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NIFFF 2021

Loïc Valceschini • Acting artistic director, NIFFF

"These last few years, fantasy cinema has become a very productive incubator for young creation"

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- The acting artistic director of the innovating festival which defends fantasy cinema analyses its 20th edition

Loïc Valceschini  • Acting artistic director, NIFFF
(© Miguel Bueno)

Cineuropa had the opportunity to talk to Loïc Valceschini, acting artistic director of the NIFFF (Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, about the 20th edition of an innovative festival engaged in defending fantasy cinema. Loïc Valceschini got a Master in the film history and form at the Université de Lausanne, then was selected as an alumni of the Berlinale Talent Press and has worked in the fields of distribution and film programming, including at the Swiss Cinémathèque and at the NIFFF.

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Cineuropa: Could you present to us this new edition of the NIFFF ?
Loïc Valceschini
: We decided last fall to offer a hybrid format for the festival. This year too, we knew that we couldn’t imagine a “normal” festival, so we chose to once again offer the same format as last year, using it as a skeleton which we could “flesh out” with some physical components, and then, depending on the health situation, we could maybe move to a more physical edition. The idea was also to start off from a lighter version. A festival is a bit like a big boat, it’s difficult to change its trajectory with immediate effect, so we preferred to plan in advance in order to be able to adapt and to change trajectory if necessary. Then, thankfully, the restrictions were progressively lifted, and we were told we would be able to offer a “physical” edition with a rich and varied offer, a great number of screenings for each film which has increased compared to what we usually do. We’ve also developed our digital offer, which brings together a great part of the International Competition, the short film competitions and the focus on Taiwan (Formosa Fantastica). 

What are the current trends shaping fantasy cinema, in Europe more particularly?
These last few years, fantasy cinema has become a very productive incubator for young creation. The International Competition indeed includes a great variety of first and second features, it’s a very beautiful way of reminding everyone just how important it is for NIFF to be at the forefront of new talent, to pay attention to emerging filmmaker and to offer them a platform to show their films. I’m thinking for example of Censor [+see also:
film review
interview: Prano Bailey-Bond
film profile
]
by Prano Bailey-Bond, a fascinating film that mixes politics and cinema in a very effective way. And all with a visually very powerful ending that left us aghast. We find in other European feature debuts concerns about the environment, about nature but also about society and politics, for example in The Feast [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, an English film by Lee Haven Jones which attacks capitalism in a rather devious way by suggesting a sort of radical evo revenge. These worries are resolutely in line with the news. Regarding more social concerns, I could name Knocking [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Frida Kempff
film profile
]
from Swedish director Frida Kempff, which premiered in Sundance this year. The filmmaker really ventures into the psyche of her protagonist, who just comes out of a heavy personal experience and is just starting to get over it. Through extremely subjective storytelling and a direction, Frida Kempff has managed to create both empathy and a feeling of communion with the protagonist. It’s a film that belongs to a sort of “crying for help” register, it’s extremely touching, 

These last few years, more and more young directors appear to take an interest in the fantasy genre. How do you explain this enthusiasm for a genre that once was too often considered stigmatising and rather uncool?
That’s exactly it! This is something we really want to point out and underline through this twentieth edition, by offering a kind of retrospective reflection on the fantasy genre, which has changed a lot in the way it is produced and distributed but also in the way it is “consumed” and perceived. I remain convinced that even though it is currently a very popular genre, which can be found in Netflix’s n.1 titles, in big American productions and in festivals alike (in Cannes, Venice or Toronto, it is no longer confined to a specialised section), there is still a certain reticence to giving it the attention and respect it deserves. This goes back to the golden age of Hollywood cinema, to B movies, to genres that were favoured and those considered of a lesser category. It was already absurd at the time. But I agree with you, genre cinema has become cooler and trendier these past few years. In my opinion, it’s really a protean genre and that is also what attracts young filmmakers, they really can take a hold of that to address whatever kind of story. They can very easily distort a topic or an aspect of society, or even of the reality of their lives. They can also (cinematically) confront in a surprising way the news, or tackle topics of society in a striking manner. 

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(Translated from French)

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