Edition 2011

ver since its appearance, the fantastic genre
has never ceased to look for inspiration in
myths and popular beliefs. From Jacques
Tourneur’s Cat People over Richard Fleischer’s
Soylent Green to Steven Spielberg’s Minority
Report, the large majority of these films had one
point in common: an extraordinary intervention
from outside.
This disruptive element could manifest itself in
various ways : aliens, zombies, a virus, monsters,
insects… Humanity’s entire bestiary went
through the fantastic mill !
Unfortunately, the well seems to have dried up. In
recent years, movie screens have been saturated
to the point of indigestion with remakes of the
classics. The icing on the cake might be different,
to the viewer it all tastes the same.
But while the mainstream was endlessly recycling
itself, the avant-garde of the fantastic genre understood
the necessity to change and to adapt.
And we can say that this mutation has been successful,
as the genre now enters a new era : the
age of introspection.
The selection of the 29th BIFFF is just bursting
with these new topics; where we are our own
worst enemy and where the extraordinary comes
from the inside. It’s as if we’ve discovered a goldmine
somewhere deep in the abysses of our grotesquely
underused brain.
Schizophrenia, deviant psychology, alienation…
In brief, all these pathologies of the mind that
used to play second fiddle, are now firmly taking
center stage.
While this trend is obvious, everybody has their
own way to translate this into images. The Asians
are torn between poetical modesty ( One Day,
Ayu ) and anarchical neurotic explosions ( Hell
Driver, Tetsuo ), while the Scandinavians leave
their legendary reserve in the closet to smash
their folklore into pieces ( Troll Hunter, Rare Exports
). But the biggest surprise this year comes
from Eastern Europe with hermetic features that
delve into the deepest recesses of our subconscious
( Strayed, The Temptation of St Tony ).
With such a menu, there’s no need to say that the
BIFFF has put a heavy load on its shoulders. How
will we be able to surpass this for our 30th anniversary
edition !? Does anybody know if there’s
still a place available on Dr. Melfi’s couch ?

ver since its appearance, the fantastic genre has never ceased to look for inspiration in myths and popular beliefs. From Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People over Richard Fleischer’s Soylent Green to Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, the large majority of these films had one point in common: an extraordinary intervention from outside. This disruptive element could manifest itself in various ways : aliens, zombies, a virus, monsters, insects… Humanity’s entire bestiary went through the fantastic mill ! Unfortunately, the well seems to have dried up. In recent years, movie screens have been saturated to the point of indigestion with remakes of the classics. The icing on the cake might be different, to the viewer it all tastes the same. But while the mainstream was endlessly recycling itself, the avant-garde of the fantastic genre understood the necessity to change and to adapt. And we can say that this mutation has been successful, as the genre now enters a new era : the age of introspection. The selection of the 29th BIFFF is just bursting with these new topics; where we are our own worst enemy and where the extraordinary comes from the inside. It’s as if we’ve discovered a goldmine somewhere deep in the abysses of our grotesquely underused brain. Schizophrenia, deviant psychology, alienation… In brief, all these pathologies of the mind that used to play second fiddle, are now firmly taking center stage. While this trend is obvious, everybody has their own way to translate this into images. The Asians are torn between poetical modesty ( One Day, Ayu ) and anarchical neurotic explosions ( Hell Driver, Tetsuo ), while the Scandinavians leave their legendary reserve in the closet to smash their folklore into pieces ( Troll Hunter, Rare Exports ). But the biggest surprise this year comes from Eastern Europe with hermetic features that delve into the deepest recesses of our subconscious ( Strayed, The Temptation of St Tony ). With such a menu, there’s no need to say that the BIFFF has put a heavy load on its shoulders. How will we be able to surpass this for our 30th anniversary edition !? Does anybody know if there’s still a place available on Dr. Melfi’s couch ?