to its public to meet renowned directors like John Landis (Blues Brothers) and George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead).
I have been keeping an eye on the programme over the years, always a good one, and this year I moved my plans around to be able to go back, even if only for three days.

The Program chart of the NIFFF14

I was immediately attracted by the two international guests. First George R. R. Martin, whose life masterpiece A Song of Ice and Fire was adapted into the new genre of expensive, adult TV-series Game of Thrones (for which he is also producer) with the success that we know. I didn't read the books but have reviewed the first three seasons here.
And then Kevin Smith, cult independent nerd director, one of my favorites. I have seen many of his movies, check out the reviews of Mallrats, Clerks 2 and Red State.

Jay and Silent Bob (on the left, played by Kevin Smith) in both movies Clerks (top) and Clerks 2 (bottom)

The International competition includes very recent movies while the category Films of the Third Kind shows movies for everybody to discover the genre, and Ultra Movies shows -at midnight- the most original genre movies of the year (including some that we have already reviewed like both the excellent Dead Snow 2 and The Sacrament). Out of those three categories are selected those in competition for the European Méliès d'Argent price (see their website).
Besides those categories, even more movies will be shown! No less than five selection of short ones: from Switzerland (also competing for a Méliès d'Argent), Asia, the rest of the world, European Fantastic movies and ones about a fantasy Japan (short and long). A selection of Asian movies will please those who couldn't attend the Udine FEFF (see our post) with Live, the new Noboru Igushi (The Machine Girl, Zombie Ass: the Toilet of the Dead), the new Dante Lam That Demon Within, the sequel to Tsui Hark's successful Detective Dee, and several kung fu flicks like Yasmine, Kung Fu Divas and the expected The Raid 2 (see our review of the first one).

Finally, Kevin Smith and George R. R. Martin will share their influences and realisations in dedicated "Carte Blanche" selections.
In total, the 14th edition of the NIFFF spans over 9 days and shows 80 full-length features and 28 shorts in 5 theaters for a total capacity of 1824 seats. This promises to be a busy week and I didn't even mention the symposium Imaging the Future, the Homage to H.R Giger, the documentaries about genre cinema, the retrospective about Taiwan Exploitation, and the colloquium about TV-series. I already regret not being able to attend more. If you happen to be free and around Switzerland early July, you shouldn't miss the NIFFF, it is the festival for you even if (and particularly if) you don't think you are a big fan of genre movie. You will be surprised.

Visit the website of festival nifff.ch and stay tuned to JoRafCinema for the review of the movies we see, our impressions on the festival, maybe interviews and more.
And as George A. Romero told me at the NIFFF 2006: Stay Scared!

George A. Romero didn't even know of this graphic version
of his Land of the Dead when he signed it for me in 2006.

Below are shown some more good-looking posters of movies that will be presented at the festival.