Heidi who returns to take revenge on a horrible gruyere magnate in a gore version, unicorns exploding teddy bears (and vice versa), an Iranian exorcism film... The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival returns from Friday September 23 with an eclectic program and director Christophe Gans as guest of honour.
For its 15th edition, the Strasbourg festival, which had welcomed more than 33,000 spectators during the last pre-Covid edition, in 2019, is offering until October 2 thirteen films in the international competition category, eight in "crossovers" and eight in animated films, as well as numerous events.
Read alsoIn Strasbourg, the European Fantastic Film Festival crowns
The Innocents
by Eskil Vogt
Diabolik
, by the Manetti brothers, will be broadcast on Friday evening before the jury decides between the 13 films of the official selection, including in particular the disturbing
Family Dinner
by Peter Hengl,
Our ceremonies
, by the young French director Simon Rieth or the black tale
You won't be alone
, by Goran Stolevcki with actress Noomi Rapace.
Among the highlights, French director Christophe Gans will be the festival's guest of honor and will give a masterclass on Sunday September 25 before the broadcast of his film
Le Pacte des loups
in a restored 4K version.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro will also be present on the occasion of the projection of the restored version of
The City of Lost Children
in world premiere, Saturday.
Gore lovers will stay on their side for the late screenings of the “Midnight movies” selection, with the bloody
Mad Heidi
, by Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfenstein, the vertiginous
Fall
, by Scott Mann, or
Dark Glasses
, by Dario Argento, with in the credits his daughter, the actress Asia Argento.
The “Crossovers” section will offer great diversity, between
Les Rascals
, by French director Jimmy Laporal-Trésor,
Zalava
, by Iranian Arsalan Amiri, or
Pamfir
, by Ukrainian filmmaker Dmytro Sukholytkyy.
Fast-paced action scenes
The youngest are not forgotten and are entitled to a dedicated session, with
Le secret des perlims
, by Alê Abreu:
"A very colourful, magnificent film, a real treat, and for the parents too"
, notes Daniel Cohen, the director artistic of the festival.
And lovers of nanars will not miss the eccentric night,
“in partnership with the French cinematheque, which entrusts us with its worst films”
, smiles Daniel Cohen again.
An eccentric night often taken by storm, during which
The Island of Naked Women
,
Dracula, Sexual Vampire
, and
The Armed Arm of Wang Yu
will be broadcast .
A breakfast is then offered to the brave ones who stayed until the end.
At the end of the festival,
Hunt
will keep spectators spellbound.
“It's a film by Korean
Lee Jung-jae
, cult actor of the
Squid Game series
, who is both an actor and a director here.
The film features dazzling action scenes and is a bit reminiscent
of
Michael Mann
's Heat
”
, enthuses Daniel Cohen.
And Greg Lauert, in charge of programming short and feature films, to highlight
"the dexterity of Koreans in the representation of action, violence"
.
Read alsoSquid
Game
star Lee Jung-Jae presented his first film on the Croisette
On the sidelines of the festival, there will unfortunately be no Zombie Walk this year, the traditional costumed parade through the streets of Strasbourg of zombies, bloody monsters and other vampires, long one of the highlights of the festival:
"It was funny to fun on the theme of a post-pandemic world, but today reality has surpassed fiction: after two years of Covid it is no longer a fantasy, today's world has caught up with the concept»
, regrets Daniel Cohen.
