FESTIVALS Switzerland
Japanese Fish Story triumphs at NIFFF
by Françoise Deriaz
07/07/2009 - The 9th Neuchâtel International Fantasy Film Festival (NIFFF) closed on July 5.
At the end of the six-day event, the international competition jury (composed of Korean director Bong Joon-ho, Indonesian director Joko Anwar, Dutch screenwriter Gerard Soeteman, French journalist François Angelier and Swiss-US singer and performer Erika Stucky) presented the H.R. Giger Award - Narcissus for Best Film to Fish Story by Japan’s Yoshihiro Nakamura.
The film, which also picked up the Denis-de-Rougemont Youth Award, looks at how Japanese rock music, a female mathematician, Indian rockets and a very international team of astronauts foil an extraterrestrial attack.
Meanwhile, Kyle Rankin’s US title Infestation took home a Special Mention for its humour.
The Swiss jury for the Méliès Award (composed of producer Valentin Greutert, film critic Florian Keller and director Bettina Oberli) – who select a nominee for the Golden Méliès, to be presented at the 42nd Catalonia International Fantasy Film Festival in Sitges (October 2-12) – handed the Silver Méliès for Best European Feature to Left Bank [trailer] by Belgium’s Pieter Van Hees.
The Titra Film Award went to Lars von Trier’s explosive Antichrist [trailer, film focus].
This year, the NIFFF saw a record attendance of 22,000 viewers – 2,000 more than in 2008.
(Translated from French)
